Dual axis optical system

An optical device comprising:

• a first optical system having a visible light source and a second optical system having a laser source, each of said optical systems having a stationary portion and a movable portion;
• movable means supporting the movable portions in fixed relationship to one another, with parallel spaced-apart optical axes for the first and second optical systems, said movable portions of said optical systems on said support being movable as a unit relative to the stationary portion from a first position to a second position;
• and
• means on the stationary portion to index the movable portion in each of said first and second positions such that in the first position the axis of the first system assumes the position relative to the stationary system that the axis of the second system occupies in the second position, whereby the same point illuminated by the first light source in the first position may be illuminated by the laser in the second position, and vice versa.

An optical device comprising:

• a first optical system having a first light source operating at a first wavelength band and a second optical system having a laser source operating at a second wavelength, each of said optical systems having a stationary portion and a movable portion;
• movable means supporting said movable portions in fixed relationship to one another, with parallel spaced-apart optical axes for the first and second optical systems and so that the movable portions are movable as a unit relative to the stationary portion in a plane generally normal to said optical axes;
• means on the stationary portion to index the movable portion in each of two positions such that in one position the axis for the first system assumes the position relative to the stationary system that the axis for the second system occupies in the other position whereby the same point illuminated by the first light source in the one position may be illuminated by the laser source in the other position, and vice versa;
• and
• target positioning means for positioning an object to be acted upon by the laser relative to the axis position assumed in turn by each optical system in a plane generally normal to said axis.

The method of processing a work piece comprising:

• providing optical viewing means and laser means having parallel optical axes on a common platform movable relative to a support for the work piece along a predetermined path between first and second positions, wherein the laser means in the second position assumes the position of the optical viewing means in the first position;
• with the platform in the first preselected position positioning the work piece relative to the viewing means until the work piece is in a selected position relative to the optical viewing;
• moving the platform to the second preselected position in which the laser means is positioned is the same position as the optical means was in the first position of the platform so that a specific position of the work piece is positioned to receive laser energy;
• and
• applying laser energy to modify the work piece in a predetermined manner.