Laser-supported plasma processing
AssigneeTRUMPF Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH + Co. KG
InventorsAndreas Popp, Tim Hesse, Tobias Kaiser
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Abstract
Methods, devices and systems for laser-supported plasma cutting or plasma welding of a workpiece. In one aspect, a method includes producing a plasma beam which extends in an expansion direction between an electrode and a processing location on the workpiece, the plasma beam having, with respect to a center axis of the plasma beam that extends in the expansion direction, an inner central region and an outer edge region, and supplying laser radiation to the outer edge region of the plasma beam. The laser radiation supplied to the outer edge region extends parallel with the center axis of the plasma beam.
Claims22
A method of laser-supported plasma processing of a workpiece, the method comprising:
- producing a plasma beam which extends in an expansion direction between an electrode and a processing location on the workpiece, wherein the plasma beam has, with respect to a center axis of the plasma beam which extends in the expansion direction, an inner central region and an outer edge region;
- and
- supplying collimated later radiation with an annular intensity distribution to the outer edge region of the plasma beam, wherein an intensity of the supplied laser radiation is concentrated onto the outer edge region of the plasma beam such that its intensity per unit area at any point in the outer edge region is greater than the intensity of the radiation per unit area supplied to any point in the inner central region, and wherein the supplied laser radiation extends parallel with the center axis.
A laser-supported plasma workpiece processing system, comprising:
- a plasma production device constructed to produce a plasma beam that extends in an expansion direction between an electrode of the plasma production device and a processing location on the workpiece, wherein the plasma beam has, with respect to a center axis of the plasma beam that extends in the expansion direction, an inner central region and an outer edge region;
- and
- a beam supply device configured to supply collimated laser radiation with an annular intensity distribution to the outer edge region of the plasma beam, wherein an intensity of the supplied laser radiation is concentrated onto the outer edge region of the plasma beam such that its intensity per unit area at any point in the outer edge region is greater than the intensity of the radiation per unit area supplied to any point in the inner central region, and wherein the supplied laser radiation extends parallel with the center axis of the plasma beam.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.