According to an embodiment, a laser processing apparatus, that perform laser processing on an object with laser light, includes a plurality of optical heads. The optical heads each includes a laser head unit that emits a plurality of laser light beams in an arranged manner in a predetermined direction, and an optical system that focuses the emitted plurality of laser light beams on the object conveyed relatively with respect to the laser head unit in a conveying direction intersecting the predetermined direction. The optical heads each includes a first optical head group and a second optical head group in which the optical heads are adjacent to each other in the predetermined direction. The first optical head group and the second optical head group are adjacent to each other in the conveying direction and arranged while being shifted from each other by a predetermined length in the predetermined direction.

A laser marker includes: a base including: a first guide portion; and a restriction part; a laser oscillator configured to emit laser light, the laser oscillator being removably mounted to the base by sliding in a mounting direction with being placed on the base, the laser oscillator including: a second guide portion extending in the mounting direction, the second guide portion being configured to be engaged with the first guide portion; a contact part configured to be in contact with the restriction part in a case the laser oscillator is mounted to the base; and an expander; and a scanner having an insertion part, the expander being inserted into the insertion part in a case the laser oscillator is mounted to the scanner, and the scanner being configured to scan the laser light emitted from the laser oscillator.

A laser marker includes: a base including: a first guide portion; and a restriction part; a laser oscillator configured to emit laser light, the laser oscillator being removably mounted to the base by sliding in a mounting direction with being placed on the base, the laser oscillator including: a second guide portion extending in the mounting direction, the second guide portion being configured to be engaged with the first guide portion; a contact part configured to be in contact with the restriction part in a case the laser oscillator is mounted to the base; and an expander; and a scanner having an insertion part, the expander being inserted into the insertion part in a case the laser oscillator is mounted to the scanner, and the scanner being configured to scan the laser light emitted from the laser oscillator.

A laser marker includes a laser light source; a scanner configured to scan laser light, from the laser light source, outward; a first housing accommodating the laser light source; a second housing accommodating the scanner, the second housing being rotatable with respect to the first housing; a sensor configured to output a detection signal; and a controller configured to: based on receiving the detection signal indicating that the rotation position of the second housing is either in a first or second rotation position from the sensor, control the laser light source to emit the laser light outward; and based on receiving the detection signal, not indicating that the rotation position of the second housing is either in the first or second rotation position, control the laser light source not to emit the laser light outward.

A method for manufacturing optical scanning systems by which plural optical scanning systems with different effective scanning widths can be manufactured by changing a polygon mirror alone is provided. The method includes the steps of designing a first scanning optical system using a first polygon mirror corresponding to a first value of effective scanning width; designing a second scanning optical system provided with a second polygon mirror corresponding to a second value of effective scanning width, the second value being smaller than the first value, wherein a reference point of deflection is located at the position of the reference point of deflection of the first scanning optical system; and adjusting a size and a position of the scanning lens so as to adjust a lateral magnification in a cross section in the sub-scanning direction of the imaging optical system.

A laser marker device (11) includes: a free running counter (16) configured to output a free count value (Cf) obtained by counting the number of pulses of a pulse signal; a FIFO memory (15) configured to sequentially store the free count value as a trigger timing count value every time a trigger signal (tr) is output from a trigger sensor (13); a printing control unit (17, 18) configured to sequentially read out the trigger timing count value from the memory in order of storage, recognize a position of a workpiece to be printed next, and perform printing processing with respect to the workpiece if the workpiece is conveyed to the printing position.

A printing apparatus, including a laser to treat a substrate by at least partially carbonizing said substrate, where tar-like compounds are formed in the substrate as reaction products of the carbonizing, and an electromagnetic radiator irradiates the reaction products in the substrate to cause at least the tar-like compounds to polymerize and interlink. Further embodiments relate to a printing apparatus, including a laser to treat a substrate, where reaction products are formed in the substrate, and a compressor compresses at least the reaction products in the substrate. An embodiment also relates to a printing method, including at least partially carbonizing a substrate with a laser, forming tar-like compounds as reaction products of the carbonizing in said substrate; compressing the reaction products onto the substrate; and supplying energy to the reaction products that are pressed onto the substrate.

A printing apparatus, including: a feed, a printer, a controller configured to control operation of the printer, and a print quality sensor configured to acquire print quality information, where the controller is configured to adapt operation of the printer based on the print quality information. Further embodiment relates to a printing method, including the steps of: printing on a substrate in a printing operation; acquiring print quality information; and adaptation of the printing operation based on the print quality information.

Provided is an optical scanning device. The optical scanning device includes a swingable reflection unit; a blocking unit that is provided in the reflection unit to move in linkage with the reflection unit; and a sensor unit that includes an output unit configured to output a detection target and a detection unit configured to detect the detection target, wherein, when the reflection unit is in a predetermined swing angle range, the blocking unit blocks a path of the detection target between the output unit and the detection unit.

Provided is an optical scanning device. The optical scanning device includes a swingable reflection unit; a blocking unit that is provided in the reflection unit to move in linkage with the reflection unit; and a sensor unit that includes an output unit configured to output a detection target and a detection unit configured to detect the detection target, wherein, when the reflection unit is in a predetermined swing angle range, the blocking unit blocks a path of the detection target between the output unit and the detection unit.