Laser cutting head for machine tool

Abstract

A laser cutting head powered by a laser emission apparatus including optical transmission devices and associated with a cutting machine tool, includes a collimation device to collimate a laser beam coming from the laser emission apparatus, a focusing device to focus a collimated laser beam leaving the collimation devices, and a casing to house the focusing unit. The focusing unit includes one focusing lens and support devices to house and hold the focusing lens and move it along an adjustment direction within the casing in order to vary a focal point of the laser beam leaving the focusing lens. The laser cutting head includes a cooling unit secured to the casing and heat conducting devices used to connect the support devices with the cooling unit in order to extract the heat generated by the laser beam crossing the focusing lens by thermal conduction from the support devices and the focusing lens.

Claims

1. A laser cutting head powered by a laser emission device for a cutting machine tool, comprising (a) a casing including a cavity having an opening; (b) a cover formed of a thermally conductive material removably connected with said casing to close said opening; (c) a collimation device connected directly with said casing for collimating a laser beam emitted from the laser emission device; (d) a focusing device arranged within said cavity for focusing a collimated laser beam from said collimation device, said focusing device including a support device and at least one lens retained by said support device, said support device comprising a support element formed of a thermally conductive material and being adapted to move within said cavity along an adjustment direction in order to vary a focal point of said collimated laser beam; (e) a cutting nozzle that is secured to said casing and through which the focused laser beam passes, said cutting nozzle concentrating a gas jet for removing molten material generated by the fusion of a workpiece that is cut by the laser beam; (f) an external cooling unit connected with said cover and comprising at least one Peltier cell; and (g) at least one heat conducting device connecting said support device with said cooling unit via said cover, wherein said cover is disposed between said heat conducting device and said cooling unit, said heat conducting device being adapted to extract heat generated by said collimated laser beam crossing the focusing lens by thermal conduction in order to cool said focussing lens and avoid thermal focus shifting thereof, said heat conducting device being formed of a non-rigid material to afford movement of said support device along the adjustment direction during operation of the laser cutting head.

2. A laser cutting head as defined in claim 1, wherein said heat conducting device includes at least one heat conducting element formed of a thermally conductive material.

3. A laser cutting head as defined in claim 2, wherein said heat conducting element comprises one of a braided copper tape and a graphite coated tape.

4. A laser cutting head as defined in claim 2, wherein said heat conducting element comprises a main portion connected with said cooling unit and at least two extended portions connected with opposite sides of said support element.

5. A laser cutting head as defined in claim 1, wherein said cooling unit further includes a heat dissipation element, said flexible heat conducting device being connected with a cold side of said Peltier cell and said heat dissipation element being connected with a hot side of said Peltier cell.

6. A laser cutting head as defined in claim 5, wherein said cold side of said Peltier cell is connected with a wall of said casing.

7. A laser cutting head as defined in claim 5, wherein said cold side of said Peltier cell is connected with an outer surface of said cover.

8. A laser cutting head as defined in claim 7, wherein said heat conducting device is connected with an inner surface of said cover.

9. A laser cutting head as defined in claim 1, wherein said cover contains an opening and said heat conducting device is connected directly with a cold side of said Peltier cell via said cover opening.

10. A laser cutting device as defined in claim 1, wherein said cooling unit includes a plurality of Peltier cells connected in one of series and parallel.

11. A laser cutting device as defined in claim 1, wherein said heat conducting devices are connected with said support devices and with said Peltier cell via a thermally conductive adhesive.

12. A laser cutting device as defined in claim 5, wherein said heat dissipation element includes a plurality of cooling ducts for passage of air via convection.

13. A laser cutting device as defined in claim 12, wherein said heat dissipation element contains a plurality of intake devices for introducing a cooling fluid into said cooling ducts.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

(1) The present invention can be better understood by referring to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a typical, but non-limiting, form of actuation, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the laser cutting head in the present invention;

(3) FIG. 2 is a view of the laser cutting head in FIG. 1, without cooling units, for better illustration of the laser beam focusing devices;

(4) FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the laser cutting head in FIG. 1;

(5) FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the cooling unit associated with the focusing devices of the laser cutting head in FIG. 1;

(6) FIG. 5 is a front view of the cooling unit in FIG. 4;

