Electric heating – Metal heating – By arc
Patent
1989-04-28
1990-07-31
Albritton, C. L.
Electric heating
Metal heating
By arc
21912178, B23K 2600
Patent
active
049452061
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a beam bender for changing the direction of a laser beam in a laser-beam machining, apparatus and more particularly to a beam bender which can bend a laser beam even if the direction from which the laser beam is applied thereto is varied.
BACKGROUND ART
In laser-beam machining apparatus, a laser beam produced by a laser oscillator is deflected by a beam bender and then focused onto a workpiece by a lens.
FIG. 6 of the accompanying drawings schematically shows the relationship between the laser oscillator and the beam bender. The laser oscillator, denoted at 20, is supplied with a laser gas through a gas pipe 21 and also with cooling water through a cooling water pipe 22 for cooling the laser oscillator 20 itself and a bender mirror. A laser-beam machining table 23 has a workpiece 27 thereon. A beam bender 24 serves to deflect a laser beam generated by the laser oscillator, in a direction 6 so as to apply the deflected laser beam to the workpiece 27 on the table 23.
In some applications, the laser oscillator should be placed on the righthand side of the beam bender as indicated by the two-dot-and-dash lines in FIG. 6, owing to limitations imposed by the space where the laser-beam machining apparatus is installed and positional limitations of the gas pipe 21 and the cooling water pipe 22.
The beam bender 24 is arranged to bend the laser beam which is applied thereto only in one direction, i.e. Therefore, if the laser oscillator is positioned on the righthand side of the beam bender 24, the beam bender 24 has to be designed again to meet the different positional requirement. However, it is tedious and time-consuming to design and manufacture a beam bender all over again to meet the requirements of a specific location where the laser-beam machining apparatus is placed of time required to customize the beam bender.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a beam bender which can bend a laser beam in laser-beam machining even when the direction which the laser beam is applied is varied.
To solve the above problems, there is provided in accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a beam bender for changing the direction of a laser beam in a laser-beam machining apparatus, comprising: inserted in said hole and an opposite end movably held against said flange; fine adjustment mechanism for adjusting the direction of said bender mirror.
According to another embodiment of the invention, there is provided a beam bender for changing the direction a laser beam in a laser-beam machining apparatus comprising: in said hole and removable therefrom depending on the direction in which the laser beam is applied, and an opposite end movably held against said flange; fine adjustment mechanism for adjusting the direction of said bender mirror.
Depending on the direction in which the laser beam is applied to the beam bender, the flange on the base is displaced toward an opposite side and the light-guide member is rotated to orient the bender mirror in the direction in from which the laser beam is applied.
Alternatively, the flange on the base is displaced toward an opposite side, and the light-guide member is removed from the hole, rotated in the opposite direction, and inserted again into the hole to orient the bender mirror in the direction from which the laser beam is applied.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an elevational view, partly in cross section, of a beam bender according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A--A of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the beam bender with a mirror holder and a flange positioned on the righthand of the mirror holder.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a light-guide member and a base according to a second embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a light-guide member and a base according to a third embodiment of the present invention; and
FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing the re
REFERENCES:
patent: 4574180 (1986-03-01), Kasner et al.
patent: 4667080 (1987-05-01), Juptner et al.
Albritton C. L.
Fanuc Ltd.
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