US 7,030,337 B2Granted

Hand-held laser welding wand having removable filler media delivery extension tips

AssigneeHoneywell International Inc.

InventorsMartin C. Baker, Federico Renteria, Clyde R. Taylor, Thomas M. Hughes

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Abstract

A hand-held laser welding wand includes one or more removable filler media delivery extension tips. The wand is dimensioned to be grasped with a single hand, thus filler media of various types and forms may be supplied to the weld area on a workpiece using various types of delivery systems and methods, including fully automated, semi-automated, or manually. The filler media may be wholly or partially delivered via the filler media delivery passages. One or more of the extension tips may be inserted into the filler media delivery passages to efficiently, precisely, and robustly supply filler media of various types and forms to the workpiece weld area.

Claims25

Dependent claims

A hand-held laser fusion welding assembly, comprising:

a main body dimensioned to be grasped by a hand and having a main body dimensioned to be grasped by a hand and having a plurality of filler media delivery flow passages extending through the main body, the main body adapted to couple to at least a laser delivery system, and each main body filler media delivery flow passage adapted to receive a filler media therein;
a nozzle coupled to the main body, the nozzle having at least an aperture through which laser light from the laser delivery system may pass, and a plurality of filler media delivery flow passages, each nozzle filler media delivery flow passage in fluid communication with one of the main body filler media delivery flow passages, each nozzle filler media flow passage extending though the nozzle and configured to supply filler media to a workpiece;
and
one or more extension tips removably inserted into one of the nozzle filler media flow passages and extending therefrom, each extension tip including a filler media flow passage in fluid communication with one or more of the nozzle filler media flow passages,
wherein each extension tip is selected from a plurality of extension tips, and each of the plurality of extension tips has an inner diameter that differs from at least one or more other extension tips of the plurality of extension tips.

2 more elements

A laser fusion welding system, comprising:

a filler media delivery system configured to supply filler media;
an optical cable coupled to a laser delivery system and configured to transmit laser light therethrough;
and
a hand-held laser fusion welding assembly including:
a main body dimensioned to be grasped by a hand and having a plurality of filler media delivery flow passages extending through the main body, the main body adapted to couple to the optical cable, and each main body filler media delivery flow passage coupled to receive the filler media supplied from the filler medial delivery system,
a nozzle coupled to the main body, the nozzle having at least an aperture through which laser light transmitted through the optical cable may pass, and a plurality of filler media delivery flow passages, each nozzle filler media delivery flow passage in fluid communication with one of the main body filler media delivery flow passages, each nozzle filler media delivery flow passage extending through the nozzle and configured to supply the filler media supplied from the filler medial supply system to a workpiece;
and
one or more extension tips removably inserted into one of the nozzle filler media delivery flow passages and extending therefrom, each extension tip including a filler media flow passage in fluid communication with one or more of the nozzle filler media delivery flow passages,
wherein each extension tip is selected from a plurality of extension tips, and each of the plurality of extension tips has an inner diameter that differs from at least one or more other extension tips of the plurality of extension tips.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/741,114Filed 19 Dec 2003
Published: US 2005/0133486 A123 Jun 2005
Granted: 18 Apr 2006
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

B23K 26/0096
Working by laser beam, e.g. welding, cutting or boring: portable laser equipment, e.g. hand-held laser apparatus
B23K 26/064
Shaping the laser beam, e.g. by masks or multi-focusing: by means of optical elements, e.g. lenses, mirrors or prisms
B23K 26/0648
By means of optical elements, e.g. lenses, mirrors or prisms: comprising lenses
B23K 26/144
Using a fluid stream, e.g. a jet of gas, in conjunction with the laser beam; Nozzles therefor: the fluid stream containing particles, e.g. powder