JP7268665B2 - Laser processing system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a laser processing apparatus and a laser processing system.

2. Description of the Related Art Apparatuses that use laser light to cut a workpiece or perforate the workpiece (hereinafter also collectively referred to as “laser processing” or simply “processing”) are known. In such an apparatus, from the viewpoint of improving the quality of products, it is required to suppress adhesion of fumes, spatter, and other scattered matter generated during processing to the workpiece. For example, Patent Literature 1 describes that in a laser cutting apparatus, blow gas is injected toward a laser beam irradiation position for cutting a workpiece, thereby suppressing adhesion of scattered matter. For example, Patent Document 2 describes that in a metal plate laser melting processing method, the atmospheric pressure on the lower surface of the workpiece is reduced by 5 KPa or more to remove the scattered matter by suction to the lower surface side of the workpiece. there is

JP-A-10-225787 JP 2007-190590 A

However, in the apparatus described in Patent Document 1, although adhesion of the scattered matter to the vicinity of the processing site irradiated with the laser beam can be suppressed, the gas flow diffuses the scattered matter to the surroundings. There has been a problem that there is a possibility that scattered matter may adhere to the surface. Further, in the technique described in Patent Document 2, the pressure difference between the upper surface of the workpiece (the surface on which the laser beam is irradiated) and the lower surface (the surface opposite to the upper surface) is set to 1 atm (approximately 0.1 MPa). Since the above cannot be done, there is a problem that the flying object that scatters around at high speed cannot be collected.

It should be noted that such a problem is not limited to a laser processing apparatus having a laser light source, but a laser processing apparatus used for laser processing using an external laser light source (in other words, a device for fixing a workpiece). ), and a laser processing system equipped with a laser processing apparatus.

The present invention has been made to solve at least a part of the above-mentioned problems, and in a laser processing apparatus used for laser processing a workpiece, scattered matter such as fumes and spatter generated during processing is intended to suppress adhesion to the workpiece.

The present invention has been made to solve at least part of the above problems, and can be implemented as the following modes. A laser processing system, comprising a laser processing device, a supply device, a control unit for controlling the supply device, and an image acquisition unit, wherein the laser processing device is used when performing laser processing on a workpiece. A laser processing apparatus comprising an upper housing for holding the workpiece from the upper surface side, and a lower housing for holding the workpiece from the lower surface side opposite to the upper surface, The upper housing has a laser transmission window for transmitting the laser beam for laser processing, and when the workpiece is held, the upper housing and the workpiece are inside the upper housing An upper closed space is defined by a workpiece, and an upper communication hole is formed in a part of the upper housing to communicate between the inside and outside of the upper closed space and to supply a fluid to the upper closed space. The lower housing forms a lower closed space defined by the lower housing and the workpiece inside the lower housing when the workpiece is sandwiched. and a lower communication hole is formed in a part of the lower housing to communicate between the inside and the outside of the lower closed space and to allow fluid to be discharged from the lower closed space, and the supply device includes: The image acquisition unit is connected to the upper communication hole of the laser processing device and supplies fluid to the upper closed space, and the image acquisition unit acquires images of the upper closed space and the lower closed space, The control unit performs image analysis on the image acquired by the image acquisition unit, and detects the difference in pressure between the upper closed space and the lower closed space when scattered matter is found on the upper surface side of the workpiece. Raise, laser processing system. In addition, the present invention can also be implemented as the following modes.

(1) According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a laser processing apparatus used for laser processing a workpiece. This laser processing apparatus includes an upper housing for holding the workpiece from the upper surface side, and a lower housing for holding the workpiece from the lower surface side opposite to the upper surface. The upper housing has a laser transmission window for transmitting the laser beam for laser processing, and when the workpiece is held, the upper housing and the workpiece are arranged inside the upper housing. forming an upper closed space partitioned by and, in a part of the upper housing, an upper communication hole that communicates the inside and outside of the upper closed space and is capable of supplying fluid to the upper closed space. wherein the lower housing forms a lower closed space inside the lower housing defined by the lower housing and the work piece when the work piece is sandwiched therebetween; A portion of the lower housing is formed with a lower communication hole that communicates the inside and outside of the lower closed space and allows fluid to be discharged from the lower closed space.

