Multiple laser beam processing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019202002-A1
Application number	US-201916294173-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 6, 2019
Priority date	Apr 30, 2014
Publication date	Jul 4, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

Described herein is a system for processing a workpiece that includes a plurality of lasers that each produces a laser beam pulse. The system also includes a laser control module that sequences temporal characteristics of the laser beam pulses. Additionally, the system includes a laser beam compensation module that shapes a near field intensity profile of at least one of the laser beam pulses and adjusts a path length of at least one of the laser beam pulses. The system also includes at least one laser beam position element that combines the laser beam pulses to produce a combined laser beam pulse at a surface of the workpiece.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 - 13 . (canceled)

14 . A method for processing a workpiece, comprising:
generating a plurality of laser beam pulses from a plurality of lasers; temporally offsetting the plurality of laser beam pulses; and combining the plurality of laser beam pulses into a combined laser beam pulse at a surface of the workpiece.

15 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising modifying a microstructure of the workpiece with the combined laser beam pulse.

16 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising inducing a shockwave through the workpiece with the combined laser beam pulse.

17 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising monitoring characteristics of the laser beam pulses, and wherein temporally offsetting the plurality of laser beam pulses is based on monitored characteristics of the laser beam pulses.

18 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising modifying at least one of an intensity distribution and path length of the laser beam pulses based on at least one of characteristics of the surface of the workpiece and a location of the surface of the workpiece relative to the plurality of lasers.

19 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising redirecting the plurality of laser beam pulses toward the surface of the workpiece to converge at the surface of the workpiece.

20 . (canceled)

21 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the method comprises modifying the intensity distribution of the laser beam pulses by changing a spatial shape of the laser beam pulses.

22 . The method of claim 21 , wherein the spatial shape of each laser beam pulse of the laser beam pulses is changed independently of the spatial shape of any other laser beam pulse of the laser beam pulses.

23 . The method of claim 22 , wherein the spatial shape of each laser beam pulse of the laser beam pulses is changed to be different than the spatial shape of any other laser beam pulse of the laser beam pulses.

24 . The method of claim 22 , wherein the spatial shape of the laser beam pulses are changed such that the shapes of the laser beam pulses away from the surface of the workpiece are different, relative to each other, and the shapes of the laser beam pulses at the surface of the workpiece are the same.

25 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the method comprises modifying the path length of the laser beam pulses.

26 . The method of claim 25 , wherein the path length of each laser beam pulse of the laser beam pulses is modified independently of the path length of any other laser beam pulse of the laser beam pulses.

27 . The method of claim 26 , wherein the path lengths of the laser beam pulses are modified differently such that the path lengths of the laser beam pulses are the same.

28 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising separately directing the laser beam pulses to converge at a single point on the surface of the workpiece.

29 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising selecting a desired operation from one of forming the workpiece or inspecting the workpiece, wherein:
if forming the workpiece is selected:
the plurality of laser beam pulses are temporally offset to have first characteristics; and
the combined laser beam pulse has second characteristics; and
if inspecting the workpiece is selected:
the plurality of laser beam pulses are temporally offset to have third characteristics, different than the first characteristics; and
the combined laser beam pulse has fourth characteristics, different than the second characteristics.

30 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising overlaying the surface of the workpiece with a confining material.

31 . The method of claim 14 , wherein temporally offsetting the plurality of laser beam pulses comprises producing each laser beam pulse of the plurality of laser beam pulses at a different time relative to any other laser beam pulse of the plurality of laser beam pulses.

32 . The method of claim 31 , wherein producing each laser beam pulse of the plurality of laser beam pulses at a different time relative to any other laser beam pulse of the plurality of laser beam pulses comprises delaying a trigger signal to each laser of the plurality of lasers relative to any other laser of the plurality of lasers.

33 . The method of claim 19 , wherein each laser beam pulse of the laser beam pulses is redirected independently of any other laser beam pulse of the laser beam pulses.

34 . The method of claim 33 , wherein each laser beam pulse of the laser beam pulses is redirected in a direction different than that of any other laser beam pulse of the laser beam pulses.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Stewart Alan F
• Kay Anthony J
• Zeldin Louis K
• Koumvakalis Andrea

Classifications

• B23K26/0665

  by beam condensation on the workpiece, e.g. for focusing · CPC title

• B23K26/0652

  comprising prisms · CPC title

• B23K26/705

  Beam measuring devices · CPC title

• B23K26/0626

  Energy control of the laser beam (B23K26/0622 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B23K26/352

  for surface treatment · CPC title