Laser processing and robot application

Laser processing is a processing method that uses laser as energy to melt materials and then shape them. According to the purpose of processing, it can be divided into laser cutting, laser marking, laser welding, laser welding, laser additive manufacturing, etc. The temperature of the laser can reach 6000°, which can instantly melt or even vaporize the material when it acts on the material. As a typical thermal processing, it is known for its small heat-affected zone, fast processing speed, and no need for subsequent processing after forming. It is especially suitable for thin plates or materials that are easily deformed by heat. Taking into account the safety of lasers and the efficiency of laser processing, laser processing usually uses automated auxiliary production, which can efficiently complete processing tasks.

The foundation of laser processing is the laser processing system. The 10,000-watt processing system of Wuhan Falilai, which integrates laser cutting, welding, welding, and scanning welding, is the master of the laser processing system.

A complete laser processing system includes lasers (including fiber optics, chillers and stabilized power supplies), laser heads, motion mechanisms (robots or machine tools), work platforms, and other auxiliary equipment (industrial computers, cold and dry Machine, auxiliary water vapor, etc.). The following briefly introduces the three parts of laser, laser head and movement mechanism.

Figure 1 Laser processing system model (left) and 10,000-watt laser (right)

Laser is the core of laser processing. At present, fiber lasers are mainly used, with good beam quality, high electro-optical conversion efficiency, maintenance-free, and suitable for processing various materials.

Currently mainstream lasers include CO2 lasers, fiber lasers, semiconductor lasers, and disc lasers.

Single direction is the main characteristic of laser. Based on this, it is possible to output light spots of different sizes through optical transmission, which is suitable for different processing. In addition, the laser energy is concentrated, making the laser penetrating ability strong, suitable for thick plate processing.

The movement mechanism of the laser processing system is adapted to the structural characteristics of the machined parts. It is usually machined by machine tools. The current mainstream processing method is machine tool processing, which has high processing accuracy and good stability. It is mainly used in two Dimensional processing, including laser marking, laser cutting, and laser cladding; using mechanical arms, flexible, easy to achieve three-dimensional processing, including three-dimensional laser cutting, laser welding, etc.; processing accuracy is worse than machine tool accuracy, flexibility is better, and it occupies space The area is relatively small.

Figure 2 Machine tool (left) and robot (right)

The laser head is the terminal mechanism for laser processing and output light energy. Through the combination of optical lenses, the laser beam is first expanded, and then the laser is amplified by the optical lens. According to the function of laser processing, it can be divided into laser cutting head, laser welding head, laser welding head, scanning laser head, laser marking head, etc.

Ordinary laser cutting heads, with air blowing nozzles, use high pressure to blow away the materials melted by the laser to form slits. At present, the mainstream laser brazing head used in automobile factories has an automatic laser focusing function, which is more conducive to the stability of laser processing. The scanning laser head can make use of the rotation of the lens angle and the movement of the position to ensure that the size of the laser spot on the workpiece remains unchanged, and through precise control, circular and straight segments can be realized without changing the posture of the laser head. Weld structure of type C and other structures.

1 Laser welding head; 2 Laser brazing head; 3 Laser cutting head; 4 Laser scanning welding head beam principle

Figure 3 Various laser processing heads

The effect of laser processing application is as follows

1 Laser marking; 2 Laser brazing; 3 Laser cutting; 4 Laser additive manufacturing

Figure 4 Laser processing effect diagram

Robot application

The invention of the steam engine partially liberated human hands and made the industrial revolution a possibility; the invention of the generator, the popularization of electricity instead of manual labor; the invention of computers, and the installation of brains for machinery , Bringing about a great increase in the speed of machinery; the popularization of smart factories in the future will make manufacturing no longer based on standardized products, but will be based on the individual needs of people, through intelligent control of the entire industrial chain, greatly Meet individual needs, and can effectively improve the production efficiency of products. The application of robots is a basis for intelligent manufacturing.

Currently, mainstream robot manufacturers include KUKA in Germany, FUNAC in Japan, ABB in Sweden, and Shougang's Motoman and Shenyang Sinsong robots in China. The robot is mainly composed of two parts, including hardware (mainly refers to the robotic arm of the robot, including reducers, encoders, etc.) and software (the controller of the robot body).

Industrial robots have the following three functions:

1. Movement function (arrival at any point in the reachable space);

2. Signal exchange and function realization (signal exchange with other equipment, control the opening and closing of other equipment, or be controlled by PLC to realize functions together with other equipment);

3. Simulation and trajectory simulation (as shown in Figure 5, through simulation and trajectory simulation, study the reachability of robot trajectory, CT cycle time, etc.).