Method for limiting the deflection of a laser head during temperature changes and a laser head

Abstract

A method and device for limiting the deflection of a laser head during temperature changes such that a laser head is usable in applications of laser technology.

Claims

1. A method for limiting the deflection of a laser head during temperature changes, reducing a temperature difference between an upper wall and a lower wall of the laser head by metal plate parts with high thermal conductivity attached by a thermally conductive joint to side walls connecting the upper wall and the lower wall of the laser head.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: causing the upper wall of the laser head to be the warmest temperature; and causing the lower wall of the laser head to be the coldest temperature.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: causing the upper wall of the laser head to be the coldest temperature; and causing the lower wall of the laser head to be the warmest temperature.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: attaching metal plate parts with a low specific weight by a thermally conductive joint to the side walls; and connecting the upper wall and the lower wall to the laser head.

5. A laser head with limited deflection during temperature changes comprising: an upper wall; side walls with bushings; a lower wall; a front wall; a rear wall with elements of an optical resonator; and metal plate parts with high thermal conductivity attached by a thermally conductive joint to the side walls and connecting at least one of a warmest or a coldest upper wall and at least one of the coldest or the warmest lower wall of the laser head.

6. The laser head of claim 5, wherein the metal plate parts have a low specific weight.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] A method for limiting the deflection of the laser head during temperature changes and a laser head according to the present invention is illustrated in the attached drawings. FIG. 1 shows the actual laser head in a side view and in section A-A. FIG. 2 shows the actual laser head in a top view and in a front view.

EXAMPLES OF EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

[0010] It is to be understood that the individual embodiments of the invention are presented for illustration and not as a limitation of the technical solutions. Those skilled in the art will find out or be able to ascertain by using no more than routine experimentation many equivalents to specific embodiments of the invention. Such equivalents will also fall within the scope of the claims.

[0011] It cannot be a problem for those skilled in the art to optimally design the construction and the selection of its elements; therefore these features have not been solved in detail.

Example 1

[0012] In this example of a particular embodiment of the invention, a solution of the method for limiting the deflection of the laser head during temperature changes according to the present invention is described. The method is applied to a TEA laser head of a CO2 laser in the shape of a block made of stainless steel. From FIGS. 1 and 2 it is apparent that the front wall 5 and the rear wall 6 carry resonator mirrors 7, while the HV bushing 8 of the main discharge electrodes is located on the upper wall 2. The left and right side walls 1 carry HV bushings 8 of pre-ionizers. The last lower wall 3 is smooth and heat is lead away from the head through it. The thermal gradient that deforms the head, originates between the warmest upper wall 2 and the coldest lower wall 3 and detuns the resonator as a result. This thermal gradient or temperature difference is, however, significantly limited in such a way that between the warmest upper wall 2 and the coldest lower wall 3 of the laser head, metal plate parts 4 with high thermal conductivity and low specific weight are attached by a thermally conductive joint to the side walls 1 connecting the upper wall 2 and the lower wall 3 of the laser head.

[0013] Alternatively, due to weather and/or operating conditions, it is possible that the lower wall 2 of the laser head will be the warmest and the upper wall 3 will be the coldest.

Example 2

[0014] In this example of a particular embodiment of the invention, the construction of TEA head of a CO2 laser in the shape of a block made of stainless steel is described, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The laser head TEA of a CO2 laser basically described in Example 1 is further solved in such a way that four metal plate parts 4 with high thermal conductivity and even with a low specific weight, what aluminum is suitable for, are attached on each side by a thermally conductive joint to the side walls 1 connecting the warmer upper wall 2 and the colder lower wall 3 of the laser head.

INDUSTRIAL USABILITY

[0015] The method for limiting the deflection of the laser head during temperature changes and a laser head is usable in applications of laser technology.

[0016] With respect to FIG. 1, the method for limiting the deflection of the laser head during temperature changes is solved in such a way that the temperature difference between the warmest upper wall and the coldest lower wall of the laser head is reduced by metal plate parts with high thermal conductivity and low specific weight attached by a thermally conductive joint to the side walls connecting the upper wall and the lower wall of the laser head.

[0017] The laser head with limited deflection during temperature changes is solved in such a way that metal plate parts (4) with high thermal conductivity and low specific weight are attached by a heat-conducting connection to the side walls (1) connecting the warmer upper wall (2) and the colder lower wall (3) of the laser head.