According to this configuration, in the laser processing apparatus, when the upper housing sandwiches the workpiece, the upper closed space defined by the upper housing and the workpiece is formed inside the upper housing. , the lower housing forms a lower closed space partitioned by the lower housing and the workpiece inside the lower housing when the workpiece is sandwiched. Therefore, by supplying the fluid to the upper closed space through the upper communication hole and discharging the fluid from the lower closed space through the lower communication hole, the upper surface of the workpiece (the laser beam irradiated A differential pressure can be generated between the surface on the side to be treated) and the bottom surface (surface opposite to the top surface) to generate an airflow directed from the top surface side to the bottom surface side of the workpiece. The airflow generated by this differential pressure suppresses the adhesion of spattered matter such as fumes and spatter generated during processing to the workpiece, and also controls the scattering direction of the spattered matter to keep the spattered matter from the work piece. It can be discharged to the bottom side and collected. As a result, in a laser processing apparatus used for laser processing a workpiece, it is possible to suppress adhesion of scattered matter such as fumes and spatter generated during processing to the workpiece. Further, according to the laser processing apparatus of this configuration, the plume formed on the upper surface of the workpiece is reduced due to the airflow generated by the differential pressure between the upper surface and the lower surface of the workpiece. A plume is a light-emitting body that may be generated during processing, and it hinders the arrival of laser light to a processing point and causes a decrease in processing efficiency. By reducing the occurrence of such plumes, it is also possible to improve the processing efficiency. Furthermore, according to the laser processing apparatus of this configuration, in addition to discharging the fluid from the lower closed space, the fluid is supplied to the upper closed space, so compared with the conventional configuration in which only the lower surface of the workpiece is depressurized As a result, the differential pressure between the upper surface and the lower surface of the workpiece can be increased to 1 atmosphere (approximately 0.1 MPa) or more, and scattered matter that scatters around at high speed can also be collected.

(2) According to one aspect of the present invention, a laser processing system is provided. This laser processing system includes the laser processing apparatus of the above-described form, a supply device connected to the upper communication hole of the laser processing apparatus and configured to supply fluid to the upper closed space, and a control unit for controlling the supply device. , provided.
According to this configuration, the laser processing system includes a laser processing device, a supply device that supplies fluid to the upper closed space, and a controller that controls the supply device. Therefore, it is possible to suppress adhesion of spattered matter such as fumes and spatter generated during processing to the workpiece, and improve processing efficiency. Further, by controlling whether or not the supply device is driven and the amount of fluid supplied from the supply device by the control unit, it is possible to control the direction of the scattered matter and efficiently collect the scattered matter.

(3) The laser processing system of the above aspect may further include a discharge device connected to the lower communication hole of the laser processing device and configured to discharge fluid from the lower closed space, wherein the control unit includes the In addition to the supply device, the discharge device may also be controlled.
According to this configuration, the laser processing system further includes a discharge device for discharging the fluid from the lower closed space, and the controller controls the discharge device in addition to the supply device. Therefore, it is possible to suppress adhesion of spattered matter such as fumes and spatter generated during processing to the workpiece, and improve processing efficiency. In addition, by controlling whether or not the supply device and the discharge device are driven and the amount of fluid supplied and discharged from the supply device and the discharge device by the control unit, the direction of the scattered matter can be controlled and the scattered matter can be collected more efficiently. can be made possible.

(4) In the laser processing system of the above aspect, the controller controls at least the supply device so that the differential pressure between the upper closed space and the lower closed space of the laser processing device is 0.1 MPa or more. Drive may be controlled.
According to this configuration, the control unit controls the drive of the supply device so that the pressure difference between the upper closed space and the lower closed space of the laser processing apparatus is 0.1 MPa or more, so that the laser beam scatters around at high speed. It can also collect scattered objects.

(5) In the laser processing system of the above aspect, the control unit controls the differential pressure between the upper closed space and the lower closed space of the laser processing device to be 0.1 MPa or more and 0.25 MPa or less. Additionally, at least the driving of the feeding device may be controlled.
According to this configuration, the control unit controls the drive of the supply device so that the pressure difference between the upper closed space and the lower closed space of the laser processing apparatus is 0.1 MPa or more, so that the laser beam scatters around at high speed. It can also collect scattered objects. In addition, the control unit controls the drive of the supply device so that the differential pressure between the upper closed space and the lower closed space of the laser processing apparatus is 0.25 Mpa or less, so that the workpiece is in a foil shape (for example, Even if the thickness is 10 μm or more and 300 μm or less), the scattered matter can be collected without causing the workpiece to break or bend.

(6) In the laser processing system of the above aspect, the upper housing of the laser processing device further includes a pressure acquisition unit that acquires the pressure in the upper closed space, and the control unit causes the pressure acquisition unit to The fluid supplied from the supply device to the upper closed space may be controlled so that the obtained pressure is maintained within a certain range.
According to this configuration, the control section controls the fluid supplied from the supply device to the upper closed space so that the pressure acquired by the pressure acquisition section maintains a constant range. By maintaining the pressure in the upper closed space within a certain range, the processing efficiency of the workpiece can be improved, and even if the workpiece is foil-shaped (for example, the thickness is 10 μm or more and 300 μm or less), Scattered objects can be collected without breaking or bending the workpiece.

