A device for distributing gas near a weld location includes a cap, a funnel, an inlet, and an aperture. The cap includes a sidewall and an annular lip, and defines a reservoir between the sidewall and the annular lip. The annular lip includes a proximal-most edge. The cap defines an opening, and defines a longitudinal axis. The funnel is disposed adjacent a distal end of the cap. The inlet is disposed in mechanical cooperation with the cap. The aperture is disposed through the sidewall of the cap and is in fluid communication with the inlet. The aperture is disposed distally of the proximal-most edge of the annular lip. Gas is configured to flow through the inlet, through the aperture and into the reservoir. The reservoir is configured to allow the gas to uniformly overflow the proximal-most edge of the annular lip and flow distally through the opening defined by the cap.

The present invention discloses an optical path/beam splitting unit and a coaxial-wire-feed cladding head thereof. The optical path/beam splitting unit includes an adjustable mirror and at least one stage of beam splitter. Several adjustable mirrors are distributed around the beam splitter. The beam splitter splits an incident laser beam into a plurality of split beams perpendicular to the incident laser beam. The split beams all are focused to a point through the adjustable mirrors. The coaxial-wire-feed cladding head includes a cladding head mirror cavity provided therein with the optical path/beam splitting unit and a wire feeding tube. The wire feeding tube is coaxially arranged with the collimated laser beam. The wire feeding tube extends out of the cladding head mirror cavity. A wire passes through the wire feeding tube and the wire feeding nozzle in order. The adjustable mirrors adjust the focusing of the split beams onto the wire.

An apparatus for 3D laser printing and a method for fusing a metal material with control of a melt pool on a substrate are provided. The apparatus contains a metal wire or powder feed unit and a plurality of laser sources symmetrically arranged on the surface of an imaginary hemisphere. Each laser source contains a laser with a laser beam focusing lens that focuses the laser beam in a focal point at a given distance from the focusing lens. The laser source is also provided with CPU/GPU-controlled devices for independently shifting each laser or a group of lasers along the optical axis and/or for tilting the lasers relative to the longitudinal axis of the source housing so that heating or fusing can be performed by placing the focal points of the lasers selectively at any point of the material or on a substrate for forming and controlling the melt pool.

A nozzle includes an ejection section and an acceleration section. A powder is configured to be ejected from the ejection section. The acceleration section is configured to allow the powder to circle around and is configured to accelerate the powder in a peripheral direction of the powder that circles around so as to transport the powder to an opening.

A method and system is provided for laser piercing of thick plate material that allows for rapid transition to a cutting operation that can reliably produce a piercing hole and complete a cutting operation of the intended shape in a short time, while improving the cutting quality of the cutting after switching from the piercing operation. The cutting nozzle has a centrally located laser. The piercing operation applies a laser beam to the cut work while axially supplied pure oxygen gas is applied towards the cutting work. Additionally, a direction controlled nozzle adjacent the main cutting port provides a discharge of high pressure compressed air non-axially relative to the cutting operation to clear excess molten metal and debris from the kerf thereby increasing the efficiency of the piercing and shortening the cycle time.

A method of joining and sealing a vanadium based membrane to a metallic connection section comprising: mounting a section of a vanadium based membrane on a connector formation of a connection section, the connection section being formed of a different metal to the vanadium based membrane, the connector formation providing a recess into which a section of the vanadium based membrane is seated and a connection interface in which the end face of the vanadium based membrane is proximate to or substantially abuts an adjoining face of the connector formation; mounting and operating a chiller arrangement in thermal contact with vanadium based membrane proximate the connection interface; heating a filler metal on the connection section to at least the liquidus temperature of the filler metal using a laser beam directed onto the filler metal located on the connection section and having a beam edge positioned at an offset location spaced apart from the connection interface a distance that attenuates direct heating of the vanadium based membrane by the laser beam, and on the connection section, such that the filler metal can flow over the connection interface from the offset location onto the vanadium based membrane; and cooling the filler metal to form a bridging section of filler metal between the vanadium based membrane and connection section over the connection interface.

An additive manufacturing system configured to additively build an article can include an energy applicator, a build platform, and a powder nozzle configured to eject powder toward the build platform to be acted on by the energy applicator. The system can include a control module configured to control the energy applicator to create an amorphous structure forming at least a portion of the article.

A laser beam applying unit of a laser processing apparatus includes a laser oscillator adapted to emit a laser beam, a condenser adapted to focus the laser beam emitted from the laser oscillator and to thereby apply the laser beam to the workpiece held by a holding unit, and a liquid layer former disposed at a lower end portion of the condenser and adapted to form a layer of a liquid on an upper surface of the workpiece. The liquid layer former includes a casing having a bottom wall that forms a gap between itself and the upper surface of the workpiece, a liquid supply section adapted to supply the liquid to the casing, and a transparent section that is formed at the bottom wall adjacently to the jet port and that permits transmission of the laser beam therethrough.

A method for fusing a metal material with control of a melt pool on a substrate is provided. The method consists of providing a plurality of laser sources arranged on an imaginary hemispheric surface, wherein each laser source contains a laser tiltable relative to the longitudinal axis of the laser source housing and/or displaceable in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the housing. The optical axes of the lasers are inclined to the material feed direction toward a substrate. The optical axes of the inclined lasers intersect the material feed direction. The material is fed toward a substrate which is placed on a table that has at least three degrees of freedom for moving the substrate in a space relative to the focal points of the laser beams to impart to the object being printed a desired 3D configuration.

This invention relates to a workpiece positioning system for holding and manipulating a workpiece. The system includes a rail, a headstock assembly, and a tailstock assembly. The tailstock assembly is mountable to the rail in spaced relation to the headstock assembly to enable the workpiece to be supported between the headstock assembly and the tailstock assembly. The tailstock assembly includes a locking mechanism operable between a locking position in which the tailstock assembly is lockable against the rail in a desired position relative to the headstock, and an unlocked position in which the tailstock assembly is adapted to traverse the rail. The invention also provides a powder injection nozzle having a body and aa tube releasably connected to the body. The tube defines a through passage having at least one inlet for receiving a cladding material and an outlet for delivering the cladding material from the tube.