Ipg Photonics Corporation

Gsi Group Corporation

Gsi Lumonics Corporation

General Scanning, Inc.

Gsi Lumoniss Corporation

Felix Stukalin

David C Brown

Yuri Grapov

Michael B Nussbaum

Kurt A Pelsue

Kris Pruyn

Erik Hinrichsen

Jonathan S Ehrmann

Mustafa Coskun

Adam I Pinard

Edward L Kelley

Nikhit Nair

Evghenii Onoicenco

Kurt Pelsue

A laser welding head with movable mirrors may be used to perform welding operations, for example, with wobble patterns and/or seam finding/tracking and following. The movable mirrors provide a wobbling movement of one or more beams within a relatively small field of view, for example, defined by a scan angle of 1-2°. The movable mirrors may be galvanometer mirrors that are controllable by a control system including a galvo controller. The laser welding head may also include a diffractive optical element to shape the beam or beams being moved. The control system may also be used to control the fiber laser, for example, in response to the position of the beams relative to the workpiece and/or a sensed condition in the welding head such as a thermal condition proximate one of the mirrors.

Laser welding head with dual movable mirrors providing beam movement and laser welding systems and methods using same

A laser cutting head with movable mirrors may be used to move a beam, for example, to provide beam alignment and/or to provide different wobble patterns for cutting with different kerf widths. The laser cutting head includes a cutting nozzle for directing the laser beam together with a gas to a workpiece for cutting. The movable mirrors provide a wobbling movement of the beam within a relatively small field of view, for example, within an aperture of the cutting nozzle. The movable mirrors may be galvanometer mirrors that are controllable by a control system including a galvo controller. The control system may also be used to control the fiber laser, for example, in response to the position of the beams relative to the workpiece and/or a sensed condition in the cutting head such as a thermal condition proximate one of the mirrors.

Laser cutting head with dual movable mirrors providing beam alignment and/or wobbling movement

Laser processing systems and methods image a multiple core array to a work surface in a multiple processing beam array. An optical system separates processing beams and converges the beams toward the work surface and focuses each beam of the array at or near the work surface. A central axis with access for filler material flow to the work surface is provided. The processing beam array and central filler material feed provide omni-directional additive laser processing capability.

Additive laser machining systems and methods

A laser welding head with movable mirrors may be used to perform welding operations, for example, with wobble patterns and/or seam finding/tracking and following. The movable mirrors provide a wobbling movement of one or more beams within a relatively small field of view, for example, defined by a scan angle of 1-2&#xb0;. The movable mirrors may be galvanometer mirrors that are controllable by a control system including a galvo controller. The laser welding head may also include a diffractive optical element to shape the beam or beams being moved. The control system may also be used to control the fiber laser, for example, in response to the position of the beams relative to the workpiece and/or a sensed condition in the welding head such as a thermal condition proximate one of the mirrors.

A laser cutting head includes a controllable collimator with movable collimator lenses for controlling beam diameter and/or focal point location. The laser cutting head may be used in a laser cutting system with a control system for controlling the position of the movable collimator lenses. The lenses may be moved, for example, to adjust the beam spot size for cutting different types of material or material thicknesses. The lenses may also be moved to adjust a focal point back to the workpiece after changing the distance of the laser cutting head relative to the workpiece.

Laser cutting head with controllable collimator having movable lenses for controlling beam diameter and/or focal point location

A laser processing system is disclosed for providing a relatively small velocity of a laser beam at target location while at least one scanner scans at a relatively larger velocity. The system includes a laser source, a first scanning unit, a beam expander, a second scanning unit and focusing optics. The laser source is for providing a pulsed laser output having at least one beam with a beam dimension. The first scanning unit is for scanning the laser output in a first direction along a first axis at the target location. The beam expander is for receiving the laser output and for modifying a beam diameter of the laser output and providing a modified laser output. The second scanning unit is for scanning the modified laser output from the beam expander in a second direction along the first axis at the target location. The second direction is substantially opposite to the first direction along the first axis such that a net velocity of the modified laser output along the first axis at the target location may be made to be effectively zero during a laser pulse. The focusing optics is for focusing the modified laser output toward the target location.

