Method for cutting stainless steel with a fiber laser

Abstract

The invention relates to a laser cutting method for cutting a stainless steel workpiece using laser beam generation means comprising a silica fiber with an ytterbium-doped core to generate the laser beam. Preferably, the laser beam generated by the ytterbium-based fiber has a wavelength between 1.07 and 1.09 m, a quality factor of the laser beam is between 0.33 and 8 mm.Math.mrad, and the laser beam has a power of between 0.1 and 25 kW. The assistance gas for the laser beam is chosen from nitrogen, helium, argon and mixtures thereof, and, optionally, it further contains one or more additional compounds chosen from O.sub.2, CO.sub.2, H.sub.2 and CH.sub.4.

Claims

1. A laser cutting method for cutting a stainless steel workpiece, in which laser beam generation means comprising at least one ytterbium-containing fiber for generating a laser beam are used to melt the workpiece and thereby perform the actual cutting, wherein the quality factor of the laser beam is between 0.33 and 8 mm.Math.mrad and cut by a coated, fused-silica lens having a focal length of between 80 mm and 510 mm, wherein a maximum angle for transmitting laser energy into the material is the sum of the angle of the cutting front () and the divergence angle (), and wherein the laser beam is at the maximum angle for transmitting laser energy during the actual cutting.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the fiber is formed from an ytterbium-doped core clad with silica.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the laser beam generated by the ytterbium-based fiber has a wavelength between 1 and 5 m.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the laser beam generated by the ytterbium-based fiber has a wavelength between 1.07 and 1.09 m.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the laser beam has a power of between 0.1 and 25 kW.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the laser beam is a continuous or pulsed laser beam.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the workpiece to be cut has a thickness between 0.25 and 30 mm.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the cutting speed is between 0.1 and 25 m/min.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the assistance gas for the laser beam is chosen from nitrogen, helium, argon and mixtures thereof, and it further contains one or more additional compounds chosen from O.sub.2, CO.sub.2, H.sub.2 and CH.sub.4.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the quality factor of the laser beam is between 1 and 8 mm.Math.mrad.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) For a further understanding of the nature and objects for the present invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like elements are given the same or analogous reference numbers and wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 illustrates a diagram showing the principle of an installation for implementing a laser cutting method using a laser beam 3 to cut a stainless steel workpiece 10;

(3) FIG. 2 illustrates the cutting speed obtained (plotted on the y-axis) as a function of the thickness to be cut (plotted on the x-axis);

(4) FIG. 3 illustrates the configuration during cutting at the kerf (material of thickness e), where the angle of divergence of the laser beam after focusing, the diameter 2Wo of the focused beam and the angle of the cutting front have been indicate; and

(5) FIG. 4 illustrates the variation in the optimum angle of the cutting front as a function of the cutting thickness.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(6) FIG. 1 appended hereto is a diagram showing the principle of an installation for implementing a laser cutting method using a laser beam 3 to cut a stainless steel workpiece 10, employing a laser source 1 with a resonator or laser beam generation means 2 formed by silica fiber with an ytterbium-doped core to generate the laser beam 3.

(7) The laser source 1 is used to generate a laser beam 3 with a wavelength between 1 m and 5 m, more precisely, at 1.07 m.

(8) The beam 3 propagates as far as the zone 11 of interaction between the beam 3 and the workpiece 10, that is to say the zone where the kerf appears, through beam-conveying means 4, such as an optical fiber made of fused silica with a diameter of between 20 m and 300 m.

(9) On exiting from this fiber 4, the laser beam 3 possesses particular optical characteristics and a quality factor (BPP) of between 1 and 8 mm.Math.mrad.

(10) The beam 3 is then collimated using an optical collimator 5 equipped with a collimation doublet made of fused silica coated so as to limit the divergence of the beam exiting the fiber and to make the laser beam parallel.

(11) The parallel beam 3, the divergence of which has been considerably limited by the collimator, is then focused onto or into the workpiece 10 to be cut by a coated, fused-silica lens 6 having a focal length of between 80 mm and 510 mm, preferably between 100 mm and 250 mm.

(12) Before striking the workpiece 10, the beam 3 passes axially through the laser head, which is equipped with a nozzle 7 having an axial exit orifice 8 located facing the workpiece 10 to be cut, the beam 3 and the assistance gas passing through said nozzle. The orifice of the nozzle may be between 0.5 mm and 5 mm, preferably between 1 mm and 3 mm.

(13) The laser head itself is fed with assistance gas via a gas inlet 9, for example for an inert gas such as nitrogen, argon, helium or a mixture of several of these gases, or else an active gas, for example, such as oxygen, or even active/inert gas mixtures.

(14) The assistance gas is used to remove the molten metal from the kerf 12 being formed in the workpiece 10, as the workpiece undergoes relative displacement with respect to the laser head along the desired cutting path. The reverse situation, consisting in moving the cutting head while keeping the workpiece stationary gives the same result.

