Methods and apparatuses for additive manufacturing are described. A method for additive manufacturing may include exposing a layer of material on a build surface to one or more projections of laser energy including at least one line laser having a substantially linear shape. The intensity of the line laser may be modulated so as to cause fusion of the layer of material according to a desired pattern as the one or more projections of laser energy are scanned across the build surface.

A method for machining a material using a pulsed laser includes introducing a sequence of laser pulses into the material for machining the material, and synchronizing a start of each sequence with a fundamental frequency of the laser. The sequence of laser pulses comprises at least two different sequence elements that are offset from one another in space and time. Each sequence element comprises an individual laser pulse, a specific succession of individual laser pulses, or a burst of laser pulses. Specific sequence element properties are impressed on each sequence element. The sequence element properties comprise a position of the laser focus of a respective sequence element. The position of the laser focus of each sequence element of the sequence is adapted for each sequence element.

An additive manufacturing system includes a laser array including a plurality of laser devices. Each laser device of the plurality of laser devices generates an energy beam for forming a melt pool in a powder bed. The additive manufacturing system further includes at least one optical element. The optical element receives at least one of the energy beams and induces a predetermined power diffusion in the at least one energy beam.

A laser beam applying unit of a laser processing apparatus for processing a wafer includes a laser oscillator for emitting a pulsed laser beam having a wavelength transmittable through the wafer, a beam condenser for converging the pulsed laser beam emitted from the laser oscillator onto the wafer held on a chuck table, a beam splitter assembly disposed between the laser oscillator and the beam condenser, for splitting the pulsed laser beam emitted from the laser oscillator to form at least two converged spots on the wafer that are spaced from each other in X-axis directions, and a mask assembly disposed between the laser oscillator and the beam condenser, for reducing the width of the converged spots on the wafer in Y-axis directions to keep the converged spots on the wafer within the width of the projected dicing lines on the wafer.

Laser processing head 10 includes housing 11 and a plurality of optical components. Housing 11 is provided with partition wall 11a, first and second light entrance ports 12a, 12b through which first and second laser beams A, B respectively enter, and light irradiation port 13. Laser processing head 10 includes first and second photodetectors 91b, 92a provided around first and second light entrance ports 12a, 12b, respectively. First photodetector 91b is disposed opposite to second photodetector 92a across partition wall 11a. First photodetector 91b receives light in the second wavelength band including the wavelength of second laser beam B, and second photodetector 92a receives light in the first wavelength band including the wavelength of first laser beam A.

A multi-beam laser processing system comprising a plurality of laser beams and a plurality of pairs of selectively rotatable mirrors for laser beam steering where each laser beam is independently steered by one pair of selectively rotatable mirrors. The plurality of pairs of mirrors are positioned adjacent to one another within a single main body. The main body is positioned directly opposing the beams, the mirrors directing each laser beam simultaneously to a selected location on a substrate. The main body comprises a plurality of vents; a plurality of passages; a plurality of openings; and a plurality of galvos nested densely within the main body. The galvos direct multiple laser beams to a substrate wherein the fields of view overlap and the laser beam focal point remains small and precise.

A method for additive manufacturing an object is disclosed. The method includes, for a first portion of the object to be built in a first overlapping field region of a plurality of melting beams of a metal powder AM system, sequentially forming each layer of the first portion by: forming only a border section of the first portion of the object using a first melting beam of the plurality of melting beams in the first overlapping field region; and forming an internal section of the first portion of the object within the border section using at least one second, different melting beam from the first melting beam in the first overlapping field region. An entirety of an internal edge of the border section of the first portion of the object is overlapped with an entirety of an external edge of the internal section of the first portion of the object.

A welding method of a battery cover plate includes performing at least two times of continuous welding along a connecting zone between a cover plate and a shell, and adjusting laser welding power, welding speeds, and defocusing amounts. Welding power of a first continuous welding is less than welding power of a second continuous welding. An amount of deformation of the shell is less than or equal to 0.6 mm after the first continuous welding, and the amount of deformation of the shell is less than or equal to 1.0 mm after the second continuous welding.

A light source module that emits a combined laser beam, and includes: a plurality of semiconductor laser elements; and a control circuit that controls power of a laser beam emitted by each of the semiconductor laser elements. The semiconductor laser elements include: a first element group that emits a first laser beam; and a second element group that emits a second laser beam. The combined laser beam includes at least one of the first laser beam or the second laser beam. The control circuit maintains an average combined-beam wavelength that is an average wavelength of the combined laser beam constant for a change in power of the combined laser beam. When the power of the first laser beam and the power of the second laser beam are equal to each other, an average wavelength of the first laser beam is longer than an average wavelength of the second laser beam.

A method for cutting workpieces of different thicknesses includes providing at least one unprocessed laser beam, selectively forming a processing laser beam from the at least one unprocessed laser beam in accordance with a thickness of the workpiece, and cutting the workpiece with the processing laser beam. Forming the processing laser beam includes selectively coupling one or more unprocessed laser beams into one or more of a plurality of parallel, non-concentric fibers of a compound fiber, the plurality of fibers of the compound fiber having different cross-sectional shapes. A laser beam characteristic of the processing laser beam exiting the compound fiber differs depending upon which fibers of the compound fiber receive the at least one unprocessed laser beam, the laser beam characteristic of the processing laser beam differing depending on the thickness.