Laser processing device based on double-path parallel laser output

Abstract

The utility model belongs to the technical field of laser processing, and particularly relates to a laser processing device based on double-path parallel laser output, which comprises a laser and a coupler matched with the laser, the output end of the coupler is provided with a first optical fiber and a second optical fiber which are arranged in parallel, and the coupler divides laser output by the laser into two paths according to the splitting ratio, one path of laser enters the first optical fiber, and the other path of laser enters the second optical fiber, so that the same laser can execute two different operations at the same time, the same laser light source can meet more than two process requirements at the same time, one path of laser is a circular light spot and can be used for laser precision drilling, cutting, welding, dotted heat treatment and other operations, and the other path of laser is a circular light spot. And the other path of laser is a square light spot and can be used for laser surface quenching, cladding, annealing, large-area cleaning and the like.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of laser processing technology, and in particular relates to a laser processing device based on dual-path parallel laser output. Background Technology

[0002] As modern manufacturing demands ever higher precision and efficiency in laser processing, single-shaped laser spots are no longer sufficient to meet increasingly complex process requirements. In practical production applications, different spot shapes have their own advantages. For example, circular spots exhibit Gaussian or flat-top energy distributions, offering excellent focusing performance and making them suitable for processes requiring high energy density or small heat-affected zones, such as laser precision drilling, cutting, welding, and point heat treatment. Square spots, on the other hand, have uniform energy distribution and clear edges, enabling large-area seamless scanning and are suitable for laser surface hardening, cladding, annealing, large-area cleaning, and projection displays.

[0003] Currently, in existing technologies, the output of circular and square light spots includes the following schemes:

[0004] 1. Multi-machine parallel solution: The existing technology uses two independent lasers to output circular and square light spots respectively. The disadvantages of this solution are that the equipment cost is high, the space occupied is large, and the synchronous control and maintenance of the two lasers are relatively complicated.

[0005] 2. Single-machine switching solution: The existing technology uses a single laser with switchable optical components, such as rotating mirror groups, pluggable optical fibers, and diffractive optical components. Although this solution has a lower cost, the switching process takes time and cannot achieve simultaneous output of two light spots, which limits its application in parallel processes or real-time monitoring scenarios.

[0006] 3. Beam splitting and shaping scheme: Existing technology uses a beam splitter to split a laser beam into two paths, which are then passed through different shaping optical systems. This scheme has a complex optical path, many optical components, large energy loss, and the system stability is greatly affected by the environment. Utility Model Content

[0007] To address the aforementioned problems and overcome the shortcomings of existing technologies, this utility model provides a laser processing device based on dual-path parallel laser output.

[0008] The purpose of this invention is to provide a laser processing device based on dual-path parallel laser output, which enables the same laser to form two parallel laser outputs, allowing the same laser to perform two different operations simultaneously, and the same laser source to meet two or more process requirements at the same time. One laser has a circular spot and can perform laser precision drilling, cutting, welding, and point heat treatment, while the other laser has a square spot and can perform laser surface hardening, cladding, annealing, and large-area cleaning.

[0009] To achieve the purpose of this utility model, the technical solution of this utility model is as follows:

[0010] A laser processing device based on dual-path parallel laser output includes a laser and a coupler that works with the laser. The output end of the coupler is provided with a first optical fiber and a second optical fiber arranged in parallel and independently. The coupler splits the laser output from the laser into two paths according to the splitting ratio. One laser path enters the first optical fiber, and the other laser path enters the second optical fiber. This invention splits the laser emitted by the laser into two parallel outputs according to a preset splitting ratio. One laser path enters the first optical fiber and outputs the laser, while the other laser path enters the second optical fiber and outputs the laser. It can be applied to different scenarios according to different requirements and different optical fibers used.

[0011] Furthermore, the first optical fiber includes a single-mode optical fiber, with a coupler connected to the first end of the single-mode optical fiber and a multimode optical fiber provided at the tail end. The combination of the single-mode and multimode optical fibers makes the output light spot a circular light spot. The circular light spot output by the first optical fiber can be used for laser precision drilling, cutting, welding, and point heat treatment.

