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.

To provide a laser irradiation apparatus which suppresses adhesion of foreign matters to an optical element, a laser irradiation device includes: emission optical systems, which form a beam in which laser light generated by a laser oscillator converges on a predetermined beam spot, and continuously change an irradiation direction or the like of the beam; and a protective member which is arranged between the emission optical system and the beam spot, and protects the emission optical system from foreign matters scattered from an irradiation object side, and the protective member has an aperture through which the beam passes and moves in connection with a change of the irradiation direction or the like of the beam so that the aperture is positioned on a path of the beam.

An apparatus and method of improving the stability and repeatability of the laser cutting of an RFID antenna is disclosed. The present invention provides direct feedback from an optical inspection of the cutting process to the control system to determine the shape of the RFID antennas that are being cut and compare the same to the desired RFID antenna shape or pattern. When appropriate, the present invention enables a user to employ both short term and long term feedback data to make modifications to the laser cutting process to improve the same and reduce waste.

A water jet laser processing machine (100) is provided with a nozzle (26) that can eject a water column (34) and introduce a laser beam into the water column (34), a pump (40) that supplies pressurized water to the nozzle (26), a pressure sensor (42) that detects the pressure of the water supplied from the pump (40) to the nozzle (26), a storage unit (52) that stores a threshold value for assessing a decrease in the pressure of the water supplied from the pump (40) to the nozzle (26), and a determination unit (51) that, on the basis of the pressure detected by the pressure sensor (42) and the threshold value stored by the storage unit (52), determines whether the pressure detected by the pressure sensor (42) has decreased, thereby determining whether the nozzle (26) has damage.

A machine for separative machining of a plate-shaped workpiece that has: a first movement unit for moving the workpiece in a first direction (X); a second movement unit for moving a machining head for the separative machining in a second direction (Y); and two workpiece bearing faces for bearing the workpiece. A gap that extends along the second direction (Y) is formed between the workpiece bearing faces. The machine has a push-out unit having a push-out element, wherein the push-out element is movable at least in the second direction (Y) within the gap so as to press, at a predefined push-out position (AP), against a workpiece part that was cut free from the workpiece during separative machining. The disclosure further relates to methods for pushing out a workpiece part which, in particular, was cut free on such a machine.

A processing apparatus includes a delivery unit for delivering a workpiece between a cassette placed on a cassette rest and a chuck table and a measuring unit for measuring a thickness of the workpiece. The delivery unit includes a base having a non-contact-type suction holder for ejecting air to develop a negative pressure to attract and hold the workpiece under suction out of contact therewith, and a moving unit for moving the base. The height of the non-contact-type suction holder is adjusted according to the thickness of the workpiece measured by the measuring unit to place the non-contact-type suction holder in a position that is spaced from a face side of the workpiece by a distance in a predetermined range while the workpiece is being delivered by the delivery unit.

Disclosed is an annealing system integrated with laser and microwave. The annealing system is provided with a microwave system, a laser system, and a measurement and control system. The microwave system provides a microwave energy to a first area of a to-be-annealed object for annealing the first area of the to-be-annealed object. The laser system uses a laser to provide a laser energy to a second area of the to-be-annealed object for annealing the second area of the to-be-annealed object. The measurement and control system monitors and controls a power of a microwave and/or a laser. The annealing system is capable of reducing a time required for an overall annealing, and also capable of avoiding cracks or defects caused by large stress differences.

A system for holding a workpiece in position and exposing it to laser radiation, such that: the workpiece includes a bottom surface and a top surface that are electrically insulated from each other. The system includes an electrostatic charge generating device for generating electrostatic charges on the top surface; an electrically conductive support for forming, on the bottom surface, electrostatic charges of opposite sign to those generated on the top surface; and a laser device for machining or welding. The electrostatic charge generating device is arranged to be activated before or during the laser machining or welding, such that the workpiece is held in position relative to the electrically conductive support during the machining or welding thereof.

A production method for welding a copper conductor to an electrical contact element of a workpiece for electrical contacting. The contact element has a first copper alloy, and the method has the following method steps: mechanical contacting between the copper conductor and the contact element at a join of the contact element, the welding of the copper conductor to the contact element being carried out with the aid of a focused laser beam, the laser beam having a wavelength of less than or equal to 0.6 μm, and a welded seam is produced which has a welding depth that is greater than or equal to 100 μm.