(7) The laser processing system of the above aspect further includes an image acquisition unit that acquires images of the upper closed space and the lower closed space, wherein the control unit captures the image acquired by the image acquisition unit as an image. The pressure difference between the upper closed space and the lower closed space may be increased when the scattered matter is found on the upper surface side of the workpiece through analysis.
According to this configuration, the control unit can automatically control the differential pressure between the upper closed space and the lower closed space using the image acquired by the image acquisition unit, thereby improving the convenience of the laser processing system. can.

The present invention can be implemented in various aspects. For example, a laser processing apparatus used for laser processing a workpiece using an external laser light source, and a laser processing apparatus equipped with a laser light source. , a laser processing system including a laser processing device, a method of controlling these devices and systems, a computer program executed in these devices and systems, a server device for distributing the computer program, and a non-temporary storage storing the computer program It can be realized in the form of a medium or the like.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is explanatory drawing which illustrated the schematic structure of the laser processing system. It is an explanatory view which illustrated a schematic structure of a laser processing device. It is an explanatory view showing an example of the configuration of a laser processing apparatus to which a workpiece is fixed. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view exemplifying a cross-sectional configuration along line AA of FIG. 3; It is a figure explaining control by a control part. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a workpiece when laser processing is performed with a differential pressure of 0 MPa; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a workpiece when laser processing is performed with a differential pressure of 0.1 MPa; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a workpiece when laser processing is performed with a differential pressure of 0.2 MPa; It is a graph which shows the relationship between a differential pressure and a scattered matter recovery rate. It is explanatory drawing which illustrated the cross-sectional structure of the laser processing apparatus of 2nd Embodiment. It is an explanatory view which illustrated a schematic structure of a laser processing system of a 3rd embodiment. It is an explanatory view which illustrated a schematic structure of a laser processing system of a 4th embodiment.

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a laser processing system 1. As shown in FIG. A laser processing system 1 is a system used for laser processing a workpiece. Here, "laser processing" or "machining" means cutting of a workpiece using a laser beam, perforating the workpiece, etc., and using a laser beam to change the workpiece in general. do. The laser processing system 1 of the present embodiment is particularly suitable for processing a foil-shaped metal plate having a thickness of 10 μm or more and 300 μm or less by including a laser processing apparatus 100 described later. Note that the laser processing system 1 may be used to process a plate-shaped metal plate having a thickness of 300 μm or more, a foil-shaped or plate-shaped ceramic plate, a foil-shaped or plate-shaped resin plate, or the like.

FIG. 1 illustrates XYZ axes that are orthogonal to each other. The X axis corresponds to the width direction of the laser processing apparatus 100 , the Y axis corresponds to the height direction of the laser processing apparatus 100 , and the Z axis corresponds to the depth direction of the laser processing apparatus 100 . 1 (+Y-axis direction) is referred to as the “upper side” of the laser processing apparatus 100, and the lower side (−Y-axis direction) of FIG. These points are also common in FIG. 1 and subsequent figures.

The laser processing system 1 includes a laser processing device 100 , a controller 200 , a laser light source 300 , a supply device 400 and a discharge device 500 . Details of the laser processing apparatus 100 will be described later with reference to FIG. The control unit 200 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The CPU controls the laser light source 300, the supply device 400, and the discharge device 500, respectively, by expanding the computer programs stored in the ROM into the RAM and executing them.

The laser light source 300 is a laser oscillator that oscillates laser light of any type (wavelength) such as green laser and blue laser. Regarding the laser light source 300 , for example, the control unit 200 controls the presence or absence of emission of laser light from the laser light source 300 , wavelength, output, optical path, and the like. The supply device 400 is a gas supply device that supplies any kind of fluid such as air, argon (Ar) gas, nitrogen (N) gas, etc. to the laser processing device 100 . Regarding the supply device 400 , for example, the control unit 200 controls whether or not the fluid is supplied from the supply device 400 , flow rate, pressure, and the like. The discharge device 500 is a vacuum pump for discharging fluid from the laser processing device 100 . Regarding the discharging device 500, for example, the control unit 200 controls whether or not the discharging device 500 discharges fluid, the amount of discharge (amount of suction), and the like.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the laser processing apparatus 100. As shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the configuration of the laser processing apparatus 100 to which the workpiece TF is fixed. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a cross-sectional configuration taken along line AA of FIG. The laser processing apparatus 100 includes upper housings 10 , 20 , 30 and lower housings 40 , 50 , 61 .

The upper housings 10, 20, 30 are housings for sandwiching the workpiece TF (FIG. 2) from the upper surface side. Upper housings 10 , 20 , 30 each include transmission window 10 , frame 20 , and support 30 .

