Pulse spread laser
AssigneePhoton Automation, Inc.
InventorRichard E. Mudd, II
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system and method for precision welding using a fiber laser is disclosed in which varying intensity laser pulses are spread across the material junction in a number of high aspect ratio areas. The power density applied along each area is varied to accommodate differences in the material characteristics of each material while allowing for the creation of a more uniform weld pool alloy.
Claims22
A method of laser welding, comprising:
- steering a laser beam in a series of passes across the junction between first and second materials, wherein during each of the passes the laser power is applied across a continuous high aspect ratio area that traverses the junction, wherein the high aspect ratio area for each pass comprises a first elongated area on the first material and a second elongated area on the second material;
- and
- varying the power density that is applied during each pass in a predetermined manner such that the average power density that is applied to each of the first elongated areas is different from the average power density that is applied to each of the second elongated areas so as to compensate for different thermal characteristics of the materials.
A system for applying laser energy to a workpiece, comprising:
- a fiber laser pulse generator operative to generate fiber laser pulses according to a user specified intensity profile upon receipt of a pulse initiation signal;
- beam steering optics operative to spread the laser pulses across high aspect ratio areas of the workpiece;
- and
- a controller coupled to the beam steering optics and to the pulse generator, wherein the controller is operative to send a series of pulse initiation signals to the fiber laser pulse generator that are synchronized with a series of beam steering signals sent to the beam steering optics so as to cause the laser pulses to be spread along a series of predetermined high aspect ratio areas of the workpiece.
A laser welding system for dynamically varying the laser power density applied to different sides of a material junction, comprising:
- an input device for receiving a user specified series of moves for a fiber laser beam across a material junction and one or more varying intensity profiles for the laser beam to be applied during specified moves in the series of moves;
- a fiber laser configured to generate a laser beam according to the one or more varying intensity profiles upon receipt of a corresponding laser initiation signal;
- beam steering optics for moving the generated laser beam;
- and
- a controller configured to send the laser initiation signals to the fiber laser and to operate the beam steering optics so as to move the laser beam across the junction according to the specified series of moves, wherein the laser initiation signals are synchronized with the operation of the beam steering optics such that the laser power density applied on one side of the material junction is greater than the laser power density applied on the other side of the material junction.
A method for laser welding comprising:
- generating a series of varying intensity beams from a fiber laser;
- the beams having an asymmetrical intensity profile comprising an increasing intensity region, a central region of high intensity, and a decreasing intensity region;
- and
- spreading the series of beams across a material junction such that a majority of the increasing intensity region of each beam falls on one side of the junction and a majority of the decreasing intensity region of each beam falls on the other side of the junction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.