Robot-laser system

A robot-laser system for providing a laser beam at a desired location, the system comprising:

• a laser beam source for generating a laser beam;
• a robot having at least three degrees of freedom and including a hollow base and a single motorized robot arm having a motor mounted on said arm supported on said base, the base being fluidly interconnected to said source, the robot arm having a hollow first arm part and an elonaged, hollow second arm part projecting from the first arm part, the robot arm having a hollow wrist mechanism located at a distal end of the second arm part, said wrist mechanism having at least one rotational axis and at least one knuckle rotatably supported on said axis;
• said first arm part being fluidly interconnected with said base, said first arm part being fluidly interconnected to said second arm part and said second arm part and said wrist mechanism being fluidly interconnected to define a laser beam path therewithn extending through the base, through the first arm part, along the projecting length of said second arm part and through said wrist mechanism;
• said base, said first and second arm parts and said wrist mechanism being adpated to direct the laser beam therewithin;
• [and]
• at least two mirrors for reflecting the laser beam, a first one of said mirrors being mounted to and supported by said knuckle therewithin to move therewith and reflect the laser beam, and a single mirror being supported by said arm therewithin at a position of fluid interconnection between the arm parts to reflect the laser beam to the first one mirror wherein a first one said degrees of freedom comprises a linear movement of said first arm part along an axis coincident with said laser beam path, a second one of said degrees of freedom comprises a linear movement of said second part along a second axis coincident with said laser beam path through the second arm part and a third one of said degrees of freedom comprises a rotary movement of one of said arm parts about said laser beam path ;
• and
• first and second drive emans for linearly driving the first and second arm parts, respectively, and third drive means for rotatably driving said one of said arm parts about said laser beam path.