JP3035754B2 - Warm-up operation method of laser beam machine - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for warming up a laser beam machine, which can start machining in a short time even in cold weather.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a laser processing machine that performs processing by using a laser is provided with a laser oscillator, and a laser beam oscillated by the laser oscillator is guided to a processing head using an optical system, and is processed. By irradiating the work to be processed from the nozzle of the head, the work is processed. In addition, a resonator is provided in the laser oscillator, and the resonator holding the optical system is cooled by a coolant such as water or oil so that the temperature is kept constant so that the frame holding the optical system does not bend due to heat generated during oscillation. In addition, when the laser is not oscillating, the resonator is oscillated at a relatively low output (pre-discharge) so that the frame does not bend so much that the resonator is too cold.

[0003]

For this reason, even if the operation start switch is turned on to operate the laser processing machine which has been stopped for a long time and is in a cooled state, the temperature of the resonator in the laser oscillator is kept at a constant temperature. Processing could not be started because the mode and output were not stable. Particularly in cold weather, it takes a long time for the mode and output to stabilize, and processing cannot be started during that time, resulting in problems such as reduced productivity. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a warm-up operation method for a laser beam machine in which machining can be started in a short time even in cold weather.

[0004]

According to the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, a laser oscillated by a laser oscillator is guided to a processing head, and the work is processed by irradiating the work from the processing head. In the laser beam machine, the frame temperature of the resonator provided in the laser oscillator is measured, and when the frame temperature is lower than the set value, the resonator is discharged at a higher output than in the preliminary discharge to perform the warm-up operation. It is like that.

[0005]

[Operation] Since the frame temperature reaches the processable temperature in a short time even in a cold state by the above configuration, the process can be started with a short waiting time and the productivity can be improved.

[0006]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a laser oscillator 1 provided in a laser processing machine for carrying out the method of the present invention. A resonator 2 is provided in a case 1a, and an oil cooler for cooling the resonator 2 is provided near the resonator 2. 3 are provided. Oil is circulated in the oil cooler 3 by an oil pump 4, and the oil heated by cooling the laser tube 2 is radiated by a resonator radiator 5.

[0007] The resonator 2 is composed of an optical system such as an output mirror, a final stage mirror, and a folding mirror, and a discharge tube having a cathode and an anode. In order to operate, the internal temperature is constant (for example, about 2
5 ° C.), and controls the flow rate of the cooling water flowing through the resonator radiator 5 according to a signal from an oil temperature detector (not shown) for detecting the oil temperature in the oil cooler 3. As a result, a constant temperature of about 25 ° C. is maintained. In the case 1a of the laser oscillator 1, a vacuum pump 7 is provided.
And inverter 8, inverter power supply 9, gas cooler 10,
A mechanical booster 11 and the like are provided.

Next, an operation method of the laser beam machine having the laser oscillator 1 constructed as described above will be described with reference to a flow chart shown in FIG. 2. First, in order to start the operation of the laser beam machine, the operation is started in step (1). Switch (not shown)
In step (2), cooling water is supplied into the laser oscillator 1 from a cooling device (not shown) in step (2), and at the same time, the oil pump 4 and the vacuum pump 7 in the laser oscillator 1 start operating. The vacuum pump 7 operates so as to discharge the gas in the resonator 2, and in step (3), the degree of vacuum in the resonator 2 is checked, and in step (4), a predetermined degree of vacuum, for example, about As compared with 5 Torr, the vacuum pump 7 is operated until the degree of vacuum in the resonator 2 becomes about 5 Torr.

The degree of vacuum in the resonator 2 is about 5 Torr
Is reached, the laser gas valve (not shown) is opened, and the laser gas is charged into the resonator 2 by the mechanical booster 11 in step (5). In step (6), the gas pressure in the resonator 2 is measured, and in step (7), a preset gas pressure, for example, 60 Torr ±
It is compared with 1 Torr, and gas charging is performed until this value is reached. Gas pressure in the resonator 2 is regulated to 60 Torr
When the pressure reaches ± 1 Torr, the process proceeds to step (8), and the ready lamp on the operation panel (not shown) is turned on.

When the operator turns on a discharge switch (not shown) upon seeing this, the frame 2 of the resonator 2 is
The temperature T of the frame 2a is measured by the temperature detector 12 attached to a, and is compared with a preset temperature of about 25 ° C. in step (10). When the temperature T of the frame 2a has not reached about 25 ° C., step (11)
Then, the warm-up operation is started. The warm-up operation is performed by increasing the output of the resonator 2 to 1500 W from 400 W during processing. On the other hand, during the warm-up operation, as shown in FIG. 3, the mechanical shutter 15 is projected by the actuator 14 such as a rotary solenoid onto the optical path 13 of the laser beam oscillated by the resonator 2, so that the laser beam is directed toward the beam absorber 16. The light is reflected and absorbed by the beam absorber 16 and is not supplied to the processing head. During the warm-up operation, the temperature T of the frame 2a is set to about 25.
When the temperature of the frame 2a reaches about 25 ° C., the process proceeds to step (12) and the output of the resonator 2 becomes 400 W
, The warm-up operation ends, and the resonator 2
Is in a preliminary discharge state.

That is, conventionally, as shown by a curve B in FIG. 4, when the operation start switch is turned on when the temperature of the frame 2a is, for example, 5 ° C., the frame temperature reaches about 25 ° C., and the processing can be started. By using the warm-up operation method of the present invention, the processing can be started in about 5 minutes as shown by the curve A in FIG. Can be achieved. Although the relationship between the frame temperature and the mode shape is as shown in FIG. 5, since the frame temperature reaches the predetermined temperature in a short time, the time until the mode is stabilized can be shortened.

[0012]

According to the present invention, as described in detail above, when the frame temperature of the resonator is lower than a predetermined value, the warm-up operation is started manually or automatically, and the temperature is raised to a temperature at which machining can be started in a short time. Therefore, processing can be started in a short time even in cold weather, and productivity can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a laser oscillator provided in a laser processing machine that performs a method of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an embodiment of the method of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration for blocking a laser beam during a warm-up operation.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a frame temperature and a rise characteristic of a laser oscillator.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a relationship between a frame temperature and a mode shape.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 ... laser oscillator, 2 ... resonator.

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A laser beam machine which guides a laser oscillated by a laser oscillator 1 to a machining head and irradiates the workpiece with the workpiece from the machining head to machine the workpiece. A warm-up operation of a laser beam machine, wherein a frame temperature of the resonator 2 is measured, and when the frame temperature is lower than a set value, a warm-up operation is performed by discharging the resonator 2 with a higher output than at the time of preliminary discharge. how to drive. 2. The warm-up operation method according to claim 1, wherein the warm-up operation is performed manually or automatically.