The transmission window part 10 is a member constituting a transmission window through which the laser beam LA emitted from the laser light source 300 is transmitted. As shown in FIG. 2 , the transmission window section 10 includes a plate-like plate 11 and a glass plate 12 . A plurality of (six in the illustrated example) screw holes 13 are formed in the plate 11 . The glass plate 12 is a plate-like member made of a material, such as quartz glass, through which the laser beam LA (FIG. 2) can pass. The glass plate 12 functions as a "laser transmission window". The plate 11 is fixed to the frame 20 by fitting screws 62 (FIG. 3) into the screw holes 13 so that the glass plate 12 is in contact with the upper surface 201 of the frame 20 .

The frame 20 is a member that accommodates the support 30 and constitutes an upper outer frame of the laser processing apparatus 100 . As shown in FIG. 2 , the frame 20 includes a flat plate-like main body 21 and legs 22 projecting downward from both ends of the main body 21 (ends in the ±X-axis direction). A lower surface 202 of the frame 20 is flat. A through hole 25 is formed in the body portion 21 so as to penetrate the body portion 21 in the height direction (Y-axis direction) from the upper surface 201 to the lower surface 211 . An upper communication hole 23 is formed in the side surface of the body portion 21 so as to communicate the body portion 21 from the outside to the inside of the through hole 25 . The upper communication hole 23 communicates the inside and outside of an upper closed space 100a (FIG. 4) described later.

The support 30 is a member that sandwiches the workpiece TF together with the support 40 to support the workpiece TF. As shown in FIG. 2, the support 30 includes a body portion 31 having a substantially C-shape when viewed in the Y-axis direction, and an upper window portion 32 arranged in a gap on the side surface of the body portion 31. there is A lower surface 302 of the support 30 is planar. A through hole 35 is formed in the main body portion 31 and the upper window portion 32 so as to pass through the support 30 in the height direction (Y-axis direction) from the upper surface 301 to the lower surface 302 . The upper window portion 32 is a flat member made of a transparent material such as quartz glass. Note that the upper window portion 32 may be omitted. The support 30 is fitted and fixed to the frame 20 with the upper surface 301 in contact with the lower surface 211 of the frame 20 . The space between the support 30 and the frame 20 may be sealed with an O-ring or the like.

With such a configuration, the laser processing apparatus 100 can move the workpiece TF from above by contacting the lower surface 202 of the frame 20 and the lower surface 302 of the support 30 with the upper surface of the workpiece TF. fixed. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, inside the upper housings 10, 20, 30, an upper closed space 100a partitioned by the upper housings 10, 20, 30 and the workpiece TF is formed. . As described above, the upper communication hole 23 communicates with the upper closed space 100a. Therefore, by connecting the supply device 400 (FIG. 1) to the upper communication hole 23, the fluid can be supplied from the supply device 400 into the upper closed space 100a.

The lower housings 40, 50, 61 are housings for sandwiching the workpiece TF from the lower surface side (the surface opposite to the upper surface side). As shown in FIG. 2 , the lower housings 40 , 50 , 61 include a support 40 , a frame 50 and a plate 61 .

The support 40 is a member that sandwiches the workpiece TF together with the support 30 to support the workpiece TF. As shown in FIG. 2, the support 40 includes a body portion 41 having a substantially C-shape when viewed in the Y-axis direction, and a lower window portion 42 arranged in a gap on the side surface of the body portion 41. I'm in. The upper surface 401 of the support 40 is flat. A through-hole 45 is formed in the main body portion 41 and the lower window portion 42 so as to pass through the support 40 in the height direction (Y-axis direction) from the upper surface 401 to the lower surface 402 . The lower window portion 42 is a plate-like member made of a transparent material such as quartz glass. Note that the lower window portion 42 may be omitted. The support 40 is fitted and fixed to the frame 50 with the upper surface 401 in contact with the upper surface 511 of the frame 50 . The space between the support 40 and the frame 50 may be sealed with an O-ring or the like.

The frame 50 is a member that accommodates the support 40 and constitutes the lower outer frame of the laser processing apparatus 100 . As shown in FIG. 2 , the frame 50 includes a flat plate-like body portion 51 and leg portions 52 projecting upward from both ends of the body portion 51 (ends in the ±X-axis direction). The upper surface 501 of the frame 50 is flat. A through hole 55 is formed in the body portion 51 so as to pass through the body portion 51 in the height direction (Y-axis direction) from the upper surface 511 to the lower surface 502 . A lower communication hole 53 is formed in the side surface of the body portion 51 so as to communicate the body portion 51 from the outside to the inside of the through hole 55 . The lower communication hole 53 communicates the inside and outside of a lower closed space 100b (FIG. 4) described later.

The plate 61 (FIG. 3) is a plate-like member. The plate 61 is fixed to the lower surface 502 of the frame 50 and supports the support 40 and the frame 50 . The plate 11, the frame 20, the main body 31, the main body 41, the frame 50, the plate 61, and the screws 62 can be made of any metal material.

