A method for engraving an image on a surface of an article selected from a group consisting of brick, ceramic tile, concrete pavers and natural stone articles, comprising providing a laser engraving apparatus comprising a steerable laser beam, steering the laser beam continuously over a first beam path on the surface to provide an engraved image and repeatedly traversing the laser beam over a path substantially parallel to the first beam path and incrementally spaced therefrom to define a perimeter of the engraved image. The method further comprises steering the laser beam within an infill area defined by the perimeter of the engraved image to provide a plurality of engraved segments extending within infill area.

Laser Engraving of Ceramic Articles

By adding an acousto-optic deflector to an existing design of laser marker the laser marker's throughput is increased by a large factor, typically a factor of 5. Galvanometer driven mirrors, which in existing laser markers are used to trace out the strokes in characters are, in this invention, used only to scan smoothly along lines of characters. The acousto-optic deflector, being much faster than the galvanometers, is used to trace out the individual strokes in the characters. Marking rates of 1000 characters per second are achieved in the case of characters for which capital letters are 2 millimeters high and a 2 millimeter long stroke contains 13 laser-produced craters. This performance is achieved over fields as large as 300 millimeters square. The quality of marked characters is improved because the deleterious effects of mirror inertia on character quality, commonly seen when a laser marker is pushed for speed, are eliminated.

Faster laser marker employing acousto-optic deflection

A microscope scanner for detecting fluorescence where a laser beam (18) is projected through an inertia-less deflector (1) having a plurality of deflection control inputs (11X, 11Y) such that the laser beam output of the deflector is scannable across the surface of a sample for fluorescence microscopy.

Scanning microscopy, fluorescence detection, and laser beam positioning

A laser marking system for vitrification of a brick, tile, paver, or pot. A laser such as a continuous wave Nd:Yag or carbon dioxide unit is configured for optimized vitrescence of an object placed in the path of the beam. The beam is steered via computer controlled motors attached to reflecting mirrors located in the path of the beam. Graphical characters and letters can be vitrified into the surface of objects which are placed in the working area of the beam by running computer software for controlling the beam steering mirrors. A laser with adequate vitrification power will then vitrify, or change to glass, the surface of clay-containing objects falling in the path of the laser beam. The width of the beam, temperature and moisture content of the clay-containing object, gaseous atmosphere at the work surface and speed of beam movement can be optimized to maximize the throughput of a laser marking system. The laser marking system might also be mounted on a mobile unit for vitrification of already mounted bricks, pavers, or other such objects.

Laser marking process for vitrification of bricks and other vitrescent objects

A three-dimensional processing data setting system comprises an information input device for inputting information on a shape of a three-dimensional work surface to be processed and information on a processing pattern to be specified, a display for displaying a work surface representing the shape information virtually in three dimensions thereon, and a coordinate conversion means for converting data describing the pattern information in two dimensions to three-dimensional space coordinate data so that a pattern representing the pattern information virtually matches with the work surface on the display, thereby generating and setting the three-dimensional processing data.

Three dimensional processing data setting system, method for setting three-dimensional processing data, computer program for setting three-dimensional processing data, medium with three-dimensional processing data stored therein that is readable by computer and laser processing equipment operated by the three-dimensional data

PURPOSE:To improve the quality of the laser welding of an electrical steel sheet on which an insulating film is applied, by removing first a surface film by a laser beam with a low output, and next irradiating the surface by the laser beam of a regular welding. CONSTITUTION:For electrical steel sheets 9a and 9b, a film 8 made of synthetic resin is applied to the surface of a metallic sheet 7. A part 10 to be welded is irradiated with a laser beam controlled to a low output light to the extent that the laser beam melts the film 8 but does not melt the metallic sheet 7. At this time, the melted film 8 is blown off by supplying a comparatively large amount of air from a nozzle 5 by adjusting air with a gas flow rate adjusting device 12 for a pretreatment. Next, the metallic sheet 7 is welded after making a laser beam output possible to melt it. At this time, a satisfactory welding is possible by supplying argon gas in a gas supplying device 15 (argon) for the regular welding from a gas supplying port 14 to a nozzle 5, and preventing the oxidation of the part 10 to be welded.

