Energy Beam Scanning for Uniform Heating Across Varying Widths
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for heating objects using energy beams, such as laser beams, face challenges in maintaining consistent heat treatment characteristics along varying widths, leading to issues like overheating and suboptimal hardening depths, especially when dealing with complex patterns or varying widths in applications like crankshaft hardening and additive manufacturing.
Innovation Solution
The method involves projecting an energy beam to create a primary spot that is scanned in two dimensions to form an effective spot with a two-dimensional energy distribution, adjusting the scanning pattern and beam parameters to maintain a constant repetition rate and radiation energy flow, even when the width of the heated portion changes, by adapting the scanning pattern's frequency, velocity, and beam power to ensure uniform heat treatment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the scanning pattern frequency is increased to maintain constant repetition rate across varying widths, then homogeneous heat treatment is achieved, but the scanning velocity must be increased which may reduce heating depth
Solution Approach 1:
The patent dynamically adjusts scanning pattern frequency and beam power as parameters to maintain constant repetition rate across varying widths. By changing these parameters adaptively rather than keeping them constant, the system achieves uniform heat treatment while compensating for velocity changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The scanning pattern frequency is made dynamic rather than static. The frequency adapts in real-time based on the instantaneous width of the heated portion, allowing the system to maintain constant repetition rate across varying geometries. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between maintaining uniformity and accommodating velocity variations.
2Manufacturing precision
If the beam power is increased to maintain constant radiation energy flow, then consistent hardening depth is achieved, but overheating may occur in narrow sections
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses feedback control by continuously monitoring the width of the heated portion and adjusting beam power accordingly. This closed-loop approach ensures that radiation energy flow remains constant, preventing both under-heating and overheating while maintaining consistent hardening depth across varying widths.
Solution Approach 2:
Beam power is dynamically adjusted as a controllable parameter to compensate for width variations. By changing the power parameter in real-time based on instantaneous width measurements, the system maintains constant energy flow density, achieving consistent hardening without overheating.
3Manufacturing precision
If the repetition rate is kept constant across varying widths, then homogeneous heat treatment is achieved, but the scanning velocity must be adjusted which reduces productivity
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts scanning velocity and frequency parameters to maintain constant repetition rate. By adaptively changing these parameters rather than keeping them fixed, the system achieves uniform heat treatment while minimizing the impact on overall processing speed through optimized parameter selection.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach ensures homogeneous heat treatment with consistent hardening depths and quality parameters, preventing overheating and maintaining productivity, even with significant width variations, by keeping the repetition rate and radiation energy flow substantially constant across different segments.
Implementation Method 1
heating a selected portion of an object by projecting an energy beam, such as a laser beam
Implementation Method 2
cooling can take place by applying a cooling fluid, such as water or water mixed with other components
Implementation Method 3
cooling can take place by applying a cooling fluid, such as water or water mixed with other components
Data Source
AI summary
A method of heating a selected portion of an object includes the steps ofprojecting an energy beam onto a surface of the object and repetitively scanning the beam in accordance with a scanning pattern so as to establish an effective spot on the surface, and displacing the effective spot along a track to progressively heat a selected portion of the object. The selected portion has a first width at a first position along the track and a second width at a second position along the track. The second width is less than 75% of the first width.The scanning pattern is repeated with a first frequency in correspondence with the first position and with a second frequency in correspondence with the second position, the second frequency being more than 60% and less than 140% of the first frequency.