By having such a configuration, the laser processing apparatus 100 can lower the workpiece TF by bringing the upper surface 501 of the frame 50 and the upper surface 401 of the support 40 into contact with the lower surface of the workpiece TF. fixed from At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, inside the lower housings 40, 50, 61, there is a lower closed space 100b partitioned by the lower housings 40, 50, 61 and the workpiece TF. It is formed. As described above, the lower communication hole 53 communicates with the lower closed space 100b. Therefore, by connecting the discharge device 500 (FIG. 1) to the lower communication hole 53, the discharge device 500 can discharge the fluid from the lower closed space 100b.

FIG. 5 is a diagram explaining the control by the control unit 200. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the controller 200 oscillates the laser light LA from the laser light source 300 with an arbitrary wavelength, output, and optical path while the laser processing apparatus 100 holds the workpiece TF. Further, the control unit 200 performs one of the following processes a1 to a3 so that the pressure difference between the upper closed space 100a and the lower closed space 100b (hereinafter also referred to as “differential pressure”) is “0”. .1 MPa or more”. The control unit 200 performs any one of the following processes a1 to a3 so that the differential pressure between the upper closed space 100a and the lower closed space 100b is "0.1 MPa or more and 0.25 MPa or less". may be controlled to be In order to increase the differential pressure, it is preferable to perform the process a3.
(a1) The controller 200 supplies any type of fluid from the supply device 400 at any flow rate and pressure.
(a2) The controller 200 drives the discharging device 500 with an arbitrary amount of suction.
(a3) The control unit 200 supplies any type of fluid from the supply device 400 at an arbitrary flow rate and pressure, and drives the discharge device 500 at an arbitrary suction amount.

Thus, in the laser processing system 1, a differential pressure of 0.1 MPa or more is generated between the upper closed space 100a and the lower closed space 100b (in other words, between the upper surface and the lower surface of the workpiece TF). As a result, as shown in FIG. 5(A), an air flow AF is generated from the upper surface side to the lower surface side of the workpiece TF. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5(B), the air flow AF can suppress the adherence of scattered matter SP such as fumes and spatters generated during processing to the workpiece TF. In addition, the scattering direction of the scattering objects SP can be controlled to the lower side of the processing point P (to the lower surface side of the workpiece TF) by the airflow AF, and the scattering objects SP can be discharged to the lower surface side of the workpiece TF. Furthermore, the scattered objects SP can be collected in the lower closed space 100b. It should be noted that if the process a2 or the process a3 is performed, the scattered matter SP can be collected more effectively by the discharging device 500. FIG.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the workpiece TF when laser processing is performed with a differential pressure of 0 MPa. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the workpiece TF when laser processing is performed with a differential pressure of 0.1 MPa. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the workpiece TF when laser processing is performed with a differential pressure of 0.2 MPa. 6 to 8 below, while changing the differential pressure between the upper closed space 100a and the lower closed space 100b, the scattering situation of the flying object SP is heightened through the upper window portion 32 and the lower window portion 42. An image taken with a speed camera is shown.

When there is no differential pressure (0 MPa) between the upper closed space 100a and the lower closed space 100b, a plume PM is formed above the laser processing point P by the laser beam LA, and It can be seen that many scattered objects SP scatter relatively upward (toward the top surface TF1). When the differential pressure is 0.1 MPa, as shown in FIG. 7, it can be seen that many of the scattered objects SP scatter below the processing point P (on the lower surface TF2 side). This is an action caused by the airflow AF described in FIG. 5, and the scattered matter SP on the lower surface TF2 side can be collected by the lower closed space 100b (and the discharging device 500). When the differential pressure is 0.2 MPa, as shown in FIG. 8, almost all of the scattered objects SP scatter below the processing point P (lower surface TF2 side), and are observed above the processing point P (upper surface TF1 side). I know you can't. This is an action caused by the airflow AF described in FIG. 5, and the scattered matter SP on the lower surface TF2 side can be collected by the lower closed space 100b (and the discharging device 500).

FIG. 9 is a graph showing the relationship between differential pressure and scattered matter collection rate. In FIG. 9, the scattered matter recovery rate (%) was obtained while changing the differential pressure from 0 Mpa to 0.2 Mpa. The scattered object collection rate (%) was obtained by applying the following formula 1 for the scattered object SP captured in one frame of the high-speed camera images taken by the same method as in FIGS. 6 to 8.
Scattered object recovery rate (%) = number of scattered objects on the lower surface side / total number of scattered objects (1)

As shown in FIG. 9, as the differential pressure between the upper closed space 100a and the lower closed space 100b increases, the scattered matter recovery rate improves. In addition, when the differential pressure is increased to about 0.2 Mpa, the scattered matter recovery rate approaches 100%, and almost all the scattered matter SP is discharged to the lower surface TF2 side, and the lower closed space 100b (and the discharging device 500) It is recoverable. In addition, as shown in FIG. 9, in the conventional configuration in which the upper limit of the pressure difference between the upper surface and the lower surface of the workpiece TF is 1 atmosphere (about 0.1 MPa), compared with the case where the differential pressure is 0.2 MPa As a result, the scattering collection rate remains at less than 80%. In other words, in the laser processing system 1 of the present embodiment, by setting the differential pressure to 0.2 Mpa, the scattered matter recovery rate can be improved by 20% or more compared to the conventional configuration.

