Laser processing center

A beam sharing device for a laser processing system comprising a beam splitter enclosure;

• a beam sharing platform having a plurality of angularly spaced laser beam reflecting mirrors thereon;
• said platform including a drive shaft connected thereto;
• a bearing housing supported on said beam splitter enclosure including bearing means therein for rotatably supporting said shaft with respect to said enclosure;
• an extension on said shaft;
• a drive motor;
• an indexing gear housing connected to said bearing housing including a drive gear connected to said drive motor and a driven gear;
• said drive gear including a rotatable cam supported thereon;
• said driven gear connected to said extension and including a involuted surface thereon engaged by the rotatable cam on the drive gear to selectively establish one of a plurality of separate angular locations of the shaft with respect to the beam splitter enclosure during and in response to selected energization of said drive motor.

A laser processing system comprising a carbon dioxide laser source, frame work support means for locating said carbon dioxide laser source in a overhead location;

• a fixed optics bench including a beam splitter enclosure including an inlet pipe for directing the output from the carbon dioxide laser source vertically;
• said beam splitter enclosure including three equally angularly located outlet pipes disposed along a horizontal line intersecting the inlet pipe to said splitter enclosure and at 120.degree. offset angular positions with respect to said horizontal line;
• a beam splitter platform rotatably supported within said beam splitter enclosure;
• means including a pair of proximity switches located in the same angular relationship on said platform as said outlet pipes occupy on said splitter enclosure for driving said platform into a plurality of indexed positions;
• mirror means on said platform that are positioned to direct the carbon dioxide laser from the overhead location to one of said outlet pipes;
• and means including a plurality of rotatable mirror benches, one located at each of a plurality of work stations for receiving the laser beam from said mirror means and for directing said laser output to only one of the work stations at a work piece supported thereon;
• each of said rotatable mirror benches including an output nozzle for focusing and directing laser beam and cutting gases against the work piece at each of the work stations.