To provide a galvanometer scanner that increases reliability by reducing burden on a mechanism unit. A galvanometer scanner converts a command for machining position on a machining target to movement commands for a rotary motor, a rotary motor, and a direct drive mechanism. If the movement command for the direct drive mechanism contains a weak direct drive component depending on the movement command for the rotary motor, and falling within an amplitude range not exceeding a predetermined amplitude and within a frequency range not falling below a predetermined frequency, the galvanometer scanner removes the weak direct drive component from the movement command for the direct drive mechanism, and then outputs control signals corresponding to the movement commands for the rotary motors and the direct drive mechanism. The galvanometer scanner controls the rotary motors and the direct drive mechanism based on the control signals.

Disclosed herein are methods, apparatus, and systems for providing an optical beam delivery system, comprising an optical fiber including a first length of fiber comprising a first RIP formed to enable, at least in part, modification of one or more beam characteristics of an optical beam by a perturbation assembly arranged to modify the one or more beam characteristics, the perturbation assembly coupled to the first length of fiber or integral with the first length of fiber, or a combination thereof and a second length of fiber coupled to the first length of fiber and having a second RIP formed to preserve at least a portion of the one or more beam characteristics of the optical beam modified by the perturbation assembly within one or more first confinement regions. The optical beam delivery system may include an optical system coupled to the second length of fiber including one or more free-space optics configured to receive and transmit an optical beam comprising the modified one or more beam characteristics.

An object build area is exposed to a radiation beam, such as a laser light source, which has been processed and controlled through a grating light valve or valves, or planar light valve, to thereby melt, sinter, fuse or cure predetermined portions of the build area corresponding to the equivalent of individually controlled pixels, with rapid movement and positioning of the resulting LV application output array on the build area. The LV arrangement is adapted to also generally heat an entire powder bed, or targeted areas of the bed, to just below melting temperature.

A method and an apparatus for collecting a powdered material after a print job in powder bed fusion additive manufacturing may involve a build platform supporting a powder bed capable of tilting, inverting, and shaking to separate the powder bed substantially from the build platform in a hopper. The powdered material may be collected in a hopper for reuse in later print jobs. The powder collecting process may be automated to increase efficiency of powder bed fusion additive manufacturing.

Disclosed herein are methods, apparatus, and systems for providing an optical beam delivery system, comprising an optical fiber including a first length of fiber comprising a first RIP formed to enable, at least in part, modification of one or more beam characteristics of an optical beam by a perturbation assembly arranged to modify the one or more beam characteristics, the perturbation assembly coupled to the first length of fiber or integral with the first length of fiber, or a combination thereof and a second length of fiber coupled to the first length of fiber and having a second RIP formed to preserve at least a portion of the one or more beam characteristics of the optical beam modified by the perturbation assembly within one or more first confinement regions. The optical beam delivery system may include an optical system coupled to the second length of fiber including one or more free-space optics configured to receive and transmit an optical beam comprising the modified one or more beam characteristics.

The disclosure relates to a beam trap including: a reflector for reflecting a beam, in particular a laser beam, that is incident on a surface of the reflector, and an absorber device for absorbing the beam reflected at the surface of the reflector. The surface of the reflector is segmented and has a plurality of reflector regions that are configured for reflecting a respective partial beam of the incident beam into an absorber region of the absorber device that is associated with the respective reflector region. The disclosure also relates to a beam guide device having a beam trap of this type, an EUV radiation generation apparatus having a beam guide device of this type, and an associated method for absorbing a beam, in particular for absorbing a laser beam.

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.

A method of additive manufacture suitable for large and high resolution structures is disclosed. The method may include sequentially advancing each portion of a continuous part in the longitudinal direction from a first zone to a second zone. In the first zone, selected granules of a granular material may be amalgamated. In the second zone, unamalgamated granules of the granular material may be removed. The method may further include advancing a first portion of the continuous part from the second zone to a third zone while (1) a last portion of the continuous part is formed within the first zone and (2) the first portion is maintained in the same position in the lateral and transverse directions that the first portion occupied within the first zone and the second zone.

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 laser processing apparatus includes a chuck table holding a workpiece thereon, a laser beam applying unit applying a pulsed laser beam to the workpiece held on the chuck table, and a processing feed unit feeding the chuck table and the laser beam applying unit relatively along an X-axis. The laser beam applying unit includes a laser oscillator emitting the pulsed laser beam, a polygon mirror dispersing the pulsed laser beam, a condenser condensing the pulsed laser beam dispersed by the polygon mirror and applying the condensed pulsed laser beam to the workpiece held on the chuck table, and an acousto-optic deflector, an electro-optic deflector, or a resonant scanner disposed between the laser oscillator and the polygon mirror, and controlling a dispersed region of the pulsed laser beam by causing the pulsed laser beam to follow a direction in which mirror facets of the polygon mirror are rotated.