When the workpiece TF is foil-shaped, the upper limit of the differential pressure between the upper closed space 100a and the lower closed space 100b is set to 0.25 Mpa in order to suppress damage to the workpiece TF. is preferred. However, if the workpiece TF is plate-shaped, the differential pressure between the upper closed space 100a and the lower closed space 100b may be greater than 0.25 Mpa.

As described above, according to the laser processing apparatus 100 of the first embodiment, when the upper housings 10, 20, 30 hold the workpiece TF, the upper housings 10, 20, 30 are arranged inside the upper housings 10, 20, 30. An upper closed space 100a partitioned by the housings 10, 20, 30 and the workpiece TF is formed, and the lower housings 40, 50, 61 are closed when the workpiece TF is sandwiched between the lower housings. A lower closed space 100b partitioned by the lower housings 40, 50, 61 and the workpiece TF is formed inside the 40, 50, 61. As shown in FIG. Therefore, by supplying the fluid to the upper closed space 100a through the upper communicating hole 23 and discharging the fluid from the lower closed space 100b through the lower communicating hole 53, the upper surface of the workpiece TF is A differential pressure is generated between TF1 (the surface on which the laser beam LA is irradiated) and the lower surface TF2 (the surface opposite to the upper surface) to generate an airflow AF directed from the upper surface side to the lower surface side of the workpiece TF. can be generated. The airflow AF generated by this differential pressure suppresses the adhesion of spatters SP such as fumes and spatters generated during machining to the workpiece TF, and controls the scattering direction of the spatters SP to can be discharged to the lower surface side of the workpiece TF and recovered. As a result, in the laser processing apparatus 100 used for laser processing the workpiece TF, it is possible to suppress the adherence of scattered matter SP such as fumes and spatter generated during processing to the workpiece TF.

Further, according to the laser processing apparatus 100 of the first embodiment, the plume PM formed on the upper surface TF1 of the workpiece TF by the airflow AF generated from the differential pressure between the upper surface TF1 and the lower surface TF2 of the workpiece TF. is reduced (FIGS. 7 and 8). The plume PM is a light-emitting body that may be generated during processing, and prevents the laser beam LA from reaching the processing point P, causing a decrease in processing efficiency. By reducing the occurrence of such plume PM, the laser processing apparatus 100 of the first embodiment can also improve the processing efficiency.

Furthermore, according to the laser processing apparatus 100 of the first embodiment, in addition to discharging the fluid from the lower closed space 100b, the fluid is supplied to the upper closed space 100a. Compared to the conventional structure in which the pressure is reduced, it is possible to set the differential pressure between the upper surface TF1 and the lower surface TF2 of the workpiece TF to 1 atm (approximately 0.1 MPa) or more. Scattered objects SP can also be collected.

Further, according to the laser processing system 1 of the first embodiment, the laser processing device 100, the supply device 400 that supplies the fluid to the upper closed space 100a, and the discharge device that discharges the fluid from the lower closed space 100b 500 , and a control unit 200 that controls the supply device 400 and the discharge device 500 . Therefore, it is possible to suppress adhesion of spattered matter SP such as fumes and spatter generated during processing to the workpiece TF, and improve processing efficiency. Further, according to the process a1, the controller 200 controls whether or not the supply device 400 is driven and the amount of fluid supplied (flow rate) of the fluid in the supply device 400, thereby controlling the direction of the scattered object SP and controlling the direction of the scattered object SP. Efficient collection of SP can be enabled. Further, according to the process a3, the controller 200 controls whether or not the supply device 400 and the discharge device 500 are driven, and the supply amount (fluid flow rate) and the discharge amount (suction amount) of the supply device 400 and the discharge device 500. By controlling, it is possible to control the direction of the flying object SP and to collect the flying object SP more efficiently.

Furthermore, according to the laser processing system 1 of the first embodiment, the control unit 200 supplies the Since the driving of the device 400 and the discharging device 500 is controlled, it is possible to collect even the scattered matter SP that scatters around at high speed. In addition, the control unit 200 controls the driving of the supply device 400 and the discharge device 500 so that the differential pressure between the upper closed space 100a and the lower closed space 100b of the laser processing device 100 is 0.25 Mpa or less. , even if the workpiece TF is foil-like (for example, the thickness is 10 μm or more and 300 μm or less), the scattering objects SP can be collected without causing the workpiece TF to break or bend.

