Process and equipment to Laser cut very high strength metallic material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023415273-A1
Application number	US-202118037604-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 4, 2021
Priority date	Nov 23, 2020
Publication date	Dec 28, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

Laser cutting process to produce n trimmed sub-blanks, n being an integer strictly greater than 1, from a mother blank made of metallic material, having the following steps: Op1/ positioning the mother blank on a cutting table having n laths arranged to be moveable relative to one another in a transverse direction, Op2/ clamping at least part of the mother blank to the cutting table, Op3/ cutting, using a laser source, n untrimmed sub-blanks from the mother blank in a longitudinal cutting direction, Op4/ separating the n laths of the cutting table from one another in a transverse direction, Op5/ releasing the clamping, Op6/ clamping the n untrimmed sub-blanks to the n laths, Op7/ laser trimming the n untrimmed sub-blanks in order to form n trimmed sub-blanks, Op8/ releasing the clamping, Op9/ discharging the n trimmed sub-blanks from the cutting table.

First claim

1 - 14 . (canceled)

15 : A laser cutting process to produce n trimmed sub-blanks, n being an integer strictly greater than 1, from a mother blank made of metallic material, the process comprising the following steps:
Op1/ positioning the mother blank on a cutting table, the cutting table including n laths arranged to be moveable relative to one another in a transverse direction; Op2/ clamping at least part of the mother blank to the cutting table; Op3/ cutting, using a laser source, n untrimmed sub-blanks from the mother blank in a longitudinal cutting direction; Op4/ separating the n laths of the cutting table from one another in a transverse direction; Op5/ releasing the clamping; Op6/ clamping the n untrimmed sub-blanks to the n laths; Op7/ laser trimming the n untrimmed sub-blanks to form n trimmed sub-blanks; Op8/ releasing the clamping; and Op9/ discharging the n trimmed sub-blanks from the cutting table; for a given mother blank, a given untrimmed sub-blank or a given trimmed sub-blank, each operation Opi, i being an integer between 1 and 9, is performed before operation Opi+1.

16 : The laser cutting process as recited in claim 15 wherein the clamping operations Op2 and Op6 are performed using magnetic clamping.

17 : The laser cutting process as recited in claim 15 wherein the clamping operation Op2 is performed only on a part of the surface of the mother blank corresponding to m last untrimmed sub-blanks to be cut in the cutting operation Op3, m being an integer between 1 and n−1.

18 : The laser cutting process as recited in claim 15 wherein the laser trimming operation Op7 is performed on each untrimmed sub-blank by laser cutting simultaneously both untrimmed cut edges of each untrimmed sub-blank.

19 : The laser cutting process as recited in claim 15 wherein the length of a trimmed sub-blank as measured in the longitudinal direction is at least twelve times the width of a trimmed sub-blank as measured in the transverse direction.

20 : The laser cutting process as recited in claim 15 wherein the ultimate tensile strength of the mother blank is at least 980 MPa.

21 : The laser cutting process as recited in claim 15 wherein a longitudinal direction of the n trimmed sub-blanks is similar to a rolling direction of a coil from which the mother blank has been cut.

22 : A cutting table for a laser cutting process, the cutting table comprising a plurality of laths arranged to be moveable relative to one another in a transverse direction.

23 : The cutting table as recited in claim 22 wherein the laths are mounted on at least one linear rail bearing.

24 : The cutting table as recited in claim 22 wherein each lath includes a clamp.

25 : The cutting table as recited in claim 24 wherein the clamp is a magnetic clamp.

26 : A cutting line comprising at least one laser cutting head and at least one cutting table as recited in claim 22 .

27 : The cutting line as recited in claim 26 wherein the at least one cutting table includes two cutting tables.

28 : The cutting line as recited in claim 26 wherein the at least one cutting head includes two laser cutting heads.

Assignees

• Arcelormittal

Inventors

• Van Wezemael Bert

Classifications

• B23K26/38 Primary

  by boring or cutting · CPC title

• B23K2101/185

  Tailored blanks · CPC title

• B23K37/04

  for holding or positioning work · CPC title

• B23K26/0846

  for moving elongated workpieces longitudinally, e.g. wire or strip material · CPC title

• B23K26/0876

  in at least two axial directions · CPC title