Adaptive guide bushing for laser tube cutting systems
AssigneeVactronix Scientific, LLC
InventorMichael Poor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An adaptive guide bushing for laser tube cutting systems, the adaptive guide bushing including an elastic material that expands and contracts to hold tubing within a central opening.
Claims16
A tube cutting laser system having a laser, an optical delivery fixture optically coupled to the laser, a movable workpiece stage movable relative to the optical delivery fixture, comprising:
- a. a guide bushing mounted on the movable workpiece stage and configured to coaxially hold a tubular workpiece having a central opening;
- wherein the guide bushing includes an elastic material that expands and contracts to engage the central opening of the tubular workpiece and hold the tubular workpiece;
- b. a bushing holder having a proximal end and a distal end, wherein the distal end of the bushing holder further comprises a raised feature having a proximal end, a distal end, and a first opening traversing a thickness between the proximal end and the distal end of the raised feature;
- and
- c. the raised holder further comprising a proximal end and a distal end, and a first opening traversing the proximal end and the distal end, wherein the guide bushing is operably coupled through the raised holder, and wherein the elastic material is disposed within the first opening.
The tube cutting laser system of claim 5, wherein the raised feature further comprises a second opening traversing the thickness between the proximal end and the distal end of the raised feature, and the at least one cap member is at least partially disposed within the second opening.
The tube cutting laser system of claim 7, further comprising a second guide bushing, the second guide bushing comprising a first bushing, a second bushing, and an elastic material, wherein the second guide bushing is at least partially disposed within the first opening of the second raised feature, and wherein the second guide bushing is coaxially aligned with the guide bushing and configured to retain the tubing within a central opening disposed through a length of the second guide bushing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.