Laser processing method, laser processing apparatus and spring arm manufacturing method

A laser processing apparatus comprising:

• a laser emitting section having an emission opening through which a laser beam is emitted;
• a base to which an object to be irradiated with the laser beam is fixed;
• a relative position changing section that changes a relative position between the emission opening and the object;
• a laser irradiation control section that causes the laser emitting section and the relative position changing section to cooperate with each other, so as to irradiate the object with a laser beam along a width direction of the object for both a first half path from one end to the other end of the object in the width direction and a return path from the other end to the one end, and
• a distortion detecting section that detects distortion of the object, wherein
• the laser emitting section corrects the distortion detected in the distortion detecting section by irradiating the object with a laser beam such that a laser beam to run the first half path differs from a laser beam to run the return path in at least one of a crossing speed in the width direction, an output intensity, and a spot diameter.

A method of manufacturing a spring arm for holding at an end thereof a magnetic head that accesses data recorded on a magnetic disk, the method comprising:

• preparing a long metal object to be irradiated and to be thereby bent into the spring arm;
• irradiating the object with a laser beam at a certain portion in a longitudinal direction of the object, the irradiation being performed along a width direction of the object for both a first half path from one end to the other end of the object in the width direction and for a return path from the other end to the one end, and thereby bending the object;
• and
• detecting distortion of the object, wherein
• the irradiating the object includes correcting the distortion detected in the detecting distortion of the object by irradiating the object with a laser beam such that a laser beam to run the first half path differs from a laser beam to run the return path in at least one of a crossing speed in the width direction, an output intensity, and a spot diameter.

A laser processing method comprising:

• preparing a long metal object to be irradiated;
• irradiating the object with a laser beam at a certain portion in a longitudinal direction of the object, the irradiation being performed along a width direction of the object for both a first half path from one end to the other end of the object in the width direction and a return path from the other end to the one end, and thereby bending the object;
• and
• detecting distortion of the object, wherein
• the laser beam is a pulsed beam, and
• the irradiating the object is correcting the distortion detected in the detecting distortion of the object by irradiating the object with a laser beam such that a laser beam to run the first half path differs from a laser beam to run the return path in at least one of a pulsed width and a pulsed interval.

A laser processing apparatus comprising:

• a laser emitting section having an emission opening through which a laser beam is emitted;
• a base to which an object to be irradiated with the laser beam is fixed;
• a relative position changing section that changes a relative position between the emission opening and the object;
• a laser irradiation control section that causes the laser emitting section and the relative position changing section to cooperate with each other, so as to irradiate the object with a laser beam along a width direction of the object for both a first half path from one end to the other end of the object in the width direction and a return path from the other end to the one end;
• and
• a distortion detecting section that detects distortion of the object, wherein
• the laser beam is a pulsed beam, and
• the laser emitting section corrects the distortion detected in the distortion detecting section by irradiating the object with a laser beam such that a laser beam to run the first half path differs from a laser beam to run the return path in at least one of a pulsed width and a pulsed interval.

A method of manufacturing a spring arm for holding at an end thereof a magnetic head that accesses data recorded on a magnetic disk, the method comprising:

• preparing a long metal object to be irradiated and to be thereby bent into the spring arm;
• irradiating the object with a laser beam at a certain portion in a longitudinal direction of the object, the irradiation being performed along a width direction of the object for both a first half path from one end to the other end of the object in the width direction and for a return path from the other end to the one end, and thereby bending the object;
• and
• detecting distortion of the object, wherein
• the laser beam is a pulsed beam, and
• the irradiating the object is correcting the distortion detected in the detecting distortion of the object by irradiating the object with a laser beam such that a laser beam to run the first half path differs from a laser beam to run the return path in at least one of a pulsed width and a pulsed interval.