Trumpf Corporation

Stephen R Bolton

Friedrich Kilian

Joseph J Troiani

A laser work station has a base member, a laser head mounted on a laser head support carried on the base member for movement of the laser head relative to the base member, so that it is movable thereon in X, Y and Z axes. A guidance system effects precision movement of the laser head in the X, Y and Z axes to move the beam about a workpiece, and an optical sensor assembly comprising a light source and light sensors about the light source to detect light reflected from the surface of the workpiece. The sensor assembly is operable to detect reference formulations on the workpiece as it is moved thereabout. The computer control indexes the sensor assembly to a preselected position relative to the approximate position of a reference formation on the workpiece, and moves it in a predetermined path from the preselected position to sense passage of the beam over the edge of the reference formation, and the work station uses data obtained from such sensing of the passage of the beam over the edge of the reference formation to adjust the coordinates of the guidance system to reflect the actual position of the workpiece.

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Bristol, CT, United States of America

Stephen R Bolton