(7) FIG. 6 is a side view of the cooling unit in FIG. 4;

(8) FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the cooling unit in FIG. 4;

(9) FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a variant of the cooling unit for the cutting head in the present invention associated with the focusing devices;

(10) FIG. 9 is a front view of the cooling unit in FIG. 8;

(11) FIG. 10 is a side view of the cooling unit in FIG. 8;

(12) FIG. 11 is a top plan view of the cooling unit in FIG. 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(13) FIGS. 1 to 7 illustrate a laser cutting head 1 in accordance with the present invention, for feeding by a laser emission apparatus, of a known type not illustrated in the Figures, by means of optical transmission devices and associable with a cutting machine tool. In particular, the emission apparatus is of the solid-state laser stimulated emission type, and the optical transmission devices include an optical fiber cable capable of transporting the laser beam generated by the emission apparatus to the laser cutting head 1.

(14) The laser cutting head 1 includes a collimation device 2 for collimating the laser beam generated by the laser emission apparatus, focusing devices 3 for focusing the collimated laser beam leaving the collimation device 2 and a casing 4 for containing and housing the focusing unit 3.

(15) The cutting head 1 also includes a cutting nozzle 18 that is secured to the casing 4 by an optical centering ring-nut 19 and through which the focused laser beam passes. The cutting nozzle 18 concentrates a blast or jet of gas for removing the dross or molten material generated by the fusion of the workpiece and at the same time limits the probability of this dross reaching the inside of the casing 4 and the focusing unit 3.

(16) The collimation device 2 is of known type and includes a set of lenses and a mirror capable of converging and collimating the beam from the optical fiber in a rectilinear laser beam directed towards the focusing devices 3.

(17) The focusing devices 3 include at least one focusing lens 5 plus support elements 6 that are arranged to house and support the focusing lens 5 and that can be moved along an adjustment direction X inside the casing 4 to allow variation of the focal point or focus of the laser beam leaving the focusing lens 5. The adjustment direction X is parallel to the laser beam leaving the collimation device 2.

(18) The support elements include a support element 6, which acts substantially as a carriage or cartridge for the focusing lens 5 and can be slid inside a cavity in the casing 4 along the adjustment direction X by drive devices 9. These drive devices include, for example, a linear electric actuator or a recirculating ball screw activated by a rotary electric motor and connected to the relative lead screw secured to the support element 6. The drive devices 9 are connected to the support element 6 through an opening in a side wall 4b of the casing 4.

(19) The support element 6 includes a seat 7 into which the focusing lens 5 is inserted and locked in place.

(20) The laser cutting head 1 also includes a cooling unit 10, which is secured to the casing 4, as well as thermal conductive devices 11 for connecting the support elements 6 to the cooling unit 10 in order to extract the heat generated by the laser beam when crossing the aforementioned focusing lens 5 from the support elements 6 and focusing lens 5 by a process of thermal conduction. The support elements 6 are, in fact, made of material with high thermal conductivity, such as aluminium alloy or brass, in order to allow the heat to be transferred from the focusing lens 5.

(21) The thermal conductive devices 11 include at least one flexible thermal conductive element made of material with high thermal conductivity, such as braided copper tape and/or graphite-coated tape.

(22) In the embodiment illustrated in the Figures, the flexible thermal conductive element 11 includes a main portion 11a, which is destined to be secured to the cooling unit 10 and from which two elongated portions 11b extend; these are destined to be secured to opposite sides of the support element 6.

(23) In an embodiment that is not illustrated, the flexible thermal conductive element 11 may include a single elongated portion 11b in addition to the main portion 11a.

(24) It should be noted that the flexibility of the thermal conductive element 11 in no way hinders the movement of the support element 6 along the adjustment direction X in the operation of the laser cutting head 1.

(25) The cooling unit 10 includes a Peltier cell 12 and a heat dissipation element 13. The flexible thermal conductive device 11 is connected to the cold side 12a of the Peltier cell 12, whereas the heat dissipation element 13 is connected to the hot side 12b of the Peltier cell 12.