[0012] Furthermore, the second optical fiber includes a single-mode optical fiber, with a coupler connected to the first end of the single-mode optical fiber, a multimode optical fiber at the tail end of the single-mode optical fiber, and a square-core optical fiber at the tail end of the multimode optical fiber. The combination of the single-mode optical fiber, multimode optical fiber, and square-core optical fiber makes the output light spot a square light spot. The square light spot output by the second optical fiber can be used for laser surface hardening, cladding, annealing, large-area cleaning, and other operations.

[0013] Furthermore, an attenuator is installed between the laser and the coupler, which adjusts the power of the laser entering the coupler according to the power requirements.

[0014] Furthermore, the attenuator is equipped with an adjustment bolt, which allows for accurate and continuous attenuation adjustment of the laser power input to the coupler, adapting to the laser power requirements of different processing techniques.

[0015] Furthermore, the coupler is equipped with a heat dissipation structure or is connected to a heat dissipation device. The heat dissipation structure or device is used to dissipate heat from the coupler, ensuring its normal operation and withstanding the thermal load of high-power laser operation.

[0016] Furthermore, single-mode and multimode optical fibers have the same outer diameter.

[0017] Furthermore, the outer diameter of the square-core fiber is equal to that of the multimode fiber.

[0018] Furthermore, the output end of the first optical fiber is provided with a first collimating lens group, and the output end of the second optical fiber is provided with a second collimating lens group.

[0019] Furthermore, a first focusing lens group is provided on the light-emitting side of the first collimating lens group, and a second focusing lens group is provided on the light-emitting side of the second collimating lens group.

[0020] Furthermore, both the first focusing lens group and the second focusing lens group have protective lenses at their light-emitting ends.

[0021] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows:

[0022] 1. This utility model uses a coupler to split the laser output from the laser into two paths. The laser output from the coupler can be split into two paths and output in parallel. Depending on the different optical fibers, the two lasers can form different spot shapes. Depending on the splitting ratio of the coupler, the power distribution of the two lasers is different, thus allowing for different applications.

[0023] 2. This utility model achieves simultaneous output of circular and square light spots through couplers and independently arranged optical fibers, enabling the same laser to perform two different operations simultaneously. The same laser source can simultaneously meet two or more process requirements. By selecting the corresponding splitting ratio of the coupler, the circular light spot output from the first optical fiber can be used for laser precision drilling, cutting, welding, and point heat treatment, while the square light spot output from the second optical fiber can be used for laser surface hardening, cladding, annealing, and large-area cleaning, greatly improving production efficiency and equipment utilization.

[0024] 3. The attenuator of this utility model is arranged at the output end of the laser, which avoids damage to the receiving equipment caused by excessive laser power output by the laser. It can also accurately and continuously adjust the laser power entering the optical fiber with high stability and low insertion loss, thereby effectively protecting the downstream optical fiber and optical components from damage caused by excessive power and adapting to the different power requirements of different processing technologies.

[0025] 4. This utility model has a high degree of integration. The laser, which serves as the laser source, the attenuator for power management, the coupler for power distribution and beam splitting, and the optical fiber for laser transmission and shaping are all integrated into one system. This reduces the number of optical components, shrinks the size of the equipment, and lowers the complexity and failure rate of the equipment.

[0026] 5. The combination of single-mode and multi-mode optical fibers in this invention ensures the formation of a circular light spot and stable mode quality.

[0027] 6. The square light spot of this invention is shaped by a square core fiber based on single-mode fiber and multimode fiber, which reduces or avoids energy loss and edge diffraction effect caused by diffractive optical elements or mask methods. The edge of the light spot is clear and sharp, and the energy distribution is uniform.

[0028] 7. This utility model can select square core optical fibers with different core sizes according to the required square spot size, directly changing the size of the output square spot without replacing the complex focusing lens group.

[0029] 8. The optical fiber of this utility model adopts a standard interface, which is fully compatible with the mature industrial cutting, splicing and connector packaging processes, significantly reducing the assembly difficulty and cost, and taking into account the high power laser transmission capability, the spot shaping requirements and standardized manufacturing. Attached Figure Description

[0030] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of this utility model;

[0031] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the optical fiber structure for the output square light spot of this utility model.

[0032] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the optical fiber structure for the output circular light spot of this utility model.

