Cutting apparatus and method

• US 9,248,534 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2012
• Issued: 02/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Subaru Corp.
• Original Assignee: Fuji Heavy Industries Limited (Subaru Corp.)
• Inventors: Nishikawa, Hirozi
• Primary Examiner(s): Cadugan, Erica E
• Assistant Examiner(s): VITALE, MICHAEL J
• Application Number:
  US13/558,950
• Publication Number:
  US 20130032015A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,286 Days
• Field of Search: 29/26.A, 29/26.R, 29/565, 408/1.R, 408/16, 409/131, 409/132
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 comprising a rotating member attached to the cutting tool for rotatably driving the cutting tool about a central axis thereof, and a non-rotating member concentrically mounted to the rotating member for supporting the cutting tool;

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

a guiderail concentrically mounted to the non-rotating member of the cutting tool drive unit, wherein the guiderail is formed annularly to encircle an outer circumference of the non-rotating member;

a laser irradiation mechanism comprising a laser irradiation unit for irradiating a laser beam onto the object to be cut that is secured to the mounting table, and a support mechanism for rotatably supporting the laser irradiation unit along the guiderail, wherein the support mechanism comprises a rotating member concentrically mounted to the guiderail and adapted to rotate along an outer circumference of the guiderail, and a support member having one end attached to the rotating member of the support mechanism and the other end attached to the laser irradiation unit, and wherein the support member supports the laser irradiation unit such that an optical axis of the laser beam 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 that corresponds to a portion of the object to be cut by the cutting tool after a predetermined amount of time has elapsed;

a stopping position derivation unit for deriving a stopping position of the laser irradiation mechanism along the guiderail, wherein the stopping position corresponds to a position which enables the laser irradiation unit to direct a laser beam onto the preset cutting position on the object to be cut; and

a laser irradiation drive unit connected to the support mechanism and the stopping position derivation unit, and for moving the laser irradiation mechanism to the stopping position derived by the stopping 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 to the current cutting position of the cutting tool on the object to be cut wherein the distance is equal to the amount that the cutting tool moves over the object to be cut during the predetermined time.

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 comprising a rotating member attached to the cutting tool for rotatably driving the cutting tool about a central axis thereof, and a non-rotating member concentrically mounted to the rotating member for supporting the cutting tool;

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

a guiderail concentrically mounted to the non-rotating member of the cutting tool drive unit, wherein the guiderail is formed annularly along to encircle an outer circumference of the non-rotating member; and

a laser irradiation mechanism comprising a laser irradiation unit for irradiating a laser beam onto the object to be cut that is secured to the mounting table, and a support mechanism for rotatably supporting the laser irradiation unit along the guiderail, wherein the support mechanism comprises a rotating member concentrically mounted to the guiderail and adapted to rotate along an outer circumference of the guiderail, and a support member having one end attached to the rotating member of the support mechanism and the other end attached to the laser irradiation unit, and wherein the support member supports the laser irradiation unit such that an optical axis of the laser beam forms a predetermined inclination angle with respect to the central axis of the cutting tool;

the cutting method comprising the steps of;

deriving by a preset cutting position derivation unit, a preset cutting position that corresponds to a portion of the object to be cut by the cutting tool after a predetermined amount of time has elapsed;

deriving by a stopping position derivation unit, a stopping position of the laser irradiation mechanism along the guiderail, wherein the stopping position corresponds to a position which enables the laser irradiation unit to direct a laser beam onto the preset cutting position derived by the preset cutting position derivation unit; and

moving the laser irradiation mechanism by a laser irradiation drive unit, to the stopping position derived by the stopping position derivation unit wherein the laser irradiation drive unit is connected to the support mechanism and the stopping position derivation unit.