A method and device for producing a predetermined breaking line in a vehicle interior trim part with a scanning laser beam. An actual position of the vehicle interior trim part held in a working plane relative to a laser scanning device is detected by a camera and the actual position of the predetermined breaking line is derived. A stored desired position for a scan figure corresponding to the predetermined breaking line is corrected to an actual position, whereby the predetermined breaking line is produced at a predetermined position on the vehicle interior trim part during scanning of the scan figure. A positional shift of the scan figure becomes possible because a sensor matrix with an upstream diffuser is used, which can detect transmitted components of the laser beam independently of the position of the laser beam along the scan figure.

An ingot is processed by applying exciting light, and detecting fluorescence occurring from an upper surface of the ingot. A distribution of the number of photons of the fluorescence on the upper surface of the ingot is stored as two-dimensional data in association with XY coordinate positions, and a Z-coordinate position at which the two-dimensional data is obtained is also stored. A laser beam forms a peeling layer by irradiating the ingot while positioning the condensing point of the laser beam at a depth corresponding to the thickness of a wafer from the upper surface of the ingot. A wafer is separated from the ingot with the peeling layer as a starting point, and three-dimensional data is generated representing the distribution of the number of photons of the fluorescence in the whole of the ingot on the basis of two-dimensional data at each Z-coordinate position of the ingot.

An additive manufacturing system may include an energy source, an optical system to modify and direct an energy beam from the energy source toward a component to form a melt pool, and a material delivery device to deliver material to the melt pool. The optical system may form an annular energy beam, direct the annular energy beam toward the component, receive at least a portion of thermal emissions produced by the annular energy beam and the melt pool, and direct the portion of the thermal emissions toward an imaging device, which may be used to control the energy source.

An additive manufacturing system may include an energy source, an optical system to modify and direct an energy beam from the energy source toward a component to form a melt pool, and a material delivery device to deliver material to the melt pool. The optical system may form an annular energy beam, direct the annular energy beam toward the component, receive at least a portion of thermal emissions produced by the annular energy beam and the melt pool, and direct the portion of the thermal emissions toward an imaging device, which may be used to control the energy source.

An article includes a ceramic material and features a machined surface that is characteristic of cold ablation laser machining, and the machined surface exhibits no visible oxidation. A laser machining apparatus and technique is based on cold-ablation, but is modified or augmented with an inert assist gas to minimize deleterious surface modifications and mitigate oxide formation associated with laser machining.

A marking system for decorating one or more workpieces includes a plurality of marking stations that can mark product images on blank workpieces to produce product workpieces, at least some of which have different sizes, shapes, materials, or a combination thereof, a control system that can select one of the plurality of marking stations and send product image data to the selected one of the plurality of marking stations, and a robotic manipulator that can transport a blank workpiece to the selected marking station under the control of the robotic manipulator. The selected marking station can mark the product image the blank workpiece based on the product image data which produces a product workpiece. The robotic manipulator can remove the product workpiece from the selected one of the plurality of marking stations.

A laser welding system includes: a laser irradiation unit configured to irradiate an object to be welded with a laser beam; a temperature distribution measurement unit configured to measure a temperature distribution of a molten pool formed in the object to be welded by the irradiation of the laser beam; a convection analysis unit configured to analyze a state of convection of the molten pool based on the temperature distribution of the molten pool measured by the temperature distribution measurement unit; and a laser control unit configured to control an irradiation condition of the laser beam. When the state of convection of the molten pool analyzed by the convection analysis unit corresponds to a predetermined spatter generation mode, the laser control unit changes the irradiation condition of the laser beam so that the state of convection of the molten pool is not in the spatter generation mode.

The present disclosure provides three-dimensional (3D) printing methods, apparatuses, and systems using, inter alia, a controller that regulates formation of at least one 3D object (e.g., in real time during the 3D printing); and a non-transitory computer-readable medium facilitating the same. For example, a controller that regulates a deformation of at least a portion of the 3D object. The control may be in situ control. The control may be real-time control during the 3D printing process. For example, the control may be during a physical-attribute pulse. The present disclosure provides various methods, apparatuses, systems and software for estimating the fundamental length scale of a melt pool, and for various tools that increase the accuracy of the 3D printing.

Systems, devices, and methods for additive manufacturing are provided that allow for components being manufactured to be assessed during the printing process. As a result, changes to a print plan can be considered, made, and implemented during the printing process. More particularly, in exemplary embodiments, a spectrometer is operated while a component is being printed to measure one or more parameters associated with one or more layers of the component being printed. The measured parameter(s) are then relied upon to determine if any changes are needed to the way printing is occurring, and if such changes are desirable, the system is able to implement such changes during the printing process. By way of non-limiting examples, printed material in one or more layers may be reheated to alter the printed component, such as to remove defects identified by the spectrometer data. A variety of systems, devices, and methods for performing real-time sensing and control of an additive manufacturing process are also provided.

In a laser welding method, generation of relatively large blow holes in a welding part is prevented while decrease in productivity is reduced. The laser welding method for lap welding, using a laser beam LB, of a plurality of metal plates and including an aluminum alloy cast plate includes: a melting path of scanning and irradiating circularly a superimposed part of the aluminum alloy plate and the aluminum alloy cast plate with a first laser beam LB1 to form a molten pool of the molten aluminum alloy plate and the molten aluminum alloy cast plate; and a stirring path of scanning and irradiating circularly the molten pool with a second laser beam LB2 having a scanning speed V.sub.2 faster than a scanning speed V.sub.1 of the first laser beam LB1 to stir the molten pool.