Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Panasonic Corporation

Doukei Nagayasu

Ryo Ishikawa

Hideaki Yamaguchi

Kiyotaka Eizumi

Hitoshi Nishimura

Makoto Ryudo

Jingbo Wang

Masatoshi Nishio

Yoshiaki Takenaka

Yasushi Mukai

Takayuki Yamashita

Shinya Domoto

Naoya Kato

Kenji Hoshino

Hiroyuki Hayashikawa

Hideaki Itoh

Rintaro Nishina

Takasi Kakutani

Mitsuru Mukai

Laser processing head () of the present disclosure includes housing (), transparent protector (), and temperature sensor (). Housing () includes an optical path of processing laser light (LB). Transparent protector () is detachably fixed to housing (), passes processing laser light (LB), and suppresses dust of work material (W) entering into housing (). Here, the dust is generated from the work material (W) irradiated with processing laser light (LB). Temperature sensor () detects the temperature of transparent protector ().

Laser processing head and laser processing system using same

Laser processing device () includes: laser-beam switching apparatus () that switches between a first optical path and a second optical path as an optical path along which a laser beam is to travel, the first optical path including first fiber (), the second optical path including second fiber () that has a core diameter that is larger than a core diameter of first fiber (); and processing head () that illuminates a same processed point on workpiece () with a laser beam that has passed through the first optical path or the second optical path. When illumination with laser beam that has passed through the first optical path is performed for a predetermined period of time, laser-beam switching apparatus () switches from the first optical path to the second optical path.

Laser processing device and laser processing method

There is provided an optical axis alignment mechanism between the laser oscillator and the optical fiber. The laser oscillator emits laser light, which then emerges from the emission end of the optical fiber via the axis alignment mechanism. Part of the laser light is received on the light-receiving surface of the CCD camera of a laser light evaluator. Thus, the laser light evaluator acquires a light intensity distribution. The light intensity distribution is used by the optical axis alignment mechanism to align the axis of the laser oscillator with the axis of the optical fiber.

Alignment method

A laser processing head includes parallel plate () that shifts an optical axis of a laser beam to be emitted from a top to a bottom of body case () from a first optical axis to a second optical axis, parallel plate () that shift the optical axis of the laser beam from the second optical axis to a third optical axis, and body case () that accommodates holders (and) that respectively hold parallel plates (and). The laser processing head further includes a rotation mechanism that rotates holders (and) around a first rotary axis. Opening () that a laser beam reflected by an incident surface of second parallel plate () passes through is formed in holder (), and light receiving part () that receives the laser beam having passed through opening () is disposed in body case ().

Laser processing head and laser processing device using same

A laser device includes: a laser resonator for emitting a laser beam; a condenser lens for collecting the laser beam emitted from the laser resonator; an optical fiber for transmitting the laser beam collected by the condenser lens; at least one light sensor opposing a light receiving surface of the condenser lens and outside an optical path of the laser beam, the at least one light sensor detecting an amount of return light from the condenser lens; and a controller for determining a presence of an abnormality when a value of the amount detected by the at least one light sensor is greater than a predetermined maximum threshold.

Laser device

A fiber coupling device () includes the following components: a wedge plate () for receiving light and refracting the light in a predetermined direction, a condenser lens () for collecting the light refracted by the wedge plate (); and an optical fiber () having an incident surface for receiving the light collected by the condenser lens (). The wedge plate () is held rotatable around the optical axis () of the light incident on the wedge plate (). The light refracted by the wedge plate () and collected by the condenser lens () is incident on a different point on the incident surface depending on the rotation angle of the wedge plate ().

Fiber coupling device

A fiber coupling device includes a housing and a window provided in the housing. The fiber coupling device is configured to collectively guide plural laser beams to at least a first fiber, the plurality of laser beams each being emitted from a corresponding one of plural external laser light sources and entering through a laser beam inlet. The housing is configured such that the laser beams enter the housing from the laser beam inlet. The window is provided inside the housing and faces the laser beam inlet. The fiber coupling device is not required to detach when an optical axis is adjusted.

A condenser lens for collecting a laser beam () is disposed between the laser oscillator and the incident end surface of the optical fiber. The laser beam () is divided into a plurality of beams (). The power of the laser beam () is measured and maximized by adjusting the position of the condenser lens. The FFP of the laser beam () is measured and minimized by adjusting the position of the condenser lens. These adjusted positions are stored as the first and second lens positions. The FFP of the laser beam () is measured while the condenser lens is being moved between these positions so as to make the BPP not more than a predetermined value.

Core adjustment method

The fiber component of the present invention has a fusion splice section for connecting optical fibers. The optical fiber as the receiver of transmitted light is coated with at least two-layer resin. In the vicinity of the fusion splice section for connecting optical fibers, the innermost layer of a resin-coat section is uncovered with other resin coat at the boundary between the resin-coat section and resin-coat removed section of the optical fiber coated with two-layer resin. The structure effectively releases light and suppresses increase in temperature of the resin-coat section, protecting the optical fibers from burn-out.

Fiber component and laser device

A fiber laser apparatus includes an optical amplification fiber with a multi-core structure composed of a first waveguide that pumping light enters and that transmits the pumping light; a second waveguide composed of a core containing a laser medium and for generating laser, and a clad for transmitting pumping light; and a third waveguide containing the first waveguide and the second waveguide. The optical amplification fiber is wound while the curvature radius is being changed to provide a small-size, high-power fiber laser apparatus.

Multi-core optical amplification fiber wound with decreasing radius of curvature

A small size and high efficiency laser oscillation apparatus capable of obtaining high output and high beam quality laser light is provided. First waveguide () (refractive index=n) for transmitting excitation light, second waveguide () composed of core () (refractive index=n) for generating laser light and clad () (refractive index=n) for transmitting the excitation light, and third waveguide () (refractive index=n) including first waveguideand second waveguideare provided. Light amplifying fiber (), in which the refractive indices are set so as to satisfy the relation: n&#x3c;n&#x3c;n&#x3c;n, is used and excised by semiconductor lasers () and ().

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Hyogo, Japan

Doukei Nagayasu