Method for eye-safe laser welding
AssigneeIpg Photonics Corporation
InventorsBerthold Kessler, Henbert Heinz
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A welding tool is configured with a housing enclosing a fiber laser system which is operative to produce a weld seam for connecting two workpieces. The fiber laser system includes a focusing optic configured to focus the output beam of the system so that it propagates through an elongated slit formed in the bottom of the housing. The fiber laser system is capable to move along a predetermined path extending parallel to the longitudinal direction of the slit and limited by the perimeter thereof. The output beam od generated only when the slit sots upon at least one of the workpieces.
Claims6
A laser welding method for joining work pieces in an eye-safe environment, the method comprising:
- providing a laser module including a collimator, a delivery fiber, a linear drive, and a housing, the collimator configured to receive the delivery fiber for delivering laser radiation to a work piece, the housing configured to provide an exit slit for the laser radiation such that the laser radiation may only exit from said exit slit and the linear drive is configured to move the housing and thereby the exit slit in proximity to a desired welding location;
- providing a pressure piece located proximate to the exit slit and configured to provide a closed circuit control of emission of laser radiation when actuated;
- abutting the pressure piece to a work piece sufficient to actuate the pressure piece and close the circuit;
- and
- providing laser radiation to the work pieces sufficient to create a weld while maintaining an eye-safe environment.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.