Separation lines are formed in a glass plate having first and second main surfaces by irradiating with laser light. The separation lines are configured of a product line corresponding to an outline of a glass article to be separated; and a release line. The product line includes a first in-plane void array configured of in-plane voids arranged on the first main surface; and internal void arrays for product line, each having an in-plane void. The release line includes internal void arrays for release line. A maximum length of the internal void array for product line L.sub.1max is equal to a maximum length of the internal void array for release line L.sub.2max, and a minimum length of the internal void array for product line L.sub.1min is greater than a minimum length of the internal void array for release line L.sub.2min; or the length L.sub.1max is greater than the length L.sub.2max.

A method for laser keyhole welding is disclosed to weld two pieces together made of a metal alloy. The method independently adjusts power in a focused center beam and power in a concentric focused annular beam. At the termination of a weld, the power of the annular beam is reduced, motion of the focused beams is stopped, the power of the center beam is increased, and the power of both beams is initially ramped down rapidly and then ramped down slowly. Increasing the power of the center beam equalizes the temperature of both pieces prior to solidification and cooling at the termination of the weld. An additional pulse of power may be applied to prevent the formation of defects or to erase any defects.

A high-power laser processing head has precisely centered stationary lenses. The assembly of the lenses in the head can reduce contamination. The lens is affixed (soldered) in a ring-shaped highly precise mount, which ensures a high thermal conductivity of the joining interface. The mount and lens can be cleaned as a unit and inserted in a precisely manufactured receptacle of a housing module. A seal can provide sealing between an inner surface in the receptacles and a base surfaces of the mount. The modules has a groove around the diameter of the receptacle to catch any particles generated when inserting the lens mounts into the receptacle. The assembly is clamped into place by the next housing module. The lens is directly cooled by the module's body to mitigate contamination on the lens surface. During repairs, both lens and mount can be exchanged as a unit.

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.

A laser beam application unit of a laser processing machine includes a laser oscillator that emits a laser beam, an fθ main lens that focuses and applies the laser beam which has been emitted from the laser oscillator, to a workpiece held on a holding table, a scan unit that is arranged on an optical path between the laser oscillator and the fθ main lens, scans the laser beam, and guides the resulting scanned laser beam to the fθ main lens, and an fθ sub-lens that is arranged on the optical path between the laser oscillator and the scan unit and converts the laser beam from parallel light into diffused light.

In a laser welding method, generation of relatively large blow holes in a welding part is prevented while decrease in productivity is reduced. The laser welding method for lap welding, using a laser beam LB, of a plurality of metal plates and including an aluminum alloy cast plate includes: a melting path of scanning and irradiating circularly a superimposed part of the aluminum alloy plate and the aluminum alloy cast plate with a first laser beam LB1 to form a molten pool of the molten aluminum alloy plate and the molten aluminum alloy cast plate; and a stirring path of scanning and irradiating circularly the molten pool with a second laser beam LB2 having a scanning speed V.sub.2 faster than a scanning speed V.sub.1 of the first laser beam LB1 to stir the molten pool.

A laser processing apparatus includes first and second laser oscillators that emit first and second laser lights (LB1), (LB2) having wavelengths different from each other, an optical fiber that guides first and second laser lights (LB1), (LB2), and laser head (50) configured to condense first and second laser lights (LB1), (LB2), respectively, at predetermined positions of a workpiece. Laser head (50) includes optical path difference generation unit (70) provided inside second housing (51). Optical path difference generation unit (70) is configured to make an optical path length of first laser light (LB1) inside second housing (51) longer than an optical path length of second laser light (LB2).

Systems and methods for additive manufacturing systems implementing adaptive optics in accordance with various embodiments of the invention are illustrated. One embodiment includes an additive manufacturing system including a laser source configured to form an output beam, a scanning mirror disposed in an optical path of the output beam, wherein the scanning mirror is configured to reflect and scan the output beam at a range of scan angles, a deformable mirror disposed in the optical path of the output beam, wherein the deformable mirror has a plurality of configurations for reflecting and altering a wavefront of the output beam, wherein the configuration of the deformable mirror is based on the scan angle of the scanning mirror, and a print bed configured to hold a print material, wherein the output beam is configured to fuse the print material to form a build object.

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 1 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.

A method of confirming an optical axis of a laser processing apparatus includes placing an image capturing unit so as to be movable in X-axis directions, removing a second mirror and capturing an image of a laser beam with the image capturing unit for receiving the laser beam reflected by a first mirror, installing the second mirror and capturing an image of the laser beam with the image capturing unit for receiving the laser beam reflected by a third mirror, and determining whether an optical axis of the laser beam reflected by the first mirror and an optical axis of the laser beam reflected by the third mirror exist in one XZ plane or not on the basis of the captured images and a reference line in the captured images.