A processing apparatus is equipped with: a first stage system that has a table on which a workpiece is placed and moves the workpiece held by the table; a beam irradiation system that includes a condensing optical system to emit beams; and a controller to control the first stage system and the beam irradiation system, and processing is performed to a target portion of the workpiece while the table and the beams from the condensing optical system are relatively moved, and at least one of an intensity distribution of the beams at a first plane on an exit surface side of the condensing optical system and an intensity distribution of the beams at a second plane whose position in a direction of an optical axis of the condensing optical system is different from the first plane can be changed.

In various embodiments, one or more optical elements are utilized to alter the numerical aperture of a radiation beam received from an optical fiber in order to accommodate the properties of a downstream collimator within a laser delivery head.

Laser cutting on a plated steel sheet is executed by cutting the plated steel sheet by irradiating the plated steel sheet covered with a plate metal with laser light at a wavelength in a 1 micrometer band; and emitting assist gas onto a cut surface of the plated steel sheet, the cut surface being formed in the step of cutting, to make the plate metal fused by irradiation of the laser light flow to the cut surface so as to cover the cut surface with the plate metal.

The present disclosure provides methods of forming products using one or more lasers. In at least one aspect, a method for powder bed additive manufacturing includes defining a uniform pitch raster path for a laser traveling at a predetermined rate of travel. The raster path alternates back and forth within a strip width of less than 0.5 mm such that the laser's power density level is at least 80 percent of maximum power and the predetermined rate of travel yields a travel speed in the scan width direction of not less than 1,000 mm/s. The method includes depositing a layer of powder onto a substrate and causing the laser to solidify a quantity of the powder according to the defined raster path and the laser power setting.

A method for processing a plastic workpiece having a first side and a second side opposite the first side using laser ablation and a nozzle body produced according to the method. The method includes advancing a laser beam into the plastic workpiece from outside of the plastic workpiece and through the first side to at least partially penetrate the plastic workpiece, and evaporating at least a portion of the plastic workpiece with the laser beam starting from the second side.

Laser processing head 10 includes housing 11 and a plurality of optical components. Housing 11 is provided with partition wall 11a, first and second light entrance ports 12a, 12b through which first and second laser beams A, B respectively enter, and light irradiation port 13. Laser processing head 10 includes first and second photodetectors 91b, 92a provided around first and second light entrance ports 12a, 12b, respectively. First photodetector 91b is disposed opposite to second photodetector 92a across partition wall 11a. First photodetector 91b receives light in the second wavelength band including the wavelength of second laser beam B, and second photodetector 92a receives light in the first wavelength band including the wavelength of first laser beam A.

This invention concerns a module for insertion into an additive manufacturing apparatus. The module comprising a frame mountable in a fixed position in the additive manufacturing apparatus, the frame defining a build chamber and a dosing chamber. A build platform is movable in the build chamber for supporting a powder bed during additive manufacturing of a part. A dosing piston is movable in the dosing chamber to push powder from the dosing chamber. A mechanism mechanically links the build platform to the dosing piston such that downward movement of the build platform in the build chamber results in upward movement of the dosing piston in the dosing chamber.

Disclosed is a method for an all-laser hybrid additive manufacturing. After a matrix is obtained by means of selective laser melting forming, a subtractive forming is carried out on the matrix by means of a pulse laser to form a cavity, and the cavity is then packaged to obtain a forming material with an internal cavity structure. A laser precision packaging method is used in the method based on the melting of the laser selective region. Also disclosed is the apparatus, comprising a laser unit (2), a control unit (4) and a forming unit (6). The laser unit is in light path connection with the forming unit, and the control unit is electrically connected with the laser unit and the forming unit respectively. The laser unit comprises a first laser light source to and a second laser light source. The forming unit comprises a welding unit (68), and the welding unit is controlled by the control unit and is matched with the laser unit for the additive manufacturing.

A method of additive manufacture is disclosed. The method may include providing a powder bed and directing a shaped laser beam pulse train consisting of one or more pulses and having a flux greater than 20 kW/cm.sup.2 at a defined two dimensional region of the powder bed. This minimizes adverse laser plasma effects during the process of melting and fusing powder within the defined two dimensional region.

A method for welding coated steel sheets, particularly steel sheets that are coated with an aluminum-silicon metallic coating layer, is provided. A configuration of two laser beams is provided, wherein the laser beams act on a weld pool that is to be formed, at least one laser beam rotates around a rotation axis so that the laser beams execute a movement relative to each other, and the laser beams are guided along a welding axis. In order to achieve a mixing of the weld pool, a defined stirring effect and a defined welding speed in relation to each other are adhered to, wherein a mathematically defined condition applies to the stirring effect.