A profile selector includes at least one beam-forming lens refracting a laser beam to be incident so as to convert a beam profile and emits a laser beam having a beam profile selected from a plurality of beam profiles. A collimating lens converts a laser beam of a divergent beam to be incident into collimated light. A focusing lens focuses the collimated light emitted from the collimating lens and irradiates the focused beam to a sheet metal of a processing target. A moving mechanism moves the collimating lens along an optical axis such that a deviation of a focal point is reduced caused when the beam profile of the focused beam emitted from the focusing lens is selected by the profile selector.

The present disclosure relates to a system for forming a material layer that may make use of an optical light source for generating an optical beam, and a beam shaping subsystem configured to shape the optical beam to generate a complex beam intensity profile. The complex shaped beam may be used to selectively melt at least portions of a bed of powder particles residing on a substrate during formation of the material layer, as the optical light source is moved. A computer may be used to control the optical light source. The complex beam intensity profile enables control over the microstructure of grains formed during melting of the powder particles as the material layer is formed.

A flow tube (10) has a housing (12, 14) including at least a first housing half (12) and a second housing half (14). Each housing half (12, 14) has a connection surface (20, 22) intended for combination with the other housing half (12, 14). The connection surfaces (20, 22) enclose a mounting gap (30) for an orifice element (16). Outside of the mounting gap (30) the connection surfaces (20, 22) butt against each other in some sections by respective abutting surface portions (32, 34), and outside of the mounting gap (30) and outside of the abutting surface portions (32, 34) the housing halves (12, 14) are integrally combined with each other. A method is provided for producing the flow tube, namely for integrally joining the housing halves (12, 14).

An aluminum alloy precursor composition and method for fusion processing is provided which reduces hot cracking, improves compositional control, reduces porosity, and/or enhances the mechanical properties of the fusion processed article. The precursor material and fusion process using the same may be utilized for forming an article that meets compositional specifications for aluminum 6061 alloy, while minimizing defects and meeting desired strength and ductility requirements. The fusion process may include a leading energy beam for liquefying the precursor material to form a melt pool, and a trailing energy beam directed toward a trailing region of the melt pool. The trailing energy beam may be configured to enhance agitation and/or redistribution of liquid in the melt pool to prevent hot cracking, reduce porosity, or improve other characteristics of the solidified part. The method also may improve processing parameters, such as adjusting vacuum level to prevent volatilization of alloying elements.

Provided is a method for machining micro-holes in a metal or alloy product which relates to the field of micro-hole machining. The method reduces the duration of ejection of primary plasma and the residuals produced during the ejection of the primary plasma, improves the smoothness of the hole wall of the micro-hole, and increases the depth limit of the micro-hole. Injecting energy by a low-energy pulse laser in two attempts further facilitates the reduction of the diameter of the micro-hole and reduces the possibility of cracks, compared with injection of the same energy by a single high-energy pulse laser. Moreover, a ratio between the diameter of the central ring of the ring spot formed by the focused second laser beam and the diameter of the central ring of the Gaussian spot formed by the focused first laser beam is greater than 1, which can improve the injection efficiency of laser energy.

Some variations provide a method of making an additively manufactured single-crystal metallic component, comprising: providing a feedstock comprising a first metal or metal alloy; providing a build plate comprising a single crystal of a second metal or metal alloy; exposing the feedstock to an energy source for melting the feedstock, generating a melt layer on the build plate; and solidifying the melt layer, generating a solid layer (on the build plate) of a metal component. The solid layer is also a single crystal of the first metal or metal alloy. The method may be repeated many times to build the part. Some variations provide a single-crystal metallic component comprising a plurality of solid layers in an additive-manufacturing build direction, wherein the plurality of solid layers forms a single crystal of a metal or metal alloy with a continuous crystallographic texture. The crystal orientation may vary along the additive-manufacturing build direction.

The invention concerns an apparatus and its use for laser welding. A laser welding apparatus comprise at least one first laser device, each providing at least one first optical feed fiber with a first laser beam; at least one second laser device, each providing at least one second optical feed fiber with a second laser beam; means for generating a composite laser beam comprising a first output laser beam and a second output laser beam for welding a workpiece; wherein the first output laser beam has a circular cross-section and the second output laser beam has an annular shape concentric to the first output laser beam. The second laser device is a fiber laser device or a fiber-coupled laser device. The apparatus is configured to form the second output laser beam at least on the basis of the second laser beam, and the second output laser beam comprises a first wavelength and a second wavelength having difference of at least 10 nanometers, or the second output laser beam has spectrum width of least 10 nanometers.

In various embodiments, laser emissions are steered into different regions of an optical fiber, and/or into different optical fibers, in a temporal pattern such that an output has different spatial output profiles. The temporal pattern has a frequency sufficient such that a workpiece is processed by an effective output shape combining the different spatial output profiles.

A laser machine includes a laser oscillator that generates a laser beam that irradiates a first region on a workpiece and a laser beam that irradiates a second region around the first region on the workpiece and a controller that changes an output of the laser beam that irradiates the first region and an output of the laser beam that irradiates the second region on the basis of a thickness of the workpiece so that the respective outputs vary between a period in which a piercing hole is formed in the workpiece and a period in which the workpiece is cut.

A weldment manufacturing method includes drilling that forms a hole on a workpiece, feeding a filler material to the hole and putting the filler material on a bottom of the hole, and melting the filler material by emitting a laser beam to the hole while scanning with the laser beam, so as to fill the hole with the melted filler material. By repeating the feeding and the melting, a weld repairing portion filling the hole is formed.