JPH054190B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Industrial Application Field> The present invention relates to a flexible arm support device for a light guide path of a laser processing machine that performs processing such as cutting and welding a workpiece with a laser.

<Conventional Technology> A laser processing machine for processing a workpiece uses a laser oscillator to guide laser light to an optical path on the robot side, which is equipped with a processing head having a laser torch.
The laser oscillator installed on the pedestal and the optical path section on the robot side are directly connected by first and second flexible arms that can rotate and bend freely to follow the movement of the robot side.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> In the above-mentioned conventional first and second flexible arms, deflection occurs due to their own weight, and this deflection causes the deflection of the laser beam refraction and reflection provided within the end of each flexible arm. There was a problem that the mirror angle changed and the laser optical axis shifted.

<Means for Solving the Problems> The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, and has a structure in which one end of a first flexible arm for a laser light guide is rotated on a pedestal on which a laser oscillator is installed. Laser processing in which the second flexible arm is rotatably provided via a sleeve, one end of the second flexible arm is refractably connected to the other end of the first flexible arm, and the other end of the second flexible arm is connected to the optical path section on the robot side. In the laser oscillator, an arcuate guide whose radius of curvature is centered at the center of the rotating sleeve is fixed to the pedestal of the laser oscillator, and a first
A flexible arm is guided and supported via a cam follower.

<Operation> In the present invention, the weight of the flexible arm is supported by the arcuate guide, and the cam follower allows the flexible arm to rotate.

<Example> Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. In FIGS. 1 and 2, 1 is a stand on which a laser oscillator 2 is installed, and 3 is a robot.
The configuration of this robot 3 is as follows. Reference numeral 10 denotes a head, and pillars 11 are erected at the four corners of its upper surface. A pair of guide rails 12 are spanned in parallel between the columns 11, and the first linear motion part 13 is guided so as to be movable along the guide rails 12. A ball screw 21 is provided along the guide rail 12 and is rotated forward and backward by a servo motor 22 to move the first linear motion part 13 along the guide rail 12 .

The guide rail 12 is placed on the first linear motion section 13.
A guide rail 17 is provided in a direction perpendicular to the guide rail 17, and the second linear motion part 23 is movably guided by the guide rail 17. Reference numeral 19 denotes a ball screw provided along the guide rail 17, which is rotated forward and backward by a servo motor 20 to connect the second linear motion part 23 to the guide rail 17.
move along.

Furthermore, a third linear motion section 18 is provided in the second translation section 23.
is guided so as to be movable up and down, and a laser torch 31 is rotatably provided in the third linear motion section 18 .

The optical path section of the robot 3 having the above structure and the laser oscillator 2 are connected by a first flexible arm 40 and a second flexible arm 41 for the laser light guide.

As shown in FIG. 3, the first flexible arm 40 is rotatably provided at one end on the lower surface of the pedestal 1 via a rotary sleeve 50, and receives laser light from the laser oscillator 2. The other end of the first flexible arm 40 and one end of the second flexible arm 41 are connected by a joint 51 so as to be bendable and pivotable.
The other end is connected to the optical path section of the robot 3.
Reference numeral 52 is a refracting/reflecting mirror for the laser beam 53.

The present invention provides a bracket 42 on the lower surface of the pedestal 1.
An arcuate guide 43 having a radius of curvature centered at the center of the rotating sleeve 50 is fixed to the bracket 42. Reference numeral 47 denotes an arcuate guide support, which is fixed to the bracket 42 by pull bolts 48 and push bolts 49.

On the other hand, an arm support 44 is fixed to the first flexible arm 40, and a cam follower support 46 is fixed to this. A cam follower 45 is pivotally attached to this cam follower support 46, and this cam follower 45 is attached to the arcuate guide 4.
3 is guided and supported. In the above configuration, the first flexible arm 40 hangs below the arcuate guide 43, but another structure may be adopted in which the first flexible arm 40 moves on the arcuate guide 43 via a cam follower.

Since the present invention has the above-described configuration, the first flexible arm 40 that pivots around the rotating sleeve 50 based on the movement of the first linearly moving part 13 and the second linearly moving part 23 on the robot 3 side, The cam follower 45 moves while being guided and supported by the arcuate guide 43, and the first and second flexible arms 40,
The weight of 41 is supported by the arcuate guide 43. Also,
In order to level the movement of the first flexible arm 40, the guide surface of the arcuate guide 43 is horizontally adjusted by a pull bolt 48 and a push bolt 49.

<Effects of the Invention> As described above, according to the present invention, a flexible arm for a laser light guide connecting a laser oscillator and an optical path section on the robot side is rotatably attached to an arcuate guide provided on a mount of the laser oscillator via a cam follower. Since the flexible arm is guided and supported, there is no deflection due to its own weight, and this has the effect of eliminating changes in the angle of the mirror and preventing deviation of the laser optical axis.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a laser processing machine equipped with a device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view, and FIG. 3 is a partially sectional side view showing essential parts of the device of the present invention. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Frame, 2... Laser oscillator, 3... Robot, 40... First flexible arm, 41...
...Second flexible arm, 42...Bracket, 43...Circular guide, 45...Cam follower, 50...Rotating sleeve.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 One end of a first flexible arm for a laser light guide path is rotatably provided on the pedestal on which the laser oscillator is installed via a rotating sleeve, and one end of a second flexible arm is connected to the other end of this first flexible arm so as to be bendable. In a laser processing machine in which the other end of the second flexible arm is connected to the optical path section on the robot side, an arcuate guide whose radius of curvature is centered at the center of the rotating sleeve is fixed to the pedestal of the laser oscillator, and the arcuate guide A flexible arm support device characterized in that a first flexible arm is guided and supported via a cam follower.