(15) FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the configuration during cutting at the kerf (material of thickness e), where the angle of divergence of the laser beam after focusing, the diameter 2Wo of the focused beam and the angle of the cutting front have been indicated.

(16) The beam quality factor or BPP is defined as the product of the divergence angle multiplied by its radius Wo.

(17) The cutting process is governed by the absorption of energy from the laser beam in the material during cutting. Depending on the wavelength of the laser beam employed, there therefore exists an optimum angle for energy absorption by the material. Outside this optimum angle, some of the energy is reflected and/or lost.

(18) FIG. 3 illustrates the fact that, in the optimum cutting condition, the angle of the cutting front corresponds to exposure of the entire thickness e of the material to the beam with a diameter 2Wo.

(19) FIG. 4 shows the variation in the optimum angle of the cutting front as a function of the cutting thickness. The upper curve corresponds to that obtained with a 4 kW CO.sub.2 laser in TEM 01* mode, while the lower curve is that obtained with a 2 kW ytterbium-based fiber laser according to the invention. The two curves are not coincident because of the difference in optimum energy absorption angle at 10.6 m, which is the wavelength of the CO.sub.2 laser, and at 1.07 m, which is the wavelength of the ytterbium-based fiber laser.

(20) It is clearly apparent from these curves that, for small thicknesses, the optimum angle of the cutting front is higher than for larger thicknesses. The maximum angle for transmitting the laser energy into the material is obtained geometrically, and is the sum of the angles, namely +.

(21) It will therefore be understood that, when small thicknesses (a few mm) are being cut, it is necessary to use a low beam divergence angle, that is to say a small BPP, since the spot diameter is set by the fiber diameter used, in order to keep the optimum energy absorption angle constant.

(22) It is also deduced therefrom that the transmission of the energy from the beam to the material becomes less efficient beyond a value of 8 mm.Math.mrad.

(23) Therefore, for the purpose of the invention, a laser beam having a quality factor preferably between 1 and 8 mm.Math.mrad, more preferably between 2 and 8 mm.Math.mrad, is used.

EXAMPLE

(24) To demonstrate the effectiveness of the method of the invention, several cutting trials on stainless steel workpieces were carried out using a resonator which contained an amplifying medium or means of generating the laser beam, composed of optical fibers with an ytterbium-doped core according to the method of the invention and results obtained are given in the example below.

(25) More precisely, the laser source used in the example below consisted of an amplifying medium formed from diode-excited ytterbium-doped fibers, generating a laser beam of 2 kW power and 1.07 m wavelength, propagated in a 100 m coated fused-silica optical fiber, possessing a quality factor (BPP) on exiting the fiber of 4 mm.Math.mrad. The collimator located at the exit of the fiber was equipped with a doublet of 55 mm focal length.

(26) To determine the speed ranges that could be achieved with the method of the invention according to the thicknesses of the workpieces to be cut and the pressure and composition of the assistance gas employed, cutting trials were carried out on stainless steel workpieces having thicknesses of between 1.5 mm and 8 mm.

(27) The gas used was an inert gas, namely nitrogen, and was injected into the interaction zone where the beam interacts with the workpiece at pressures varying between 8 and 25 bar depending on the gas used, through laser cutting nozzles having orifices with diameters ranging between 0.5 and 4 mm depending on the case, typically between 1 and 3 mm in diameter. The greater the thickness to be cut, the larger the diameter of the nozzle has to be.

(28) Focusing lenses with a focal length of between 127 mm and 190.5 mm were used to focus the laser beam generated by the amplifying medium containing diode-excited ytterbium-doped fibers and conveyed to the focusing lens of the cutting head by optical conveying means, such as a 100 m-diameter optical fiber.

(29) More precisely, thicknesses of 4 mm or less are usually cut with 127-mm focal length lenses and greater thicknesses with 190.5-mm focal length lenses.

(30) The results obtained with a nitrogen pressure of 15 bar, which were judged to be satisfactory from the standpoint of the cutting quality obtained, are given in the appended FIG. 2, which shows the speed obtained (plotted on the y-axis) as a function of the thickness to be cut (plotted on the x-axis).

(31) This figure shows that, on a 2-mm thick sheet, under the abovementioned experimental conditions, the method of the invention makes it possible to achieve a speed of the order of 16 m/min. However, this figure also shows that the cutting speed logically decreased with an increase in thickness of the material cut.

(32) It should be emphasized that, after examination of the cut faces, the quality, in terms of burrs and striations, of the cuts obtained was very satisfactory, for all the thicknesses cut.

(33) However, the maximum thickness cut under the abovementioned experimental conditions with the laser power used here was 8 mm.

(34) The method of the invention is therefore effective both in terms of cutting speed and cut quality on stainless steel.

(35) It will be understood that many additional changes in the details, materials, steps and arrangement of parts, which have been herein described in order to explain the nature of the invention, may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the specific embodiments in the examples given above.