Yamazaki Mazak Kabushiki Kaisha

Toshihiko Asari

Naoomi Miyagawa

Toshihiko Inoue

Masaki Itoh

Tsunehiko Yamazaki

Masaaru Matsumura

A workpiece is irradiated by a laser beam scanned in an oscillating track as the workpiece is advanced along a feed path in a hardening process. Sinusoidal variations in scan velocity are offset by decreasing the laser beam power level at phases in the scanning cycles corresponding to high and low scan displacement peaks, where the scan velocity is least. The beam power is increased near the scanning center line where the scan velocity is highest. The beam energy applied per unit of area is thus equalized over the scanning cycle. The workpiece temperature can be sampled at regular phases by a non-contact temperature sensor in the optical path, and used to control beam power versus phase in a subsequent scanning cycle. Alternatively or in addition, a sinusoidal beam power pattern can be stored and used to offset scan velocity variations as a function of phase.

Method of controlling hardening with laser beam and laser beam hardening device

A nozzle holding means ( ) having a nozzle ( ) being free to eject laser beam from its top end is provided being free to move along a guide means among a plurality of machine tools. Nozzle holding means operation control means ( ) for controlling hardening operation on a workpiece by the nozzle are provided, and communication control means ( ) are provided for exchanging information necessary for hardening operation on a workpiece to be machined with each machine tool between the control means and a control means of each machine tool. The nozzle moves among the machine tools and hardening operation is performed on workpieces ( ) in the respective machine tools, thereby it is not necessary to provide a hardening unit for exclusive use every each machine tool, and it is possible to provide a hardening equipment having high working ratio.

Hardening equipment and hardening method

A saddle is movable along a guide means provided, passing through an neighborhood of machining area MA of a plurality of machine tools . The saddle is provided with a machining head , being free to selectively insert in and retreat from the machining area MA, and a plurality of kinds of nozzles for ejecting laser beam. The nozzle suitable for a portion of workpiece to be hardened is selected so as to attach it to the machining head . When hardening is instructed, the nozzle is moved to a desired position with respect to the workpiece in the state of the workpiece located on the machine tool , and the laser beam is ejected from the nozzle so as to harden the workpiece

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Komaki, Japan

Toshihiko Asari