A metal joiner system includes a power source and a metal joiner. The metal joiner includes a cleaning header, a cutting header, a joining header, and a joint finisher, each of which are communicatively coupled to the power source. The cutting header and cleaning header are configured to direct a first laser beam to prepare a joining region, and the joining header is configured to direct a second laser beam to form a joint in the joining region. A method of joining a metal substrates includes forming a joining region in abutting metal substrates, directing the first laser beam onto the joining region in a joint preparation stage, and directing the second laser beam onto the joining region to form a weld. A product of a metal joiner, a weld, has a portion of weld metal removed at the weld start and the weld crater regions.

A high power, dual wavelength laser source is formed of a plurality of conventional IR laser diodes disposed in an aligned configuration such that the output beams from the plurality of laser diodes may be simultaneously passed through a bulk optic frequency multiplying device (e.g., a second-harmonic or third-harmonic generating crystal). The combination of the individual laser diodes creates a high power input beam, where the power level itself is determined by the number of individual devices (or bars) used at the input. The frequency multiplying device creates a known harmonic of the input beam, providing as an output two beams, one operating at the original wavelength (denoted λ) and another operating at a fraction of that original wavelength.

A laser etching apparatus includes a light source to emit a first laser beam having a first energy profile; and a scanner to radiate a second laser beam upon an object along a circular path, the second laser beam having a second energy profile different from the first energy profile.

A laser processing method includes a step of processing a workpiece by relatively moving the workpiece with respect to a plurality of laser spots including a first spot, a second spot, and a third spot which are linearly arranged so that the first spot, the second spot, and the third spot pass through a processing target portion of the workpiece in this order. To a total amount of energy of laser beam in the first spot, the second spot, and the third spot, a ratio of energy in the first spot is not less than 20% and not more than 30%, a ratio of energy in the second spot is not less than 20% and not more than 30%, and a ratio of energy in the third spot is not less than 45% and not more than 55%.

There are provided high power laser and laser mechanical earth removing equipment, and operations using laser cutting tools having stand off distances. These equipment provide high power laser beams, greater than kW to cut and volumetrically remove targeted materials and to remove laser affected material with gravity assistance, mechanical cutters, fluid jets, scrapers and wheels. There is also provided a method of using this equipment in mining, road resurfacing and other earth removing or working activities.

Disclosed herein is a system for drilling in a multilayer printed circuit board. The system includes a source of electromagnetic radiation configured to transmit a measurement pulse in open air to a workpiece, an anode, a resettable electric charge sensor (ECS), operably connected to the anode, and a control unit, configured to receive at least one value indicative of the quantity of at least part of charged molecules received at the anode and determine a second value indicative of the quantity of charged molecules received at the anode that were derivative of emitted electrons responsive to the measurement pulse.

Systems and methods for additive manufacturing are described. In some embodiments, a method of controlling a weld height in an additive manufacturing process includes determining a desired melt pool width based, at least in part, on a desired weld height; selectively activating one or more laser energy sources based, at least in part, on the desired melt pool width; and melting a portion of a layer of material on a build surface via exposure to laser energy from the one or more activated laser energy sources to form a melt pool on the build surface having the desired melt pool width. Systems and methods to the use of staggered laser energy sources are also described.

In various embodiments, laser emissions are steered into different regions of an optical fiber, and/or into different optical fibers, in a temporal pattern such that an output has different spatial output profiles. The temporal pattern has a frequency sufficient such that a workpiece is processed by an effective output shape combining the different spatial output profiles.

An additive manufacturing system includes one or more processors configured to determine one or more geometrical characteristics of each of multiple segments of a build part at a candidate position relative to an additive manufacturing instrument. The one or more geometrical characteristics include an angle of incidence between a beam line extending from a beam source and a surface normal of a respective skin of the corresponding segment proximate to the beam line. The one or more processors are configured to control the additive manufacturing instrument, based on the one or more geometrical characteristics, to direct focused energy beams from a first orientation relative to the build part to form a first segment of the segments of the build part and to direct focused energy beams from a second orientation relative to the build part to form a second segment of the segments of the build part.

A thin layer etching apparatus includes an etchant supply unit configured to supply an etchant onto a substrate to etch a thin layer formed on the substrate, a temperature measuring unit configured to measure a temperature of the substrate while an etching process is performed by the etchant, a laser irradiating unit configured to irradiate a first laser beam on a first portion including a central portion of the substrate and to irradiate a second laser beam in a ring shape on a second portion surrounding the first portion so that the temperature of the substrate is maintained at a predetermined temperature during the etching process, and a process control unit configured to control power of the first and second laser beams based on the temperature of the substrate measured by the temperature measuring unit to reduce a temperature difference between the first and second portions of the substrate.