Method and apparatus for aligning a process gas jet nozzle and laser machining beam
AssigneeUnited Technologies Corporation
InventorAnthony Pizzola
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An alignment tool for a laser machine tool includes a frame that is mountable to the laser cutting head of the laser machine tool; a first indicator mounted to the frame along an X-axis; a second indicator mounted to the frame along a Y-axis; a position device mounted to the frame, the position device operable to reference upon a surface of the laser cutting head to align the first indicator along an X-axis of the laser cutting head, and to align the second indicator along a Y-axis of the laser cutting head; and a fastener mounted to the frame, the fastener operable to retain the frame to the laser cutting head.
Claims20
An alignment tool for a laser machine tool, comprising:
- a frame that is mountable to a laser cutting head of the laser machine tool;
- a first indicator mounted to the frame along an X-axis;
- a second indicator mounted to the frame along a Y-axis;
- a position device mounted to the frame, the position device operable to reference upon a surface of the laser cutting head to align the first indicator along an X-axis of the laser cutting head, and to align the second indicator along a Y-axis of the laser cutting head;
- and
- a fastener mounted to the frame, the fastener operable to retain the frame to the laser cutting head.
A laser machine tool, comprising:
- a laser cutting head that defines a laser beam axis;
- a process gas jet nozzle adjustable with respect to the laser cutting head, the process gas jet nozzle defines a gas jet axis;
- and
- an alignment tool mountable to the laser cutting head of the laser machine tool, the alignment tool references upon a surface of the laser cutting head to align a first indicator along an X-axis of the laser cutting head, and align a second indicator along a Y-axis of the laser cutting head, the alignment tool operable to track movement of the process gas jet nozzle with respect to the laser cutting head during adjustment.
A method for adjusting a process gas jet nozzle with respect to a laser cutting head to align a gas jet axis with respect to a laser beam axis of a laser machine tool, the method comprising:
- mounting an alignment tool with respect to a surface of the laser cutting head to align a first indicator along an X-axis of the laser cutting head, and align a second indicator along a Y-axis of the laser cutting head;
- zeroing the first indicator and the second indicator;
- and
- adjusting a process gas jet nozzle in the X-Y plane until the first indicator and the second indicator indicate a correction such that the gas jet axis is coaxially aligned with the laser beam axis.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.