[0033] Figure 4 This is a front view of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 5 This is a top view of the present invention.

[0035] In the picture:

[0036] 1. Laser, 2. Attenuator, 3. Coupler, 4. Single-mode fiber, 5. Multimode fiber, 6. Square core fiber. Detailed Implementation

[0037] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0038] It should be noted that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments according to the present invention. As used herein, the singular form is intended to include the plural form as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, it should be understood that when the terms "comprising" and / or "including" are used in this specification, they indicate the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0039] In this utility model, terms such as "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "front", "back", "vertical", "horizontal", "side", and "bottom" indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only used to facilitate the description of the structural relationship between the various components or elements of this utility model and do not specifically refer to any component or element in this utility model. They should not be construed as limiting this utility model.

[0040] Example 1

[0041] This embodiment is a laser processing device based on dual-path parallel laser output. Unlike the existing technologies such as multi-machine parallel operation, single-machine switching, and beam splitting and shaping, this embodiment can split the laser emitted by the same single light source and output the laser simultaneously and in parallel through two laser delivery paths.

[0042] This embodiment can be applied to laser processing, such as laser precision drilling, cutting, welding, and point heat treatment, which require high energy density or small heat-affected zones. It can also be applied to laser surface hardening, cladding, annealing, and large-area cleaning. It can also be applied to fields such as laser medicine and laser display. This embodiment will be described in detail using laser processing as an example.

[0043] like Figure 1 , Figure 4 , Figure 5 As shown, laser 1, attenuator 2, and coupler 3 are connected sequentially from left to right. Laser 1 is used to generate a high-stability, high-quality continuous laser beam or pulsed laser. Attenuator 2 is arranged at the output end of laser 1 and performs precise or continuous attenuation adjustment on the power of the laser output by laser 1. The input end of coupler 3 is connected to the output end of attenuator 2 through optical fiber fusion splicing to achieve optical path connection. The output end of coupler 3 is equipped with a first optical fiber and a second optical fiber arranged in parallel. Coupler 3 can split the laser output by laser 1 into two paths according to the splitting ratio. One laser enters the first optical fiber, and the other laser enters the second optical fiber, so that the laser from the same source is split into two paths and output in parallel.

[0044] As a specific implementation scheme, attenuator 2 can be a mechanically adjustable fiber optic attenuator. Attenuator 2 is equipped with adjusting bolts. By controlling the adjusting bolts, the laser power of output attenuator 2 and input coupler 3 can be accurately and continuously adjusted, avoiding damage to receiving equipment due to excessive input optical power. Attenuator 2 can accurately and continuously adjust the laser power entering the optical fiber with high stability and low insertion loss, thereby effectively protecting the downstream optical fiber and optical components from damage by excessively high power lasers and adapting to the different power requirements of different processing technologies.

[0045] As a specific implementation scheme, the coupler 3 can use fused abductor or micro-optical lens technology to split one incident laser into two outputs according to a preset split ratio. The coupler 3 can be a fiber coupler 3, which can flexibly distribute the laser energy of the laser 1. The split ratio can include 50:50, 70:30, 90:10 or other customized ratios. In addition, high-power lasers are prone to generating heat in the coupler 3. Therefore, the coupler 3 in this embodiment can be equipped with a heat dissipation structure or connected to a heat dissipation device to dissipate heat from the coupler 3, ensuring the normal operation of the coupler 3 and withstanding the heat load of high-power laser operation. For example, the outer shell of the coupler 3 can be encapsulated with a metal material with good thermal conductivity to form a heat dissipation structure. Alternatively, an actively rotating cooling fan, liquid cooling pipes, etc. can be arranged on the outside of the outer shell to form a heat dissipation device.

[0046] This embodiment outputs circular and square light spots in parallel, enabling the same laser 1 to perform two different operations simultaneously, thus making it more widely used in the field of laser processing.

