JP2739354B2 - Teaching method in three-dimensional laser beam machine - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a teaching method for a three-dimensional laser beam machine.

[Prior Art] Teaching operation of a large-sized three-dimensional laser processing machine capable of controlling five axes is taught by moving the machine using a teaching playback function using a joystick that can be remotely controlled. Usually, the data of the teaching point is set on the scored line of the workpiece. Therefore, in the process of direct teaching, the instructor brings the stylus into contact with the processing point on the scored line, and stops the processing head when the touch sensor is turned ON (contact detection). At this time, if the moving speed of the processing head is fast, the stylus will fall off the score line, the stylus will shrink, and the actual teaching point cannot be set, and the processing head will be moved in the return direction with the joystick lever.
An accurate teaching point is determined by performing an operation of adjusting the stylus again to the ruled line.

[Problems of the prior art]

According to such an operation, in the teaching process, a stylus contact operation and a stylus return operation for positioning are required, so that the workability of the teaching operation is poor. Especially,
In a five-axis controlled processing machine, it is extremely difficult to move the processing head freely and align the stylus on the score line because the moving amount must be set for five axes. For this reason, the teaching position varies depending on the instructor, and it is difficult to secure an accurate machining path.

[Object of the invention]

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to enable a stylus to be automatically set on a score line in a process of teaching a processing path of a processing head of a laser processing machine.

[Solution of the Invention]

Therefore, the present invention focuses on an on / off function of a touch sensor that is linked to a stylus for teaching, positions the stylus at a processing point, automates a return operation by a program by turning on the touch sensor, and moves the stylus from the processing point. It is moved in a direction away from the line direction, and based on the subsequent turning off of the touch sensor, the movement is stopped, and the teaching point data can be automatically taken in at the stop position.

Therefore, according to this teaching method, the instructor only needs to bring the stylus into contact with the teaching point of the processing target, the return operation for positioning is automatically performed, and the teaching is performed when the stylus becomes non-contact. Points can be taught accurately.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 shows a laser processing machine 1 to be controlled and a control device 2 thereof.

A laser processing machine 1 includes a processing head 3 movable in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions, and a lens holder 4 attached to the processing head 3 and rotatable around an α-axis and a β-axis for attitude control. Usually, it is controlled so as to face the processing surface of the workpiece 5 in a normal direction and at a certain distance below.

On the other hand, the control device 2 includes a main controller 6 for arithmetic processing, a memory 7 for storing work programs and the like, a keyboard 8 for various data and mode commands, a display 9 for operation display or output display, and 6 is assembled by a servo controller 10 for controlling the motor of each control axis based on the control signal from 6. Further, the main controller 6 is provided with a teaching box 1 for remote direct teaching.
It is connected to a joystick lever 12 for manual operation in order to control the position of one and five axes and adjust the moving speed of each axis.

During the teaching operation, the teacher replaces the lens holder 4 of the processing head 3 with the touch sensor 13 for teaching, and then operates the teaching box 11 to set the teaching mode of the processing path to teaching. The touch sensor 13 has a built-in switch 14 and a stylus 15 at the tip as shown in FIG. By specifying the teaching mode, the main controller 6 executes the teaching program shown in FIG.

After the start of the program, the instructor first operates the joystick lever 12 to move the processing head 3 in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions, and the postures α and β of the touch sensor 13.
Is adjusted, the tip is moved in the direction of the processing position of the workpiece 5, for example, the direction of the score line, and the stylus 15 is brought into contact with the processing point. The stylus 15 can turn on and off the internal switch 14 by moving in the axial direction.

In this positioning process, when the touch sensor 13 detects contact, that is, is turned on, the main controller 6 executes a characteristic teaching step of the present invention.
That is, first, the program confirms that the touch sensor 13 is turned on, and then moves the stylus 15 in a direction normal to the processing surface of the workpiece 5 and moves the stylus 15 away from the processing surface of the workpiece 5, for example. Move back. Touch sensor 13
Is turned off, the main controller 6 stops the stylus 15 by moving the stylus 15 further in the return direction by, for example, a value set in advance by a parameter, and determines a teaching point there. That is, the coordinate data in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions of the processing head 3 at that position and the stylus, that is, the rotation angle data of the α-axis and β-axis of the lens holder 4 at the time of processing are taken in and stored in the memory 7. Then, the teaching of the processing point is completed. The operator performs this teaching operation sequentially for each required teaching point along the machining path.

In this teaching process, the ON state or the OFF state of the touch sensor 13 can be indirectly confirmed to the instructor by blinking the display lamp of the teaching box 11 or the joystick lever 12 or the like.

[Other embodiments]

In the above embodiment, the joystick lever 12
The position of stylus 15 is controlled.
The position control of 15 can also be performed by directly reading the machining path of the workpiece 5 as data using a three-dimensional measuring machine or the like as an external device and inputting the machining data to the main controller 6. Also in this case, the main controller 6 sequentially repeats the necessary steps based on the teaching program each time the CMM acquires new teaching point data.

〔The invention's effect〕

In the present invention, in the process of direct teaching of the processing path, the stylus automatically moves in a direction away from the processing surface by contact detection of the touch sensor, and is automatically stopped by non-contact detection of the touch sensor, at that position. Teaching data can be imported to improve teaching workability. Teaching time can be reduced to just 5 seconds, which used to take 1 point 15 seconds in the past. In addition, the distance between the processing head and the workpiece can be accurately set uniformly without being affected by a personal error or an accidental error of a teacher in a subsequent processing process.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of a laser processing machine and a control device thereof, FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of a teaching stylus, and FIG. 3 is a flowchart according to a teaching method of the present invention. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Laser processing machine, 2 ... Control device, 3 ... Processing head, 4 ... Lens holder, 5 ... Workpiece, 6 ... Main controller, 7 ... Memory, 8 ... Keyboard, 9
…… Display, 10 …… Servo controller, 11 ……
Teaching box, 12 joystick lever, 13 touch sensor for teaching, 14 switch, 15 stylus.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] In a teaching operation of a processing path of a processing head of a three-dimensional laser processing machine, a stylus of a touch sensor attached to a tip of the processing head is brought into contact with a teaching point of a workpiece, and the touch sensor detects a contact. The processing head is automatically moved away from the teaching point, the movement of the 3D laser machine is automatically stopped when the touch sensor detects non-contact, and the teaching point data is captured at this stop position. Teaching method in a three-dimensional laser beam machine.