<Second embodiment>
FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the cross-sectional configuration of the laser processing apparatus 100A of the second embodiment. A laser processing apparatus 100A of the second embodiment includes a support 30A instead of the support 30, and a support 40A instead of the support 40. As shown in FIG. The support 30A does not include the upper window 32 described in the first embodiment, and the support 40A does not include the lower window 42 described in the first embodiment. In this way, the configuration of the laser processing apparatus 100A can be modified in various ways. 42). With the laser processing apparatus 100A of such a second embodiment as well, the same effects as those of the above-described first embodiment can be obtained.

<Third Embodiment>
FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the laser processing system 1B of the third embodiment. A laser processing system 1B of the third embodiment includes a laser processing apparatus 100B instead of the laser processing apparatus 100, and a control section 200B instead of the control section 200. FIG. The laser processing apparatus 100B further has a pressure acquisition section 29 in addition to the configuration described in the first embodiment.

The pressure acquisition unit 29 is a pressure sensor that acquires the pressure inside the upper closed space 100a. The pressure acquisition unit 29 acquires the internal pressure of the upper closed space 100a at any time and transmits the acquired pressure to the control unit 200B at any time. The control unit 200B adjusts at least one of the flow rate and pressure of the fluid supplied from the supply device 400 so that the pressure received from the pressure acquisition unit 29 (internal pressure of the upper closed space 100a) is maintained within a certain range. change (first embodiment: processing a1 or processing a3). Note that the range of pressure is determined in advance and stored in the control unit 200B. The range of pressure may be registered or changed by the user of the laser processing system 1B.

Thus, the configuration of the laser processing system 1B can be variously modified, and the pressure acquisition unit 29 may be used to perform feedback control so that the pressure in the upper closed space 100a is maintained within a certain range. . With the laser processing apparatus 100B and the laser processing system 1B of the third embodiment as described above, the same effects as those of the above-described first embodiment can be obtained. Further, according to the laser processing system 1B of the third embodiment, the control unit 200B supplies pressure from the supply device 400 to the upper closed space 100a so that the pressure acquired by the pressure acquisition unit 29 maintains a constant range. Control fluids. By maintaining the pressure in the upper closed space 100a within a certain range, the processing efficiency of the workpiece TF can be improved, and the workpiece TF is foil-shaped (for example, the thickness is 10 μm or more and 300 μm or less). However, the scattering object SP can be collected without causing the workpiece TF to break or bend.

<Fourth Embodiment>
FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the schematic configuration of the laser processing system 1C of the fourth embodiment. A laser processing system 1C of the fourth embodiment includes a control section 200C instead of the control section 200, and further includes a high-speed camera 600. FIG.

The high-speed camera 600 is arranged at a position where the inside of the upper closed space 100a and the lower closed space 100b can be photographed through the transparent windows (upper window 32, lower window 42). The high-speed camera 600 captures images of the upper closed space 100a and the lower closed space 100b at any time, and transmits the captured images to the control unit 200C at any time. The control unit 200C analyzes the image received from the high-speed camera 600, and when the scattering object SP is recognized on the upper surface TF1 side of the workpiece TF, the difference between the upper closed space 100a and the lower closed space 100b is detected. The supply device 400 and the discharge device 500 are controlled so as to increase the pressure (first embodiment: processing a1 to processing a3). Note that the high-speed camera 600 functions as an "image acquisition section".

Thus, the configuration of the laser processing system 1C can be variously modified, and the high-speed camera 600 may be used to automatically control the differential pressure between the upper closed space 100a and the lower closed space 100b. . The laser processing apparatus 100 and the laser processing system 1C of such a fourth embodiment can also provide the same effects as those of the above-described first embodiment. Further, according to the laser processing system 1C of the fourth embodiment, the control unit 200C automatically detects the pressure difference between the upper closed space 100a and the lower closed space 100b using the image obtained from the high-speed camera 600. , the convenience of the laser processing system 1C can be improved.

<Modification of this embodiment>
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be implemented in various aspects without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the following modifications are possible. Further, in the above embodiments, part of the configuration realized by hardware may be replaced with software, and conversely, part of the configuration realized by software may be replaced with hardware. may

[Modification 1]
In the first to fourth embodiments, an example of the configuration of the laser processing systems 1, 1B, 1C has been shown. However, the configuration of the laser processing system 1 can be modified in various ways. For example, at least part of the control unit 200 , the laser light source 300 , the supply device 400 and the discharge device 500 may be built in the laser processing device 100 . For example, at least one of the supply device 400 and the discharge device 500 may be omitted.

