CUTTING APPARATUS AND METHOD

• US 20130032015A1
• Filed: 07/26/2012
• Published: 02/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Subaru Corp.
• Original Assignee: Fuji Heavy Industries Limited (Subaru Corp.)
• Inventors: Nishikawa, Hirozi
• Granted Patent: US 9,248,534 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 83/16
• CPC Class Codes: B23C 1/00 Milling machines not designed for particular work or special operations
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/0093 combined with mechanical machining or metal-working covered by other subclasses than B23K combined welding or cutting procedures or apparatus B23K28/02
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/08 Devices involving relative movement between laser beam and workpiece
• CPC Class Codes: B23P 25/006 Heating the workpiece by laser during machining
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/5107 Drilling and other
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/5176 including machining means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 408/03 Processes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 409/303752 Process
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/0414 At localized area [e.g., line of separation]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/283 With means to control or modify temperature of apparatus or work

Abstract

A cutting device 1 comprises: a guiderail (18) that is formed into a ring shape along the circumference around the central axis (10c) of a cutting drive unit (10); a laser irradiation unit (22) that is movable along the guiderail, and irradiates a laser at a predetermined inclination angle onto an object (30) to be cut; a preset cutting position derivation unit (26a) for deriving a preset cutting position that corresponds to a preset cutting portion, which is the portion to be cut by a cutting tool (10b) after a predetermined amount of time; a stopping position derivation unit (26b) for deriving the stopping position of the laser irradiation unit on the guiderail with the preset cutting position that was derived as a target; and a laser irradiation drive unit (24) for moving the laser irradiation unit to the derived stopping position.

Claims

1. A cutting device having a cutting tool for cutting an object;

comprising;

a mounting table to which the object to be cut is secured;

a cutting tool drive unit for axially supporting the cutting tool so that the cutting tool faces the object to be cut that is secured to the mounting table, and rotatably driving the cutting tool about the central axis thereof;

a relative movement mechanism for causing a relative movement of the cutting tool and the object to be cut;

a guiderail fixed to the non-rotating section of the cutting tool drive unit, wherein the guiderail extends along the circumferences of the central axis of the cutting tool;

a laser irradiation mechanism comprising a laser irradiation unit for irradiating a laser toward the object to be cut that is secured to the mounting table, and a support mechanism for movably supporting the laser irradiation unit along the guiderail, wherein the support mechanism supports the laser irradiation unit so that the optical axis of the laser forms a predetermined inclination angle with respect to the central axis of the cutting tool;

a preset cutting position derivation unit for deriving a preset cutting position on the object for which a cutting is to be performed by the cutting tool in a processing direction that is orthogonal to the central axis of the cutting tool after a predetermined amount of time has elapsed;

a target position derivation unit for deriving a target position to which the laser irradiation unit is to be moved by the support mechanism, wherein the target position is a position which enables the laser irradiation unit to irradiate the laser toward the preset cutting position on the object to be cut; and

a laser position control unit connected to the support mechanism and the target position derivation unit, and for controlling the support mechanism such that the laser irradiation unit moves to the target position derived by the target position derivation unit.

2. The cutting device according to claim 1, wherein the preset cutting position derivation unit derives the preset cutting position by adding a distance that is equal to the amount that the cutting tool moves over the object to be cut during the predetermined time to the current cutting position of the cutting tool on the object to be cut.

3. A cutting method for cutting an object by a cutting device, wherein the cutting device comprises:

a mounting table to which the object to be cut is secured;

a cutting tool drive unit for axially supporting the cutting tool so that the cutting tool faces the object to be cut that is secured to the mounting table, and rotatably driving the cutting tool around the central axis thereof;

a relative movement mechanism for causing a relative movement of the cutting tool and the object to be cut;

a guiderail fixed to the non-rotating section of the cutting tool drive unit, wherein the guiderail extends along the circumference of the central axis of the cutting tool; and

a laser irradiation mechanism comprising a laser irradiation unit for irradiating a laser toward the object to be cut that is secured to the mounting table, and a support mechanism for movably supporting the laser irradiation unit along the guiderail, wherein the support mechanism supports the laser irradiation unit so that the optical axis of the laser forms a predetermined inclination angle with respect to the central axis of the cutting tool;

the cutting method comprising the steps of;

deriving a preset cutting position on the object for which a cutting is to be performed by the cutting tool in a processing direction that is orthogonal to the central axis of the cutting tool after a predetermined amount of time has elapsed;

deriving a target position to which the laser irradiation unit is to be moved by the support mechanism, wherein the target position is a position which enables the laser irradiation unit to irradiate the laser toward the preset cutting position on the object to be cut; and

controlling a laser position by controlling the support mechanism such that the laser irradiation unit moves to the target position derived by a target position derivation unit.