A laser treatment system and method for imparting beneficial residual stresses into a desired part during production thereof by a Selective Laser Sintering or Melting (SLS/SLM) process, the method including repeatedly subjecting the part to an in-situ Laser Shock Peening (LSP) treatment during the SLS/SLM process. The in-situ LSP treatment includes selectively bringing an LSP module in contact with a surface of the part during the SLS/SLM process, and subjecting the LSP module to the action of a first laser beam to impart beneficial residual stresses into the part. The LSP module is movable between a building chamber where the part is being produced for the purpose of carrying out the in-situ LSP treatment, and a separate storage chamber when the LSP module is not used for the purpose of carrying out the in-situ LSP treatment. The invention is also implementable in a corresponding additive manufacturing system and method.

A laser treatment system and method for imparting beneficial residual stresses into a desired part during production thereof by a Selective Laser Sintering or Melting (SLS/SLM) process, the method including repeatedly subjecting the part to an in-situ Laser Shock Peening (LSP) treatment during the SLS/SLM process. The in-situ LSP treatment includes selectively bringing an LSP module in contact with a surface of the part during the SLS/SLM process, and subjecting the LSP module to the action of a first laser beam to impart beneficial residual stresses into the part. The LSP module is movable between a building chamber where the part is being produced for the purpose of carrying out the in-situ LSP treatment, and a separate storage chamber when the LSP module is not used for the purpose of carrying out the in-situ LSP treatment. The invention is also implementable in a corresponding additive manufacturing system and method.

Methods and apparatuses for processing materials to enhancing the material's surface strength, improving the material's cyclic and thermal stability of microstructures, and extend the material's fatigue performance. Embodiments include laser shock peening at material temperatures that are moderately elevated (from the material's perspective) above room temperature. Alternate embodiments include laser shock peening at very cold (cryogenic) material temperatures. Still further embodiments include laser shock peening while covering the surface of the material being processed with an active agent that interacts with the laser energy and enhances the pressure exerted on the surface.

Methods and apparatuses for processing materials to enhancing the material's surface strength, improving the material's cyclic and thermal stability of microstructures, and extend the material's fatigue performance. Embodiments include laser shock peening at material temperatures that are moderately elevated (from the material's perspective) above room temperature. Alternate embodiments include laser shock peening at very cold (cryogenic) material temperatures. Still further embodiments include laser shock peening while covering the surface of the material being processed with an active agent that interacts with the laser energy and enhances the pressure exerted on the surface.

A laser processing apparatus includes a light source which outputs a laser light, and a waveform control unit which controls a pulse waveform of the laser light irradiating the workpiece, in which the pulse waveform of the laser light controlled by the waveform control unit includes a main pulse and a foot pulse temporally preceding the main pulse, and a peak intensity of the foot pulse is smaller than a peak intensity of the main pulse, and a peak position of the main pulse is positioned in a retention time period of plasma generated due to an incidence of the foot pulse on the workpiece.

A laser processing apparatus includes a light source which outputs a laser light, and a waveform control unit which controls a pulse waveform of the laser light irradiating the workpiece, in which the pulse waveform of the laser light controlled by the waveform control unit includes a main pulse and a foot pulse temporally preceding the main pulse, and a peak intensity of the foot pulse is smaller than a peak intensity of the main pulse, and a peak position of the main pulse is positioned in a retention time period of plasma generated due to an incidence of the foot pulse on the workpiece.

In a laser processing apparatus for refining magnetic domains of a grain-oriented electromagnetic steel sheet by setting a laser beam to be focused on the grain-oriented electromagnetic steel sheet and scanned in a scanning direction, the laser beam focused on the grain-oriented electromagnetic steel sheet is linearly polarized light, and an angle between a linear polarization direction and the scanning direction is higher than 45° and equal to or lower than 90°.

In a laser processing apparatus for refining magnetic domains of a grain-oriented electromagnetic steel sheet by setting a laser beam to be focused on the grain-oriented electromagnetic steel sheet and scanned in a scanning direction, the laser beam focused on the grain-oriented electromagnetic steel sheet is linearly polarized light, and an angle between a linear polarization direction and the scanning direction is higher than 45° and equal to or lower than 90°.

An apparatus is provided, the apparatus comprising: (i) a diode-pumped solid-state laser oscillator configured to generate a pulsed laser beam having predefined beam characteristics corresponding to a current setting selection of a controller; and (ii) an amplifier configured to amplify an energy and modify a beam profile of the pulse laser beam. A beam detector is coupled to the generated beam to monitor a combination of: (i) a beam pulse width; (ii) a beam diameter; and (iii) an energy level, and generates an error signal to be sent back as a feedback signal to the controller. The controller configures the current source to output a correction current to tune the DPSSL oscillator, the wave plate, and the first polarizer to rotate a correction polarization angle and adjust the energy amplification or temporal profile to within a defined performance tolerance.

Methods, systems, and apparatus, for hybrid additive manufacturing of parts. In one aspect, a method includes providing a workpiece and manufacturing multiple additive layers on a surface of the workpiece. Manufacturing each of the multiple additive layers includes forming one or more formed layers on a surface of the workpiece by depositing a quantity of powder material on a growth surface, the growth surface inclusive of at least one of a first surface of the workpiece and a second surface of a previously formed layer, and applying a first amount of energy to the quantity of powder material to fuse the particles of the powder material into a formed layer fused to the growth surface, where the formed layer includes a formed surface, and further applying a secondary process to a particular area of the formed surface of the one or more formed layers on the workpiece.