Laser welding process

PURPOSE:To easily and speedily attain a marking display with high visibility by making a laser beam before making incident on a condenser lens transmit through an optical system for adjusting a beam diameter, composing with two lenses or more, and adjusting a distance between the lenses. CONSTITUTION:A marking pattern is inputted in a control computer 11 from an input device 10. A pulse inputted from a pulse generator 13 to the control computer 11 is outputted to a power supply 12 for laser beam as a pulse for laser oscillation, and a pulse laser beam 2 is allowed to transmit from a laser beam source 1. An X-axis galvanoscanner 5 and a Y-axis galvanoscanner 6 are allowed to operate by the output of the control computer 11, and a desired pattern is allowed to display on an ftheta lens 7. Further, an interval between lenses is adjusted by making the motor of a lens interval adjust mechanism 9 operate by the output of the control computer 11. Also, when adjusting the power density of the laser beam according to a laser beam converging diameter, the output of the power supply 12 for laser beam, is adjusted by the instruction of the control computer 11.

Marking method by laser beam

PURPOSE:To stabilize a resonator alignment and to improve core loss improving efficiency as well as the increase in the frequency and output by constituting the output mirror of the Q switch of a pulse CO2.laser irradiating device used for magnetic domain fractionating of a partial transparent mirror having a meniscus shape. CONSTITUTION:In a Q switch CO2.laser device in which a resonator is constituted of a confocal telescope and a rotary chopper 6, among the optical system constituting the telescope, a condensing optical element on the output side is constituted of an output mirror 4 constituted of a partial reflector with a meniscus shape having a recessed face on the resonator side. The curved shape of both sides of the laser output mirror 4 having a meniscus shape is formed into a spherical face, and the condensing optical element is formed of transmissive condensing lens having a spherical or nonspherical face. Furthermore, it is constituted of a condensing optical system formed of a Q switch CO2.laser in which the condensing shape of a laser at the position of the confocal point of the telescope is formed into a dot one, a polygon mirror 8 and a parabolic mirror 9.

Device for improving core loss in grain-oriented silicon steel sheet

PURPOSE:To easily execute deep marking in dot patterns at a high speed by introducing the laser beam from a normal pulse YAG laser oscillator to a beam scanning system utilizing two sets of galvano-scan mirrors. CONSTITUTION:The oscillation frequency of the YAG laser oscillator 1 is not directly controlled by a pulse generator but a signal for on/off of laser oscillation is sent toward a gate controller from a control computer 6 and a gate is applied to the signal of the pulse generator by the gate controller to form a signal, by which the laser oscillator 1 is controlled. The driving signal from the computer 6 is subjected to DA conversion in a galvano-scan mirror controller and is sent to a galvano-scan mirror driver, by which the signal is formed to drive the galvano-scan mirror 3 for an X direction and the galvano-scan mirror 4 for a Y direction. The control system is constituted by a combination of such simple controllers and the production of the device is facilitated.

Laser marking device for steel sheet and method therefor

PURPOSE:To provide the laser beam irradiation nozzle for the laser beam machine improved so that machining powder can be prevented from sticking to the tip. CONSTITUTION:The nozzle 2 to irradiate the surface to be machined with a laser beam for machining in opposition to the surface to be machined at the specified distance is constituted by providing a chopper blade 7 to reciprocate in the direction to almost orthogonally cross an axis of the nozzle 2 slidably on the opposite end to the surface to be machined of the nozzle. It is preferable to make linear substantially the closest part to the surface to be machined of the tip of the nozzle 2, especially. Accordingly, it is not necessary to interrupt machining for maintenance and besides, there is no fear at all of the surface to be machined being damaged.

Kiyofuji Tetsuo

Papers

Laser welding process

Marking method by laser beam

Device for improving core loss in grain-oriented silicon steel sheet

Laser marking device for steel sheet and method therefor

Laser beam irradiation nozzle for laser beam machine