General Electric Company

Motoman, Inc.

Vanon D Pratt

Eric J Whitney

Wilbur Douglas Scheidt

Stephen Aleshin

Lorne A Weeter

Seetharamaiah Mannava

Joseph J Jackson

Ernest B Cooper, Jr

Patrick M Kenney

William R Young

Paul J Monson

Erik Harrison Nieves

Todd Stucker

Henry MacLaren

A laser enclosure is provided including a laser chamber for a robotic laser and a load/un-load region. A partition is positioned between the laser chamber and the load/unload region that is effective in preventing the passage of laser light from the laser chamber to the load/unload region. The partition includes a stationary and a rotary partition that is rotated about a central rotary partition axis by a partition drive. At least one pair of opposing workpiece supports can be mounted on the rotary partition. A light-tight sealing region seals the interface between the rotary and stationary partitions from the passage of laser light.

Light-tight positioner

A light-tight laser enclosure system including an enclosure, a robotic laser, first and second pass through partitions, and first and second rotary positioners. The robotic laser is positioned within an interior volume of the enclosure and defines a processing envelope. The first pass through partition defines a first passage in selective communication with interior and exterior volumes of the enclosure, and is configured to maintain a light-tight configuration as the first passage is placed in selective communication with the interior and exterior volumes. The second pass through partition defines a second passage in selective communication with interior and exterior volumes of the enclosure, and is configured to maintain a light-tight configuration as the second passage is placed in selective communication with the interior and exterior volumes. The first and second rotary positioners are configured to secure a workpiece within the first and the second passages, respectively.

Workpiece enclosure system and robotic laser processing system including pass through partitions

A workpiece enclosure system of the present invention includes a workpiece loading section, a laser workstation cell, and a workpiece unloading section. The workpiece loading section includes a materials handling robot arranged to move workpieces from an input conveyor to a light-tight pass-through enclosure in communication with the laser workstation cell. The laser workstation cell includes an additional materials handling robot arranged to move workpieces from the pass-through enclosure to one of two dual headstock/tailstock positioners for laser operations. Preferably, two sets of laser-cutting robots are arranged to perform laser-cutting operations on workpieces held by the headstock/tailstock positioners. The materials handling robot is further arranged to move workpieces from the headstock/tailstock positioners to an additional pass-through enclosure in communication with the workpiece unloading section. The workpiece unloading section includes a final materials handling robot arranged to move workpieces from the additional pass-through enclosure to an output conveyor. It is contemplated that the materials handling robots may be eliminated if a user desires to manually load and unload workpieces.

Workpiece enclosure and processing system

An apparatus for smoothing and densifying or increasing the density of a coating on a workpiece includes a laser for generating a laser beam and a cylindrical lens for focusing the laser beam into a line of light on the coating surface. A manipulator is provided for moving one of the workpiece or the laser and the light line generated thereby relative to one another to cause the light line to scan across the coating to remove any rough portions and provide a smoother surface with a higher density depending upon the nature of the coating material. In one embodiment of the present invention, a mechanism is provided to oscillate the laser light line to homogenize adverse effects caused by any hot spots along the line.

Apparatus and method for smoothing and densifying a coating on a

A device for observation and analysis of a cross-sectional portion of a stream of material, which may be either a particle or a fluid stream, includes a laser light source for generating a beam of light. A focusing lens is disposed in an optical path between the laser source and the stream and a plano-cylindrical lens of a selected focal length is disposed in the optical path between the focusing lens and the stream. The focusing lens and the plano-cylindrical lens convert the beam of light from the laser light source to a plane of light which may be projected through the stream to illuminate a selected cross-section of the stream for observation and analysis thereof.

Device and method for observing and analyzing a stream of material

A method for manufacturing a composite material comprises the steps of furnishing a layer of a matrix material, forming a groove in the matrix-material layer using a laser to remove material from the layer of matrix material in the form of a groove, and placing a reinforcement into the groove. Preferably, the surface of the layer of matrix material is smoothed with a laser beam prior to formation of the groove. In most instances, more than one layer is desired, and the steps of furnishing, forming, and placing are repeated, using the same or different materials, to build up a multilayer composite material. Cylindrical, flat, or curved panel composite materials can be readily prepared, using metal, intermetallic, or ceramic materials for the matrix.

Method for fabrication of composite materials and composite

An apparatus for welding together a plurality of portions of a workpiece with a complex geometric surface includes a laser source for generating a laser beam; the laser source is positioned at a predetermined distance from the workpiece portions to form a weld bead of a selected width. The apparatus also includes a powder feed mechanism with a nozzle for depositing a chosen volume of powder per unit of time onto the workpiece surface. The powder feed nozzle includes a structure for preventing a reflected laser beam from the workpiece surface and the weld bead from being incident upon an orifice of the nozzle and thereby preventing the powder from melting and clogging the nozzle orifice. Either the workpiece or the laser source in combination with the powder feed mechanism may be mounted on a manipulator arrangement for moving either the workpiece portions or the combination of the laser source and powder feed mechanism relative to one another to deposit the weld bead along a predetermined weld path.

Single point powder feed nozzle for use in laser welding

A welding apparatus operable with a high power CO.sub.2 laser beam having a laser beam wavelength-corresponding coating on an optical window mounted in the beam path deflecting the reflected workpiece image into a viewing channel allowing a real-time observation of the welding.

Co-axial viewing device for lasers

A laser plasma spray apparatus for depositing a feed material onto a substrate includes a nozzle having a plasma confinement chamber into which a laser beam is focused, the focal point being at a distance sufficiently far from the substrate that the substrate is not melted. Finely divided feed material in a carrier gas flow is fed axially into the confinement chamber along the direction of the laser beam and melted in the plasma formed in the interaction of the laser beam, the feed material, and the gas at the focal point. The melted feed material is then directed to deposit onto the substrate, while the plasma energy is largely confined within the apparatus by the confinement chamber and a constriction in the flow path upstream of the confinement chamber.

Axial flow laser plasma spraying

A component is fabricated by depositing a succession of overlying beads of a material, the pattern and position of the beads being assigned the proper characteristics of the corresponding section of the desired component. Shape definition is accomplished by characterizing the component as a series of sections or slices having the thickness of the bead, and programming a computer-controlled deposition head to deposit a succession of beads with the respective patterns and positions. Deposition is preferably by precision laser welding. Complex shapes having properties comparable to properties of forged or cast material are readily prepared. The material used in successive beads may be varied, producing a component of graded composition to achieve particular properties in various regions.

Fabrication of components by layered deposition

A feed material is melted by a focussed laser beam in a partially confined interaction volume, and ejected from the interaction volume in a direction different from the axis of the laser beam. The feed material, preferably in the form of a finely divided powder fluidized by a gas stream, is fed to the interaction volume in a direction transverse to the axis of the laser beam. Confinement of the molten feed material is preferably attained using balanced gas pressures that do not permit the molten feed material to flow in the direction parallel to the laser beam. The energy density of the laser beam is preferably sufficiently high to form a plasma within the interaction volume from gas and vaporized feed material atoms, so that the feed material is introduced into the plasma.

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Hamilton, OH, United States of America

Vanon D Pratt