Laser processing method and laser processing program creation device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9849544-B2
Application number	US-201414784679-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 22, 2014
Priority date	May 15, 2013
Publication date	Dec 26, 2017
Grant date	Dec 26, 2017

Abstract

A laser processing program creation device sets an evaluation region in an adjacent plane to a target plane; calculates the position of the extremity of the product profile in the axial direction within the evaluation region; sets a first line segment passing through the position of the extremity and extending orthogonally to the axis in the target plane; locates a processing area in the range surrounded by the first line segment, a second line segment, and the product profile, the second line segment extending in the axial direction from an end of the first line segment to the product profile; allocates a trajectory for laser beam cutting to form a notch or a hole in the processing area; and allocates a trajectory for laser beam cutting to cut the material along the product profile.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A laser processing method using an angle or a channel as a material to be processed, the angle or channel being composed of a plurality of planes and having a predetermined plate thickness, and cutting the material with a laser beam in a direction intersecting an axis about which the material is rotated to form a product having a predetermined shape, the method comprising:
for a development view representing the plurality of planes developed into a plane, setting an outer corner between the planes adjacent to each other as a development auxiliary line and setting ranges corresponding to plate thicknesses in the planes of the material as plate thickness regions between the development auxiliary line and a pair of plate thickness lines sandwiching the development auxiliary line;
sequentially selecting each of the plurality of planes as a target plane and setting a region in an adjacent plane adjacent to the target plane as an evaluation region, the region in the adjacent plane including at least a range surrounded by the development auxiliary line and the plate thickness line located in the adjacent plane;
calculating the position of the extremity of a profile of the product in the axial direction in the evaluation region;
setting a first line segment m the target plane, the first line segment passing through the calculated position of the extremity and extending in the direction orthogonal to the axis;
determining whether the first line segment interferes with the product;
in one of the plurality of target planes where the first line segment does not interfere with the product, locating a processing area to form a notch or a hole in a region between the first line segment and the profile of the product;
in the target plane where the processing area is located, allocating a trajectory for laser beam cutting to form a notch or a hole in the processing area and forming a notch or a hole in the material; and
in the target plane where the processing area is not located, allocating a trajectory for laser beam cutting to cut the material along the profile of the product and cutting the material along the trajectory of the profile of the product.

2. The laser processing method according to claim 1 , wherein
the material is an angle having a first plane and a second plane as the plurality of planes,
when the first or second plane where the first line segment does not interfere with the product is the target plane, the processing area is located in a range of the first or second plane surrounded by the first line segment, a second line segment, the profile of the product, and a side edge of the material, the second line segment extending from an end of the first line segment to the profile of the product in the axial direction, and the processing area is set as a notch region to form a notch extending from the side edge of the material.

3. The laser processing method according to claim 2 , wherein
when the notch region is set in each of the first and second planes and no trajectory for laser beam cutting is allocated in the plate thickness region, the allocation in one of the first and second planes is replaced with an allocation to cut the material along the profile of the product, and
the one of the first and second planes and the plate thickness region are cut based on the allocation to cut the material along the profile of the product.

4. The laser processing method according to claim 1 , wherein
the material is a channel which includes first, second, and third planes as the plurality of planes, the second plane being sandwiched by the first and third planes,
when the second plane where the first line segment does not interfere with the product is the target plane, the processing area is located in a range of the second plane surrounded by the first line segment, two second line segments, and the profile of the product, the second line segments extending from both ends of the first line segment to the profile of the product in the axial direction, and the processing area is set as a hole region to form a hole, and
when the first or third plane where the first line segment does not interfere with the product is the target plane, the processing area is located in a range of the first or third plane surrounded by the first line segment, a second line segment, the profile of the product, and a side edge of the material, the second line segment extending from an end of the first line segment to the profile of the product in the axial direction, and the processing area is set as a notch region to form a notch extending from the side edge.

5. The laser processing method according to claim 4 , wherein
when the hole region is set in the second plane, the notch region is set in each of the first and third planes, and any trajectory for laser beam cutting is not allocated in first and second plate thickness regions which are provided across the first and second planes and across the second and third planes, respectively, the allocation in the second plane is replaced with an allocation to cut the material along the profile of the product, and
the second plane and the first and second plate thickness regions are cut in accordance with the allocation to cut the material along the profile of the product.

6. The laser processing method according to claim 4 , wherein when the hole region is set in the second plane, the notch region is set in one of the first and third planes, and any trajectory for laser beam cutting is not allocated in the plate thickness region provided across the second plane and the plane where the notch region is set, the allocation in the second plane is replaced with the allocation to form a notch,
the notch region is modified so that an edge of the notch region in the axial direction is brought in line with an edge of the hole region in the axial direction,
a first notch is formed in the plane where the notch region is set, by the allocation based on the modified notch region, and
in the second plane and the plate thickness region, a second notch connected to the first notch is formed by the replaced allocation to form the notch.

7. The laser processing method according to claim 1 , wherein
an extended auxiliary line is set at a first distance from the plate thickness line in the adjacent plane in the direction away from the development auxiliary line, and
a range surrounded by the development auxiliary line and the extended auxiliary line is set as the evaluation region.

8. The laser processing method according to claim 7 , wherein the first distance is set to a distance in accordance with the radius of the curve formed in an inner corner formed by the planes adjacent to each other.

9. The laser processing method according to claim 2 , wherein the end of the first line segment is at a second distance away from the plate thickness line in each target plane.

10. The laser processing method according to claim 1 , wherein in the process of cross-sectional cutting that cuts the material in the direction orthogonal to the axis, the position a third distance outward from the extremity of the profile of the product in the axial direction in the evaluation region is considered as the position of the extremity in the axial direction.

11. A laser processing program creation apparatus, which creates allocation data as a laser processing program to form a product having a predetermined shape by using an angle or a channel as a material to be processed, the angle or channel being composed of a plurality of planes and having a predetermined plate thickness, and cutting the material with a laser beam in a direction intersecting an axis about which the material is

Assignees

• Amada Holdings Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ootsu Takaaki

Classifications

• B23K26/53

  for modifying or reforming the material inside the workpiece, e.g. for producing break initiation cracks · CPC title

• B23K2101/28

  Beams · CPC title

• B23K26/08

  Devices involving relative movement between laser beam and workpiece · CPC title

• B23K2103/04

  Steel {or steel} alloys · CPC title

• G05B2219/45041

  Laser cutting · CPC title