[0047] As a specific implementation plan, such as Figure 3 As shown, the first optical fiber is used to output a circular beam spot. The first optical fiber includes a single-mode fiber 4, with a coupler 3 connected to the first end of the single-mode fiber 4 and a multimode fiber 5 connected to the tail end. The combination of the single-mode fiber 4 and the multimode fiber 5 ensures that the beam spot output by the first optical fiber is circular. The circular beam spot can be used for laser precision drilling, cutting, welding, and point heat treatment. The single-mode fiber 4 uses a standard single-mode fiber, which can output a circular fundamental mode beam spot with extremely high beam quality and an M² factor close to 1, resulting in an ideal Gaussian distribution of laser energy in space. This achieves optimal results in applications with extremely stringent requirements for heat-affected zones and processing accuracy, such as precision micromachining, drilling, and cutting. At the same time, due to its extremely fine core, the divergence angle and mode field diameter of the output beam are very stable and predictable, ensuring the long-term stability of the system and the beam spot. To ensure consistent quality, multimode fiber 5 uses the same cladding diameter of 125 micrometers as standard single-mode fiber. That is, the outer diameter of multimode fiber 5 is about 125 micrometers, and the core diameter is about 105 micrometers. This makes it fully compatible with existing general-purpose equipment and standardized interfaces in fiber cutting, splicing, and packaging processes, reducing assembly costs and operational difficulties. At the same time, the 105-micrometer core size is a classic specification for industrial high-power laser transmission. It can effectively balance the upper limit of transmission power and beam quality while maintaining a numerical aperture of 0.22. It can efficiently transmit hundreds of watts or even thousands of watts of laser energy to meet the processing needs of cladding, welding, etc., without causing excessive beam mode degradation due to an excessively large core. This allows the output beam spot to maintain high energy uniformity while still having a certain focusing performance, making it suitable for most high-power laser processing scenarios.

[0048] As a specific implementation plan, such as Figure 2 As shown, the first optical fiber and the second optical fiber have some identical structures. The second optical fiber includes a single-mode fiber 4, with a coupler 3 connected to the first end of the single-mode fiber 4 and a multimode fiber 5 connected to the second end. The single-mode fiber 4 uses the standard single-mode fiber described above. The multimode fiber 5 has an outer diameter of approximately 125 micrometers and an internal core diameter of 105 micrometers. A square-core fiber 6 is connected to the second end of the multimode fiber 5. The square-core fiber 6 has an outer diameter of approximately 125 micrometers and an internal core that is a square core with a side length of 100 micrometers. The 100-micrometer side length square core has a large cross-sectional area to support the stable transmission of high-power lasers and meet the energy requirements for processes such as cladding and quenching. The fiber meets the demand and can directly output a square flat-top beam with uniform energy distribution using a square waveguide structure. It can achieve large-area seamless splicing scanning without additional shaping optical components. At the same time, the 125-micron cladding diameter makes the fiber fully compatible with mature industrial cutting, splicing and connector packaging processes, which significantly reduces the assembly difficulty and cost of the system. It takes into account high power transmission capability, square beam shaping requirements and standardized manufacturing. The output beam of the second fiber is a square beam by the combination of single-mode fiber 4, multimode fiber 5 and square core fiber 6. The square beam output of the second fiber can be used for laser surface hardening, cladding, annealing, large-area cleaning and other operations.

[0049] It should be noted that, as other applicable implementation schemes, the core side length of the square core optical fiber 6 in this embodiment can be selected in the range of 50 micrometers to 100 micrometers according to processing requirements, or other sizes can also be selected to match different sizes of square spot processing scenarios.

[0050] As a complete implementation scheme, the output end of the first optical fiber is sequentially connected to a first collimating lens group and a first focusing lens group, and the output end of the second optical fiber is sequentially connected to a second collimating lens group and a second focusing lens group. Both the first and second focusing lens groups have detachable protective lenses at their light-emitting ends. The first and second collimating lens groups each have independent optical path adjustment mechanisms for fine-tuning the beam direction.

[0051] As a specific implementation scheme, the coupler 3 in this embodiment adopts a 90:10 splitting ratio, which uses most of the energy for the main processing, such as using a square light spot to achieve the cladding operation, and a small part of the energy can be used for detection or preprocessing, such as using a circular light spot to complete the point heating operation. Alternatively, most of the energy can be used for the main processing, and the small amount of split light can be connected to the detector to achieve real-time power monitoring, ensuring output stability. At the same time, it also reduces the number of optical components and reduces the integration difficulty and cost.

