A laser welding method and a laser welding apparatus capable of preventing formation of blowholes and obtaining an excellent welled state are provided. An embodiment is a laser welding method for a component to be welded 40 including a third metal component 40c sandwiched between first and second metal components 40a and 40b, in which the metal components are welded to each other by scanning a laser beam in a first direction perpendicular to a direction in which the third metal component 40c is sandwiched, in which a welded part 42 is formed by applying a first laser beam 12a while scanning it in the first direction and thereby melting and then solidifying the component to be welded 40.

An apparatus and a method for powder bed fusion additive manufacturing involve a multiple-chamber design achieving a high efficiency and throughput. The multiple-chamber design features concurrent printing of one or more print jobs inside one or more build chambers, side removals of printed objects from build chambers allowing quick exchanges of powdered materials, and capabilities of elevated process temperature controls of build chambers and post processing heat treatments of printed objects. The multiple-chamber design also includes a height-adjustable optical assembly in combination with a fixed build platform method suitable for large and heavy printed objects.

By optimizing equipment and processing, magnetic domain miniaturization efficiency can be increased, workability can be improved, and processing ability can be increased through same. Provided is a method for miniaturizing the magnetic domains of a directional electric steel plate, the method comprising: a steel plate supporting roll position adjusting step of controlling the vertical direction position of a steel plate while supporting the steel plate progressing along a production line; and a laser emitting step of melting the steel plate by emitting a laser beam to form grooves on the surface of the steel plate, wherein the laser emitting step includes an angle changing step of changing an emitting line angle of the laser beam with respect to a width direction of the steel plate while an optical system emitting the laser beam onto the steel plate is rotated with respect to the steel plate, and a focal distance maintaining step of changing a tilt of the steel plate supporting roll which supports the steel plate according to a change in focal distance of the laser beam in the width direction of the steel plate.

An apparatus and a method for powder bed fusion additive manufacturing involve a multiple-chamber design achieving a high efficiency and throughput. The multiple-chamber design features concurrent printing of one or more print jobs inside one or more build chambers, side removals of printed objects from build chambers allowing quick exchanges of powdered materials, and capabilities of elevated process temperature controls of build chambers and post processing heat treatments of printed objects. The multiple-chamber design also includes a height-adjustable optical assembly in combination with a fixed build platform method suitable for large and heavy printed objects.

A method of additive manufacture is disclosed. The method may include restricting, by an enclosure, an exchange of gaseous matter between an interior of the enclosure and an exterior of the enclosure. The method may further include running multiple machines within the enclosure. Each of the machines may execute its own process of additive manufacture. While the machines are running, a gas management system may maintain gaseous oxygen within the enclosure at or below a limiting oxygen concentration for the interior.

A method and an apparatus pertaining to recycling and reuse of unwanted light in additive manufacturing can multiplex multiple beams of light including at least one or more beams of light from one or more light sources. The multiple beams of light may be reshaped and blended to provide a first beam of light. A spatial polarization pattern may be applied on the first beam of light to provide a second beam of light. Polarization states of the second beam of light may be split to reflect a third beam of light, which may be reshaped into a fourth beam of light. The fourth beam of light may be introduced as one of the multiple beams of light to result in a fifth beam of light.

A method and an apparatus pertaining to polarization combining in additive manufacturing may involve emitting two or more beams of light with a first intensity. Each of the two or more beams of light may be polarized and may have a majority polarization state and a minority polarization state. A respective polarization pattern may be applied on the majority polarization state of each of the two or more beams of light. The two or more beams of light may be combined to provide a single beam of light.

A simultaneous laser welding apparatus of a vehicle light comprising a placement support for a container body and a lenticular body of a vehicle light welded together at reciprocal perimeter profiles, a plurality of laser sources, a plurality of optical fibres associated with the laser sources at input ends for transmitting the light beams, a fibre-holder support device for blocking output ends of the optical fibres in predetermined positions, spaced apart by a pitch, a light guide provided with at least one seat which receives the light beams coming from the output ends of the optical fibres, to a light output wall which sends the light beams towards the welding interface. A single optical fibre is associated with each laser source.

A laser machining method includes, before laser machining: calculating the amount of focus movement on the basis of a first measurement value measured with the external optical system warmed up and being the amount of energy of a laser beam passing through a small-diameter hole and a first reference value (database D1) predetermined depending on the type of contamination of the external optical system in relation to the first measurement value; and compensating the focus position in laser machining on the basis of the calculated amount of focus movement.

A laser processing apparatus includes a branching unit configured to branch a laser beam to a first optical path and a second optical path, a condenser configured to condense the branched laser beams on a processing face of a workpiece, an output power measuring unit configured to measure the output power of the laser beam emitted from a laser beam generation unit and having passed through the condenser, and a blocking member positioning mechanism disposed between the condenser and the output power measuring unit and capable of positioning a blocking member between a first laser beam blocking position at which the blocking member blocks only the laser beam of the first optical path from between the branched laser beams and a retracted position at which the blocking member blocks none of the laser beams.