This present application claims the benefit of Chinese Patent Application No. 201210236424.9 filed on Jul. 9, 2012; the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
The present application relates to a method for machining a workpiece, in particular, to a method for hybrid machining colored glass.
Glass is a relatively transparent solid material and forms a continuous networking structure during melting. It is a silicate non-metal material whose viscosity progressively increases and hardens to thereby not crystallize during the cooling process. Due to such characteristics, glass is a common material which is applied on many products and in different industries. On the optical aspect, the use of glass is normally due to its optical transparent property. However, in some applications, colored glass is necessarily used.
Glass is generally hard but brittle. Therefore, it is required take special precautions while machining glass. Glass may easily break if excessive mechanical force is applied, such as punching, percussion drilling or stamping. Local heating that introduces local thermo expansion may also create mechanical stress which may result cracks or breakage. Thus, a large amount of poor quality products will be produced during machining and materials will be wasted and machining cost will be increased.
As
The present application is directed to a method for hybrid machining colored glass, the method includes the following steps:
(1): providing a laser generator having a machining head, the colored glass is processed by the machining head using the laser beam emitted by the laser generator, the colored glass particles melted or vaporized by the laser beam are blown away by the pressured gas through the nozzle on the machining head, such that a pore is formed on the colored glass; and
(2): the colored glass is processed on the pore using mechanical machinery machining tools.
The wavelength of the laser generator may be 1000 nm to 1100 nm.
The laser generator may output less than 500 Hz laser pulse every second.
The method may further include: (3) polishing the processed colored glass after step (2).
The method may further include: cleansing is performed on the surface of the polished colored glass after step (3).
The mechanical machining tool in step (2) may be a milling cutter.
The milling cutter may be installed on a rotating axis.
The rotating axis may be movable along a predetermined machining path vertically, horizontally or rotationally.
The machining head and the colored glass may be stationary.
The machining head may be stationary and the colored glass may be movable at all directions.
The machining head may be stationary and the colored glass may be movable at all directions.
The colored glass may be stationary and the machining head may be movable at all directions.
The machining head and the colored glass may be movable.
Below is a further description of the present application with combination of the drawings and embodiments, in the drawings:
a is an illustrative view of laser drilling
b is an illustrative view of laser cutting.
c is an illustrative view of laser engraving.
d is an illustrative view of laser routing.
In order to have a more lucid understanding on the purpose, technical solution and beneficial characteristic of the present application, below is a combination of the drawings and embodiments which further describe in detail the present application. The specific embodiments described in here merely serve for explanatory purpose towards the present application, and not for limiting the present application.
Laser is a kind of light, which produces radiation from expansion of light emitted from excitation. Due to its possessed characteristics, laser can be focused into a very small spot. Therefore, it can obtain a laser focal spot with very high energy density, such as illustrated in
Most glasses are transparent. Since the light transmittance rate of transparent glass is high, the glass material absorbs small amount of light energy at each depth level. The laser energy being absorbed is distributed at different depths at the glass, as illustrated in
Glasses can be made colored by adding impurities or pigments. Depending on the types of color and the light transmittance of the glass material, the absorption of laser energy at the glass material may be different. The higher absorption at the glass material may result laser energy concentrates in smaller volume or thinner depth of material thus energy density can be reached to a level suitable for laser machining, as illustrated in
The present application provides a method for hybrid machining colored glass. First, the colored glass is processed through the laser beam emitted from the laser generator, producing a hole on the surface of the colored glass. Then, further machining is performed towards the hole on the surface of the colored glass through the method of mechanical milling. The method for hybrid machining colored glass in the present application possesses economical, fast machining speed and high machining successful rate (or high successful machining product rate) as such beneficial characteristics.
Specifically, as
Laser with low repetition rate can allow the glass to have sufficient time to absorb energy between the laser pulse so that the energy is dissipated in the colored glass. As such, the heat affected area subject to laser machining is controlled. If the laser pulse has a high repetition rate, excessive energy will accumulate inside the colored glass material which causes cracks or damage.
Furthermore, laser generator with low repetition rate can produce a relatively high laser pulse power. This can cause better melting or vaporizing so that the glass material can be removed. The wavelength of the laser generator selected is 1000 nm to 1100 nm. Due to the relatively lower cost of the laser and higher conversion efficiency of the laser energy, the power consumed would be lowered when laser power outputted is high to the furthest extent.
As
In the machining method of the present application, the machining head 40 or the colored glass 50 can be moveable or stationary, such as: the machining head 40 and the colored glass 50 can be stationary, as illustrated in
When the machining head 40 is fixed, the fixed laser beam is used to process a relatively small hole on the colored glass material. If such machining head 40 can move, then the laser beam, which is moved by the machining head 40 operated at a specified path, can drill a relatively large hole on the colored glass material. In this craft, the laser beam can drill blind hole or open hole, which is determined by the actual need.
The size of the hole drilled through the laser should be larger than the size of the mechanical machining tool applied at the subsequent procedure, so as to allow the machining tool to enter into or pass through the hole drilled by the laser, so as to favour further machining. Since the time of laser drilling is short, the hole drilling process can be fast and at low cost. In this process, the minor cracks or deficiency produced can be removed by the subsequent mechanical machining process.
After a hole as required is formed on the surface of the colored glass material using the laser, a further machining of the hole on the glass is performed using different machining tools (different milling cutters). Please see
Therefore, geometric shapes in straight line, curved line, circle, chamfer 60, contour and complex geometries can be machined, as illustrated in
Furthermore, in order to obtain a better smoothness and machined edge, the colored glass after machining may need to be polished. Lastly, a cleaning process may be required to remove the remaining polishing material that might have left on the surface of the colored glass. Thus, the whole process of machining of colored glass is complete.
The above is merely preferred embodiment of the present application, and is not intended to limit the present application. For all the amendments, equivalent replacements or improvements made within the spirit and principle of the present application shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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201210236424.9 | Jul 2012 | CN | national |