Multi-axis machine tool and methods of controlling the same

An apparatus, comprising:

• a scan lens arranged and configured to focus a beam of a laser light thereby producing a focused beam of the laser light, wherein the focused beam of the laser light has a beam waist and propagates along a beam axis;
• a linear actuator to move the scan lens along at the beam axis;
• at least one positioner arranged between a laser source and the scan lens, wherein the at least one positioner is operative to move the beam waist along the beam axis, wherein a bandwidth of the at least one positioner is higher than a bandwidth of the linear actuator, and wherein the at least one positioner includes at least one selected from a group consisting of an acousto-optic deflector (AOD) system, a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) mirror system and an adaptive optical (AO) system;
• and
• a controller communicatively coupled to the linear actuator and the at least one positioner, wherein the controller is operative to:
• generate a low-frequency linear actuator command and a high-frequency linear actuator command based, at least in part, on an input linear actuator command, a first output linear output command, a second output linear output command, wherein the low-frequency linear actuator command has a frequency content that is within the bandwidth of the linear actuator, and wherein the high-frequency linear actuator command has a frequency content that is within the bandwidth of the at least one positioner;
• output a low-frequency content linear actuator command to the linear actuator;
• and
• output a high-frequency content linear actuator command to the at least one positioner.