Laser nozzle having an external mobile element made of electrically insulating material and an insert made of electrically conductive material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9610652-B2
Application number	US-201314441645-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 23, 2013
Priority date	Nov 9, 2012
Publication date	Apr 4, 2017
Grant date	Apr 4, 2017

Abstract

The invention relates to a nozzle for laser cutting, comprising a nozzle body ( 1 ) comprising a first axial housing ( 5 ), a movable element ( 2 ) formed from an electrically insulating material and comprising a second axial housing ( 4 ), said movable element ( 2 ) being arranged in the first axial housing ( 5 ), and an elastic element ( 8 ) arranged in the first axial housing ( 5 ) between the nozzle body ( 1 ) and the movable element ( 2 ). According to the invention, the nozzle furthermore comprises an insert ( 3 ) comprising an axial passage ( 18 ) and a front portion ( 3 a ) forming a skirt that protrudes out of the second axial housing ( 4 ), said insert ( 3 ) being arranged in the second axial housing ( 4 ) of the movable element ( 2 ) and formed from an electrically conductive material. Associated laser head and apparatus. Laser cutting process employing such a nozzle.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A laser nozzle comprising:
a nozzle body comprising a first axial housing,
a movable element comprising a second axial housing, said movable element being arranged in the first axial housing,
an elastic element arranged in the first axial housing between the nozzle body and the movable element, and
an insert comprising an axial passage and a front portion forming a skirt that protrudes out of the second axial housing, said insert being arranged in the second axial housing of the movable element,

wherein the insert is formed from an electrically conductive material and the movable element is formed from an electrically insulating material.

2. The nozzle of claim 1 , wherein the second axial housing of the movable element comprises a second outlet orifice located in a front face of the movable element, the insert being arranged in the second axial housing so that the front portion forming a skirt protrudes out of said second axial housing through the second outlet orifice.

3. The nozzle of claim 1 , wherein the first axial housing of the nozzle body comprises a first outlet orifice located in a front face of the nozzle body, the movable element being able to move translationally in the first axial housing of the nozzle body until the front portion forming a skirt of the insert protrudes out of said first axial housing through the first outlet orifice of the front face of the nozzle body.

4. The nozzle of claim 1 wherein the elastic element exerts an elastic return force on the movable element tending to oppose the translational movement of the movable element in the first axial housing in the direction of the first outlet orifice.

5. The nozzle of claim 1 , wherein the first axial housing of the nozzle body comprises an inlet orifice allowing said first axial passage to be supplied with assistance gas.

6. The nozzle of claim 1 , wherein the movable element is able and designed to move translationally in the first axial housing in the direction of the first outlet orifice under the effect of a gaseous pressure exerted on said movable element and/or said insert.

7. The nozzle of claim 1 , wherein the nozzle body, the movable element and the insert are axisymmetric parts arranged coaxially to one another.

8. The nozzle of claim 1 , wherein the insert comprises an external peripheral wall the maximum section of which is smaller than the minimum section of the first axial housing.

9. The nozzle of claim 1 , wherein the second axial housing comprises at least one second internal shoulder, and the external peripheral wall of the insert furthermore comprises a back portion comprising a second abutment arranged facing said second internal shoulder.

10. The nozzle of claim 1 , wherein the movable element is able to move between a plurality of positions comprising:
a rest position in which the front portion of the insert is completely or almost completely retracted into the first axial housing of the nozzle body: and
a working position in which the skirt of the front portion of the insert completely or almost completely protrudes out of the first axial housing of the nozzle body, through the first outlet orifice.

11. A laser focusing head comprising at least one focusing optical element, further comprising a laser nozzle as claimed in claim 1 .

12. A laser apparatus comprising a laser generator, a laser focusing head and a laser beam guiding device connected to said laser generator and to said laser focusing head, wherein the laser focusing head is as claimed in claim 10 .

13. The laser apparatus as claimed in claim 12 , further comprising a gas source and at least one gas supply line fluidically connecting the focusing head and the gas source, the laser nozzle being fluidically connected to the focusing head, and the movable element moving translationally in the first axial housing of the nozzle body when the gas source supplies the focusing head and the laser nozzle with gas.

Assignees

• L'Air Liquide Société Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procédés Georges Claude

Inventors

• Jouanneau Thomas
• Lefebvre Philippe

Classifications

• B23K26/1476 Primary

  Features inside the nozzle for feeding the fluid stream through the nozzle · CPC title

• B23K26/38

  by boring or cutting · CPC title

• B23K26/048 Primary

  by controlling the distance between laser head and workpiece · CPC title

• B23K26/1464

  Supply to, or discharge from, nozzles of media, e.g. gas, powder, wire · CPC title

• B23K26/142

  for the removal of by-products · CPC title