Metal analyzing plasma CNC cutting machine and associated methods
First Claim
1. A method for analyzing composition of a workpiece being cut by a plasma CNC cutting machine, comprising:
- capturing light from a plasma arc of the plasma CNC cutting machine in a time window as the plasma arc begins to cut the workpiece, the time window beginning after a time at the beginning of plasma cutting when the plasma has ionized enough metal from the workpiece to give emissions spectra from ionized metal from the workpiece, the time window ending before emissions spectra from the ionized metal from the workpiece is drowned out by interfering spectra from eroded torch and black-body radiation from the workpiece;
generating spectral data from the light, the spectral data including intensity of particular spectral lines of the emissions spectra from ionized metal from the workpiece; and
processing the spectral data to generate a determined composition indicative of composition of the workpiece.
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Abstract
A plasma computer numerically controlled (CNC) cutting machine is controlled by a computer s. In an embodiment, the computer executes a CNC program to control movement of a plasma torch to cut parts from a workpiece while a spectrometer determines emissions spectra of light emitted in a brief time window as the torch begins to cut the workpiece. The spectrometer cooperates with the computer to analyze the metal as it is being cut by the CNC cutting machine and determine a composition. In embodiments, the composition is compared to an expected composition and saved in a database with identifying information; in a particular embodiment the database is queried to provide identifying information of metal having similar composition to the workpiece.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for analyzing composition of a workpiece being cut by a plasma CNC cutting machine, comprising:
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capturing light from a plasma arc of the plasma CNC cutting machine in a time window as the plasma arc begins to cut the workpiece, the time window beginning after a time at the beginning of plasma cutting when the plasma has ionized enough metal from the workpiece to give emissions spectra from ionized metal from the workpiece, the time window ending before emissions spectra from the ionized metal from the workpiece is drowned out by interfering spectra from eroded torch and black-body radiation from the workpiece; generating spectral data from the light, the spectral data including intensity of particular spectral lines of the emissions spectra from ionized metal from the workpiece; and processing the spectral data to generate a determined composition indicative of composition of the workpiece. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method for analyzing composition of a workpiece being cut by a plasma CNC cutting machine, comprising:
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capturing light from a plasma arc of the plasma CNC cutting machine in a sequence of time windows as the plasma arc begins to cut the workpiece, determining a sequence of spectra from the captured light in each time window, each spectrum in the sequence of spectra captured in a time window of the sequence of time windows, examining each spectra of the sequence of spectra for presence and intensity of a particular spectral line and determining a ratio of the particular spectral line to background light, and selecting a spectrum of the sequence of spectra according to the ratio of that spectral line to background light to give a selected spectrum obtained after the plasma arc ionizes metal from the workpiece enough to give emissions spectra and before emissions spectra from the ionized metal from the workpiece is drowned out by interfering spectra from eroded torch and black-body radiation from the workpiece; generating spectral data from the selected spectrum; and processing the spectral data to generate a determined composition indicative of composition of the workpiece. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification