System and method for high output laser trimming

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11318563-B2
Application number	US-201916246694-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 14, 2019
Priority date	Nov 12, 2013
Publication date	May 3, 2022
Grant date	May 3, 2022

Abstract

A system and method for laser cutting a plurality of parts, for example metal chassis components, using a plurality of laser cutting apparatuses is provided. The system includes a plurality of the laser cutting apparatuses disposed in a single enclosed cell for simultaneously trimming multiple parts. The system also includes at least one inner chamber and at least one set of double doors for transferring the parts in and out of the enclosed cell without any light escaping the cell. The parts are conveyed through the first door to the inner chamber while the second door is closed, and through the second door to the enclosed cell while the first door is closed. The system also includes robots continuously preloading and unloading the parts to maximize the laser trimming time.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A laser cutting method, comprising the steps of:
laser cutting at least one first part in a cell enclosed by a plurality of first walls;
maintaining at least one second part in the enclosed cell adjacent the at least one first part while laser cutting the at least one first part;
laser cutting the at least one second part at a laser cutting station in the cell enclosed by the plurality of first walls; transferring at least one third part through a first door and into a first inner chamber while a second door connecting the first inner chamber to the enclosed cell is closed and while laser cutting the at least one first part or the at least one second part; and
wherein at least one robot transfers at least one of the parts to the laser cutting station, the at least one robot includes a first robot and a second robot, the first robot is located between the first inner chamber and the laser cutting station, and the second robot is located between a second inner chamber and the laser cutting station.

2. The method of claim 1 including laser cutting the at least one second part after laser cutting the at least one first part; transferring the at least one first part through the second door into the first inner chamber and out of the enclosed cell while the first door is closed and while laser cutting the at least one second part; and transferring the at least one third part through the first door and into the first inner chamber while laser cutting the at least one first part.

3. The method of claim 2 including transferring the at least one third part from the first chamber through the second door and into the enclosed cell while the first door is closed; and maintaining the at least one third part in the enclosed cell adjacent the at least one second part while laser cutting the at least one second part.

4. The method of claim 3 including transferring the at least one first part through the first door and out of the first inner chamber while the second door is closed; and transferring at least one fourth part through the first door and into the first inner chamber while the second door is closed and while laser cutting the at least one second part.

5. The method of claim 4 including transferring at least one fifth part through a first door and into the second inner chamber while a second door connecting the second inner chamber to the enclosed cell is closed and while laser cutting the at least one second part.

6. The method of claim 5 including laser cutting the at least one third part after laser cutting the at least one second part; transferring the at least one second part through the second door out of the enclosed cell and into the second inner chamber while the first door is closed and while laser cutting the at least one third part.

7. The method of claim 1 including transferring the at least one third part through the second door from the first inner chamber to the enclosed cell; and rotating the at least one third part 90 degrees after transferring the at least one of third part through the second door and before laser cutting the at least one third part.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of transferring the at least one third part through a first door and into a first inner chamber while a second door connecting the first inner chamber to the enclosed cell is closed and while laser cutting the at least one first part or the at least one second part.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one robot transfers at least one of the parts from the first inner chamber to the laser cutting station and/or from the laser cutting station to the first inner chamber.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the robots convey the parts to and from the first and second inner chambers simultaneously.

11. The method of claim 1 including sliding the parts between the first inner chamber and the laser cutting station.

12. A laser cutting system, comprising:
a cell enclosed by a plurality of first walls;
at least one laser cutting apparatus disposed in said enclosed cell for cutting at least one part;
at least one inner chamber disposed along said enclosed cell, said at least one inner chamber enclosed by at least one of said first walls and at least one second wall, and said at least one inner chamber includes a first inner chamber and a second inner chamber;
a first door disposed along one of said first walls for allowing the at least one part to pass therethrough;
a second door disposed along one of said second walls for allowing the at least one part to pass therethrough, wherein only one of said doors is open at a time while said at least one laser cutting apparatus cuts the at least one part; and
at least one robot for transferring said at least one part to and/or from a laser cutting station including said at least one laser cutting apparatus, said at least one robot includes a first robot and a second robot, said first robot is located between said first inner chamber and said laser cutting station, said second robot is located between said second inner chamber and said laser cutting station.

13. The laser cutting system according to claim 12 , wherein said at least one robot includes a material handling robot.

14. The laser cutting system according to claim 12 , wherein said at least one robot transfers said at least one part from said at least one inner chamber to said laser cutting station and/or from said laser cutting station to said at least one inner chamber.

15. The laser cutting system according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one part includes a plurality of parts, and said robots convey said parts to and from said first and second inner chambers simultaneously.

16. The laser cutting system according to claim 12 including a slide between said at least one inner chamber and said laser cutting station for conveying said at least one part to and/or from said laser cutting station.

17. The laser cutting system according to claim 12 including least one cutting platform which slides the at least one part in and/or out of the laser cutting station.

Assignees

• Potocki John Richard
• Zak Alexander
• Magna Int Inc

Inventors

• Potocki John Richard
• Zak Alexander

Classifications

• B23K2103/04

  Steel {or steel} alloys · CPC title

• B23K26/38 Primary

  by boring or cutting · CPC title

• B23K26/0884

  in at least three axial directions, e.g. manipulators, robots · CPC title

• B23K2101/006

  Vehicles · CPC title

• B23K2101/18

  Sheet panels · CPC title