An optomechanical assembly for temperature-robust laser beam processing includes a baseplate and an optics plate. The baseplate includes a source area for accommodating a source of the laser beam, and a light-processing area located away from the source area and including first and second anchor points. The optics plate is disposed in the light-processing area and includes first and second portions and a flexible coupling interconnecting the first and second portions. The first and second portions are fixed to the baseplate at the first and second anchor points, respectively. The flexible coupling allows for a thermally-induced change in distance between the first and second anchor points in the presence of dissimilar thermal expansion of the optics plate and the baseplate. The assembly further includes a series of optical elements for manipulating a laser beam from the laser source. Each of the optical elements is rigidly bonded to the first portion.

A laser engraving machine with a three-point suspension system and an inverted X-Y axis support system wherein the X-axis beam is to and mounted below the Y-axis beams and the Y-axis beams are mounted inwardly of the outer ends of the X-axis beam and are structurally integrated with the machine housing. In addition, a counterweight is added to the drive belt for the laser tool to eliminate vibration during rapid reciprocal movement of the tool during an engraving process.

A laser irradiation apparatus includes: multiple irradiation units each to emit a laser beam to a surface of a base to form a pattern, the multiple irradiation units, including: a first irradiation unit to emit a first laser beam; and a second irradiation unit to emit a second laser beam; and a circuitry to: control the first irradiation unit to irradiate only a first irradiation region on a surface of a base with the first laser beam; and control the second irradiation unit to irradiate only a second irradiation region on the surface of the base with the second laser beam. The first irradiation region and the second irradiation region are not overlapping each other.

A method of laser processing of a metallic material is described, by means of a focused laser beam having a predetermined transverse power distribution on at least one working plane of the metallic material, comprising the steps of: providing a laser beam emitting source; leading the laser beam along a beam transport optical path to a working head arranged in proximity to the material; collimating the laser beam along an optical axis of propagation incident on the material; focusing the collimated laser beam in an area of a working plane of the material; and conducting said focused laser beam along a working path on the metallic material comprising a succession of working areas, wherein the laser beam is shaped: by reflecting the collimated beam by means of a deformable controlled surface reflecting element having a plurality of independently movable reflection areas, and by controlling the arrangement of the reflection areas to establish a predetermined transverse power distribution of the beam on at least one working plane of the metallic material as a function of the area of the current working plane and/or of the current direction of the working path on the metallic material.

A laser device includes: a plurality of laser diodes that emit laser beams having different wavelengths; a partial reflection mirror that resonates the plurality of laser beams emitted by the plurality of laser diodes; and a wavelength dispersion element that causes the plurality of laser beams incident from the plurality of laser diodes in different orientations of optical axes of the laser beams to travel to the mirror with the optical axes aligned. Each of the plurality of laser diodes is integrally formed with an adjustment component that is rotatable around an emission end of the laser diode.

With providing a workpiece that has a seed-crystal zone for microcrystalline silicon at a location proximate to the periphery of and aligned with one of transformation-scheduled regions, each of which is set to coextend with that portion of amorphous silicon which extends over one of gate fins, in a lateral straight line perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the gate fins, a lateral crystal forming process carries out selective crystal growth by moving a continuous wave laser beam along the lateral straight line with the seed-crystal zone as a starting point to irradiate the amorphous silicon to grow crystalline silicon within the transformation-scheduled region.

A three-dimensional (3D) print engine includes (A) a plurality of walls laterally defining a build chamber, (B) a build box including a build plate, (C) a powder dispenser, (D) a beam system for fusing layers of powder, (E) a peripheral plate disposed between the build plate and the plurality of walls and having an upper surface, (F) a gas inlet that ejects a gas flow stream that passes over the build plate and the peripheral plate, (G) a gas outlet that receives the gas flow stream, (H) a plurality of projecting structures mounted to and extending above the upper surface of the peripheral plate, and (I) a gas handling system coupled to the gas inlet and gas outlet. The plurality of projecting structures shape the flow field of the gas flow stream to provide a more uniform velocity of gas flow velocities above the build plane.

An irradiation spot of the laser beam having a large power density can be formed by a condensing apparatus which combines a plurality of laser lights without using a power combiner. The condensing apparatus comprises an optical fiber bundle formed of a plurality of optical fibers. One end of the optical fiber bundle forms an incident side bundle end, while the other end forms an emission side bundle end. The optical fiber bundle includes, at the emission side bundle end, an optical deflection unit that deflects at least two light beams emitted from respective light emission ends of at least two optical fibers toward different directions, respectively, such that the at least two light beams overlap each other on at least one cross section at rear on an optical path of the emission side bundle end and are then scattered.

A method of operating an additive manufacturing machine may include determining an operational state and/or a remedial event for the machine based on optical anomalies on one or more optical elements of an energy beam system determined by image data from a light sensor that detects a reflected portion of an imaging beam reflected by the optical elements. The remedial event may include a maintenance event and/or a replacement event. An object may be additively manufactured using nominal operating conditions during a nominal operational state, and/or using one or more augmented operating conditions during an augmented operational state. A maintenance operation may be performed, such as cleaning and/or calibrating the one or more optical elements and/or one or more components of the energy beam system, upon having determined the remedial event that comprises the maintenance event. A replacement operation may be performed, such as replacing the one or more optical elements, upon having determined the remedial event that comprises the replacement event.

A laser engraving machine with a three-point suspension system and an inverted X-Y axis support system wherein the X-axis beam is to and mounted below the Y-axis beams and the Y-axis beams are mounted inwardly of the outer ends of the X-axis beam and are structurally integrated with the machine housing. In addition, a counterweight in the form of a second, independently activatable laser is added to the drive belt to reduce or eliminate vibration during rapid reciprocal movement of the tool during an engraving process.