US 6,184,490 B2 · Material irradiation apparatus with a beam source that produces a processing beam for a workpiece, and a process for operation thereof

Abstract

A material irradiation apparatus with a beam source produces a processing beam. The apparatus has a beam splitting device following the beam source, by which the processing beam is divided into several partial beams. Each partial beam can be deflected by a deflecting device discretely associated with it to different places on at least one workpiece to be processed, independently of the other partial beams. The workpiece to be processed is situated on a workpiece movement device that is movable in at least one axis. The machining beam is successively incident on a plurality of beam splitter devices that are movably arranged in the axis of the machining beam that is incident on them. The partial beams emerging from the beam splitter devices are simultaneously incident on the workpiece movement device. The workpiece movement device is arranged to be movable in at least one coordinate direction that deviates from the movement axis of the beam splitter devices. In a process for the operation of the material irradiation apparatus, the deflecting devices of the partial beams can deflect at least two, preferably at least four, partial beams simultaneously to at least one point on the surface of the workpiece.

Claims33

Dependent claims

A material irradiation apparatus comprising:

a beam source (1, 21, 31) for producing a machining beam (2, 22, 32, 42, 52),
a beam splitter (10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 310A)positioned following said beam source (1, 21, 31) for dividing said machining beam (2, 32, 42, 52) into a plurality of partial beams (12A, 12B, 12C, 12D),
a plurality of deflecting devices (11A, 11B, 11C, 11D) each associated with a different one of said partial beams (12A, 12B, 12C, 12D) for deflecting said partial beams individually to different places on at least one workpiece to be machined (13A, 13B, 13C, 13D, 213A, 313A), independently of other said partial beams (12A, 12B, 12C, 12D), and
at least one workpiece movement device (14A, 14B, 14C, 14D, 214A, 314A) for supporting said at least one workpiece (13A, 13B, 13C, 13D),
said beam splitter is movably arranged on an axis of said machining beam (2, 22, 32, 42, 52) incident on said beam splitter,
said partial beams (12A, 12B, 12C, 12D) emerging from each said beam splitter (10A, 10B, 10C, 310A) are simultaneously incident on a surface of said at least one workpiece (13A, 13B, 13C, 13D), and
said at least one workpiece movement device (14A, 14B, 14C, 14D, 214A, 314A) is arranged to be movable in at least one coordinate direction that deviates from a movement axis of said beam splitter (10A, 10B, 10C, 10D).

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Material irradiation apparatus with a beam source that produces a processing beam for a workpiece, and a process for operation thereof

Life of this patent

Material irradiation apparatus with a beam source that produces a processing beam for a workpiece, and a process for operation thereof

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims33