Abstract:
Method and apparatus for the continuous industrial production of tubular bodies in which coated or uncoated steel strip is formed to a slit tube and the opposite strip edges are longitudinally seam welded at high speed by a laser beam of high energy density under protective gas with or without supply of additive material, and after a preparation adapted to the narrow melt zone and bringing together of the strip edges a fusion welding with subsequent controlled cooling and upsetting is carried out which results in a seam geometry suitable for any further processing.
Abstract:
Variations in laser output power are compensated for by increasing the on time of weaker output lasers relative to the more powerful lasers. To avoid nonlinearities where the object to be marked is a moving substrate, the on time pulses which control the lasers are centered about a single time reference point. Additionally, for high printing rates a pre-ionization technique is disclosed which is utilized to enable a laser to fire more quickly than would otherwise be possible. Pre-ionization may be used for every dot to be printed or only when a laser has not been fired during the previous printing "stroke" depending upon the stroke rate.
Abstract:
An articulatable robotic machine has a forearm and wrist unit capable of handling an internal laser beam received at the aft end of the forearm and exiting at the forward end of the forearm through the wrist unit tooling plate. A laser marker galvohead and collimator are affixed to the tooling plate of the wrist, and a laser generator is affixed to the forearm of the robot machine and provided with a laser beam system to direct a laser beam into the aft end of the laser arm. The output pattern galvohead may be manipulated to a variety of predetermined positions on a workpiece.
Abstract:
A machine for marking idicia on small articles of manufacture by means of a laser. Strips of articles in the form of small relatively flat rectangular plate like members are held together in side by side relation in a common plane in plate like frames. The strips are stacked in magazines. The machine has an indexing turret with eight magazine supporting stations, a diametrically disposed conveyor. The full magazines of unmarked parts are loaded onto the machine at one station at the front of the machine by an operator. The full magazines of unmarked parts are then indexed to an unloading station where the lead frames are automatically unloaded from the magazine onto the conveyor where they are transferred past a laser marking station to an unloading station. The laser marker marks an indicia onto each article and the conveyor moves the lead frames to the loading station, where the stacks are reloaded onto an empty magazine. The operator station, the unloading station and reloading station are each 90 degrees from the other in the example shown. An electric circuit including electric eyes position the articles, stop the machine in case of jams, signal the laser when parts are in position for marking and signal when a magazine has been filled with marked parts.
Abstract:
A method for manufacturing a code disk for devices such as optical incremental shaft encoders and absolute shaft encoders employs the step of first assembling a code disk which is to be inscribed with a selected code pattern on a mounted shaft, prior to the inscription of the code pattern. The code pattern is subsequently inscribed on the surface of the code disk with a laser beam transmitter as the disk rotates about the shaft. The code disk is precisely positioned in relation to the laser beam transmitter by an angular step control device and the code pattern on the code disk is also precisely positioned with respect to the mounting location in the central area of the code disk.
Abstract:
The present invention is a method of marking a metal device with an identification symbol or a serial number which is not detectable by a visual examination. The method of marking includes the steps of locally heating a specified area of the metal so that its microstructure is altered. For example, a laser, the intensity of which has been adjusted so as to maintain a designated area at a temperature within an appropriate temperature range for the particular metal, may be used to trace out either an identification symbol or serial number. The method is used in combination with the step of etching away the surface area of the metal device which includes both unaltered microstructure and altered microstructure with a selected chemical etching solution that will etch away the altered microstructure at a different rate than the unaltered microstructure thereby exposing the mark.
Abstract:
In order to improve the surface characteristics of steel structure, it is oposed according to the invention to make at least one roll of a rolling-mill with a motif or pattern of motifs. The invention also includes apparatus for marking the roll which includes means for driving the roll marking device itself from the roll so that proper synchronization between the movements of the roll and marking device is achieved.
Abstract:
A turret punch machine tool equipped with controlled automatic x-y axis workpiece movement mechanisms for moving the workpiece over a stationary work table section adjacent a punching station is provided with a separate laser beam generator and with a tool frame carried vertically retractable and extendable laser cutting head in optical communication with the beam generator. The beam generator is capable of producing both laser pulses of varying duration and spacing or a continuous beam. The cutting head is provided with two gas inputs one for use with the continuous beam, a second for use with the pulse beam, and controls are provided to automatically provide varying combinations of use of the punch and laser.
Abstract:
To ascertain the beam intensity threshold at which the intensity of a laser beam will just be sufficient to engrave a workpiece, the value of a beam-intensity control signal is progressively increased or decreased until engraving starts or stops, this being sensed by detecting the initiation or termination of ionization which occurs when the beam intensity is above the threshold value adjacent a part of the workpiece which is being subjected to the action of the laser beam.
Abstract:
A high gain optically pumped laser device includes a mask having cut-out portions defining a given pattern disposed in the resonant optical cavity defined between end mirrors at opposite ends of the laser material. Each of the end mirrors is equivalent to an optically flat reflecting surface such that only cross-sectional portions in the laser material similar to the pattern are stimulated to emit output laser radiation. This stimulated emission has a high energy density and may be directly radiated to a target surface to alter the surface in a manner corresponding to the given pattern. The alteration may take the form of actual vaporization, heating, or oxidation of portions of the surface. Thus carefully controlled engraving type processes or other processes involving a physical alteration of a surface such as the drilling of square or unusually shaped holes as determined by the pattern can be carried out.