(26) The Peltier cell is a thermoelectric device that acts as a solid-state heat pump and typically has the appearance of a thin plate: one of the two faces of the plate absorbs heat while the other emits it. The direction in which the heat is transferred depends on the direction of the direct current applied at the ends of this plate. More precisely, a Peltier cell is composed of a number of Peltier junctions arranged in series to form a thin plate. The junction is formed of two doped semi-conductors, one N-type and one P-type, connected together by two opposing sheets of copper that form the outside faces of the plate. Applying a direct electric current of the opposite voltage to the semi-conductor materials cools one sheet or face of the plate and at the same time heats the sheet or face of the opposite plate, thus moving thermal energy between the two sides of the plate. Inverting the voltage of the electric current supplied to the semi-conductor materials inverts the movement of thermal energy.

(27) The Peltier cell 12 used in the cooling unit 10 is of a known type.

(28) The wall or cold part 12a of the Peltier cell 12 is secured to a front wall 4a of the casing 4.

(29) The laser head 1 includes a cover 16 made of material with high thermal conductivity, such as aluminium alloy, to close an opening 17 of the casing 4 giving access to the cavity in which the support element 6 moves.

(30) In the solution shown in FIG. 3, the cold side 12a of the Peltier cell 12 is secured to an outer wall of the cover 16 and the flexible heat conducting element 11 is secured to the inner wall of the cover 16.

(31) Alternatively, the flexible heat conducting element 11 can be directly secured to the cold side 12a of the Peltier cell by a corresponding opening provided in the cover 16 (FIGS. 4-7).

(32) In a version of the cutting head that is not shown, it has been envisaged that the cooling unit 10 includes a number of Peltier cells 12 arranged in series and/or parallel.

(33) The heat dissipation element 13 is a body made of a material with high thermal conductivity, such as aluminium alloy, equipped with a number of cooling ducts 14 that allow the passage of air, in particular by convection, to cool the body itself. In the embodiment shown, the heat dissipation element has a parallelepiped shape and features a number of cooling ducts 14 that run side by side along a longitudinal direction parallel to the adjustment direction X.

(34) The hot side 12b of the Peltier cell 12 is secured to a rear wall of the heat dissipation element 13.

(35) Thermally conductive adhesives are used to secure the heat conducting devices 11 to the support element 6 and to the cover 16 and/or to the cold side 12a of the Peltier cell and to secure the opposite sides 12a, 12b of the cell to the cover 16 and to the heat dissipation element 13.

(36) FIGS. 8 to 11 show a version of the cooling unit 10 which includes intake devices 15 used to introduce a cooling fluid in the cooling ducts 14 to increase the heat exchange (forced convection) and cool the hot side 12b of the Peltier cell more quickly and effectively. The intake devices 15, for instance, include a pair of nozzles fed with compressed air and capable of introducing the air in expansion in the cooling ducts 14. A diverter element 20 allows the flow of compressed air leaving the nozzles 15 to be directed in the cooling ducts 14 so that the cooling fluid or air leaves the heat exchange element 13 directed toward the part to cut.

(37) During the operation of the laser cutting head 1 of the invention, the heat generated in the focusing lens 5 by the passage of the laser beam leaving the collimation devices 3 (heat generated by a non-absolute transparency of the lens) is transferred and surrendered to the support element 6, to the heat conducting devices 11 and to the cold side 12a of the Peltier cell 12. In this way, at full performance, the heat is transferred from the focusing lens 5 to the Peltier cell 12, which surrenders the heat to the heat dissipation element 13 (secured to the hot side 12b of the said Peltier cell 12).

(38) It should be noted that during the operation of the laser cutting head 1, the focusing lens 5 surrenders the heat to the support element 6, which transfers it to the heat conducting element 11. The heat extraction produced by the Peltier cell 12, which works as a heat pump, allows the temperature of the focusing lens 5 to be checked and in particular to prevent the overheating of the lens with consequent variation of the refractive index of the lens itself and hence a shift of the focus.

(39) By adjusting the intensity and voltage of the direct electrical current, which powers the Peltier cell 12, it is possible to check the temperature of the focusing lens 5 in an accurate and reliable manner during the operation.

(40) With the cooling system, the laser cutting head 1 of the invention avoids thermal focus shift of the focusing lens 5 during long and intensive operation and therefore focuses the laser beam in the optimum point with respect to the surface of the work piece with accuracy and cutting efficiency.

(41) The control and regulation of the temperature also avoids damage to the surface protective layer of the focusing lens 5.