[Modification 2]
In the above-described first to fourth embodiments, examples of configurations of the laser processing apparatuses 100, 100A, and 100B are shown. However, the configuration of the laser processing apparatus 100 can be modified in various ways. For example, a part of the configuration described above (for example, main body part 21 and main body part 31, or main body part 41, main body part 51 and plate 61, etc.) may be integrally formed. For example, the upper communication hole 23 may be provided with a mounting portion for mounting the supply device 400, and the upper communication hole 23 may be provided with a sealing member for keeping the upper closed space 100a airtight. may have been Similarly, the lower communication hole 53 may be provided with a mounting portion for mounting the discharging device 500, and the lower communication hole 53 may be provided with a seal for keeping the inside of the lower closed space 100b airtight. A stop member may be provided. For example, the upper communication hole 23 may be provided in the leg portion 22 and the lower communication hole 53 may be provided in the leg portion 52 .

[Modification 3]
The configurations of the laser processing systems 1, 1B, 1C and the laser processing apparatuses 100, 100A, 100B of the first to fourth embodiments and modifications 1 and 2 may be combined as appropriate. For example, the laser processing apparatus 100 of the second embodiment may be employed in the laser processing system 1 of the third embodiment or the laser processing system 1 of the fourth embodiment. In the laser processing system 1 of the fourth embodiment, when adopting the laser processing apparatus 100 of the second embodiment without transparent windows (upper window 32, lower window 42), the high speed camera 600 is placed on the upper side It may be arranged inside the closed space 100a and the lower closed space 100b. For example, the laser processing system 1 may be configured to perform both feedback control by the pressure acquisition unit 29 of the third embodiment and control by the high-speed camera 600 of the fourth embodiment.

The present aspect has been described above based on the embodiments and modifications, but the above-described embodiments are intended to facilitate understanding of the present aspect, and do not limit the present aspect. This aspect may be modified and modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims, and this aspect includes equivalents thereof. Also, if the technical features are not described as essential in this specification, they can be deleted as appropriate.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 1B, 1C... Laser processing system 10, 20, 30... Upper housing 10... Transmission window part 11... Plate body 12... Glass plate 13... Screw hole 20... Frame body 21... Main body part 22... Leg part 23... Upper side Communicating hole 25 Through hole 29 Pressure acquisition part 30, 30A Support body 31 Main body part 32 Upper window part 35 Through hole 40, 50, 61 Lower housing 40, 40A Support body 41 Main body part DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 42... Lower side window part 45... Through-hole 50... Frame body 51... Main-body part 52... Leg part 53... Lower side communicating hole 55... Through-hole 61... Plate 100, 100A, 100B... Laser processing apparatus 100a... Upper closed space DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100b... Lower side closed space 200,200B, 200C... Control part 300... Laser light source 400... Supply apparatus 500... Ejection apparatus 600... High-speed camera

Claims (5)

A laser processing system,
a laser processing device;
a feeding device;
a control unit that controls the supply device;
an image acquisition unit;
with
The laser processing device is a laser processing device used for laser processing a workpiece,
an upper housing for sandwiching the workpiece from the upper surface side;
a lower housing for sandwiching the workpiece from a lower surface opposite to the upper surface;
with
The upper housing is
Having a laser transmission window for transmitting the laser beam for laser processing,
forming an upper closed space partitioned by the upper housing and the workpiece inside the upper housing when the workpiece is sandwiched;
A part of the upper housing is formed with an upper communication hole that communicates between the inside and outside of the upper closed space and is capable of supplying a fluid to the upper closed space,
The lower housing is
forming a lower closed space partitioned by the lower housing and the work piece inside the lower housing when the work piece is sandwiched;
A part of the lower housing is formed with a lower communication hole that communicates between the inside and outside of the lower closed space and allows fluid to be discharged from the lower closed space ,
The supply device is connected to the upper communication hole of the laser processing device and supplies a fluid to the upper closed space,
The image acquisition unit acquires images of the upper closed space and the lower closed space,
The control unit performs image analysis on the image acquired by the image acquisition unit, and detects a difference in pressure between the upper closed space and the lower closed space when scattered matter is observed on the upper surface side of the workpiece. A laser processing system that raises the The laser processing system of claim 1 , further comprising:
A discharge device connected to the lower communication hole of the laser processing device and discharging fluid from the lower closed space,
The laser processing system, wherein the controller controls the discharge device in addition to the supply device. The laser processing system according to claim 1 or claim 2 ,
The laser processing system, wherein the control unit controls at least driving of the supply device so that a pressure difference between the upper closed space and the lower closed space of the laser processing apparatus is 0.1 MPa or more. The laser processing system according to claim 1 or claim 2 ,
The control unit controls driving of at least the supply device so that a differential pressure between the upper closed space and the lower closed space of the laser processing apparatus is 0.1 MPa or more and 0.25 MPa or less. , laser processing system. The laser processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
The upper housing of the laser processing apparatus further includes a pressure acquisition unit that acquires the pressure in the upper closed space,
The laser processing system, wherein the control unit controls the fluid supplied from the supply device to the upper closed space so that the pressure acquired by the pressure acquisition unit maintains a constant range.

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