[0052] As one implementation scheme, the manufacturing method of the first optical fiber and the second optical fiber is as follows:

[0053] Two multimode optical fibers 5 and one square-core optical fiber 6 are selected. The coating layers are stripped from both ends of the optical fibers, and the end faces are cleaned. One multimode optical fiber 5 is aligned and fused with a single-mode optical fiber 4 to form a first optical fiber. The first optical fiber is connected to one output end of the coupler 3 as a circular spot output branch. One end of the other multimode optical fiber 5 is aligned and fused with a single-mode optical fiber 4. After the fusion is completed, the other end of the multimode optical fiber 5 is aligned and fused with a square-core optical fiber 6 to form a second optical fiber. This second optical fiber is connected to the other output end of the coupler 3 as a square spot output branch. Before or after the formation of the first and second optical fibers, the laser 1, attenuator 2, and coupler 3 can be connected in sequence. The connection of the optical fiber and the coupler 3 completes the construction of the laser processing device.

[0054] As one implementation method, the usage method of this embodiment is as follows:

[0055] Adjust the attenuator 2 as needed, start the laser 1, the laser 1 outputs laser light and enters the coupler 3 through the attenuator 2. The coupler 3 splits the laser light into two paths, and outputs circular and square light spots through the first optical fiber and the second optical fiber respectively.

[0056] Depending on the application scenario, different lasers 1 and couplers 3 with different splitting ratios can be selected.

[0057] Regarding the selection of square core fiber 6, the core side length of square core fiber 6 can be selected in the range of 50 micrometers to 100 micrometers according to processing requirements, so as to match the processing scenarios of square spot of different sizes.

Claims

1. A laser processing device based on dual-path parallel laser output, characterized in that, It includes a laser (1) and a coupler (3) that works with the laser (1). The output end of the coupler (3) is provided with a first optical fiber and a second optical fiber arranged in parallel and independently. The coupler (3) splits the laser output from the laser (1) into two paths according to the splitting ratio. One laser path enters the first optical fiber, and the other laser path enters the second optical fiber.

2. The laser processing apparatus based on dual-path parallel laser output according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first optical fiber includes a single-mode optical fiber (4), the first end of the single-mode optical fiber (4) is connected to a coupler (3), and the tail end of the single-mode optical fiber (4) is provided with a multimode optical fiber (5).

3. The laser processing apparatus based on dual-path parallel laser output according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second optical fiber includes a single-mode optical fiber (4), the first end of the single-mode optical fiber (4) is connected to a coupler (3), the tail end of the single-mode optical fiber (4) is provided with a multimode optical fiber (5), and the tail end of the multimode optical fiber (5) is provided with a square core optical fiber (6).

4. The laser processing apparatus based on dual-path parallel laser output according to claim 1, characterized in that, An attenuator (2) is provided between the laser (1) and the coupler (3), and the attenuator (2) adjusts the power of the laser entering the coupler (3) according to the power requirements.

5. The laser processing apparatus based on dual-path parallel laser output according to claim 1, characterized in that, The coupler (3) is provided with a heat dissipation structure or the coupler (3) is connected to a heat dissipation device.

6. The laser processing apparatus based on dual-path parallel laser output according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The single-mode fiber (4) and the multimode fiber (5) have the same outer diameter.

7. The laser processing apparatus based on dual-path parallel laser output according to claim 3, characterized in that, The outer diameter of the square core optical fiber (6) is equal to the outer diameter of the multimode optical fiber (5).

8. The laser processing apparatus based on dual-path parallel laser output according to claim 4, characterized in that, The attenuator (2) is equipped with an adjustment bolt, which allows for accurate and continuous attenuation adjustment of the laser power of the input coupler (3).

9. The laser processing apparatus based on dual-path parallel laser output according to claim 1, characterized in that, The output end of the first optical fiber is provided with a first collimating lens group, and the output end of the second optical fiber is provided with a second collimating lens group.

10. The laser processing apparatus based on dual-path parallel laser output according to claim 9, characterized in that, The first collimating lens group has a first focusing lens group on its light-emitting side, and the second collimating lens group has a second focusing lens group on its light-emitting side. Both the light-emitting ends of the first focusing lens group and the second focusing lens group are provided with protective lenses.

Images