System and method for employing a resonant scanner in an X-Y high speed drilling system to provide low net scanning velocity during drilling

The invention provides a method and apparatus for directing a radiation beam () in a desired direction. There is provided a movable member () supported for movement by a fixed member () and the movable member has an optical element, e.g a flat mirror () fixedly attached thereto. In one embodiment the mirror scans a radiation beam incident thereon in one plane. In a second embodiment, the radiation beam is scanned in two mutually perpendicular planes. A magnetic element () having a north and a south magnetic pole is fixedly attached to the movable member (). A magnetically permeable stator element () that is stationary with respect to the movable member () and the magnetic element () is placed in the field of the magnetic element such that the stator element and said magnetic element mutually generate a magnetic traction force between them. A current coil () is wound around a portion of the stator element () and a current driver () is provided for driving a current in the current coil (). The current induces an electromagnetic force in the stator element () and the electromagnetic force acts on the magnetic element () for controlling movement of the optical element () with respect to the fixed element (). A radiation beam source () may be directed onto the movable mirror surface () and scanned by the movement of the mirror to direct the radiation beam in a desired propagation direction. Alternately, a radiation source () may be attached to the movable member () and pointed in a desired direction.

Method and apparatus for beam deflection

A method and apparatus for supporting a movable member () with respect to a fixed member () is provided. The movable member () includes a magnetically permeable portion () contained therein and magnetic element () fixedly attached thereto and movable therewith. The movable member () is supported for rotation with respect to the fixed member () by an outer bearing surface () of the movable member and an inner bearing surface () of the fixed member (). The fixed member () provides access to the movable member () from two sides thereof. A magnetically permeable stator element () is fixedly attached to the fixed member () and positioned within a magnetic flux field of the magnetic element () such that an air gap () is formed between the magnetic element () and the stator element (). Accordingly a magnetic traction force acts across the air gap () for urging the moveable member () toward the fixed member () thereby clamping the movable element in a fixed orientation with respect to the movable element. The stator element () includes stator current coils () wound onto portions of the stator element for inducing electromagnetic forces within the stator element in response to a current passing through the coils. The electromagnetic force acts on the magnetic element () to move the movable member () in a controllable manner.

Apparatus for controlled movement of an element

A reciprocating rotary action actuator consisting of a rotor and stator that can be added to a bi-directional rotary motor or galvanometer scanner, where the stator has a ring magnet and a pair of soft iron pole pieces that concentrate the flux of the ring magnet into a concentric set of narrow, uniformly spaced, axially oriented, magnetic flux fields intersecting the rotor's field of travel. The rotor has small permanent magnets embedded in the periphery of a nonconductive, nonmagnetic rotor core. The rotor magnets have the same number and spacing as the stator's magnetic flux fields. The magnet poles are oriented opposite the flux fields of the stator pole pieces, so that upon rotation, the rotor magnets encounter the stator flux fields at each end of rotor travel, creating an opposing force that reverses the angular direction of the rotor with minimal requirement for actuator current and generation of thermal losses.

Controlled high speed reciprocating angular motion actuator

A galvanometer unit includes a limited-rotation motor with a load element such as a mirror attached to a shaft extending from the motor. In a servo loop that controls the angular position of the mirror, a position-sensor attached to the shaft provides position feedback information. The sensor includes a rotor which is positioned at the null point of the fundamental torsional resonance mode of the rotating system, thereby essentially eliminating feedback components resulting from the resonance.

Galvanometer unit

A galvanometer unit comprises a limited-rotation motor with a load element such as a mirror attached to a shaft extending from the motor. In a servo loop that controls the angular position of the mirror, a position-sensor attached to the shaft provides position feedback information. The sensor includes a rotor which is positioned at the null point of the fundamental torsional resonance mode of the rotating system, thereby essentially eliminating feedback components resulting from the resonance.

A non-symmetrical scanning mirror for a laser scanning system is stiffer at a bottom end than at a top end. The mirror, which is driven from the bottom end, has a relatively high resonant frequency and can thus accelerate quickly and smoothly. The mirror may be wider or thicker at the bottom end or it may be made stiffer by attaching stiffeners to the bottom end.

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Southborough, MA, United States of America

Felix Stukalin