Fluid-Jet Laser Machining with Optical State Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional laser beam machining processes struggle to accurately determine the state of machining, particularly in wet environments, leading to increased process time and risk of equipment damage due to uncontrolled fluid splattering and scattered radiation.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus and method that utilize a pressurized fluid jet as a waveguide for the laser beam and include a sensing unit to detect laser-induced electromagnetic radiation, converting it into a signal for precise determination of machining states, allowing for timely optimization of the machining process and protection from the wet environment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional visual inspection by camera is used to determine machining state, then the apparatus can monitor the process, but the measurement precision is low and equipment is damaged by splattering fluids
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the fluid jet itself as an intermediary medium to guide the laser beam and convey process information. The fluid jet acts as a waveguide for the laser beam and also serves as the transmission medium for backscattered light, allowing the sensing unit to detect machining states without being exposed to the wet environment. This resolves the contradiction by using the existing fluid jet as a dual-purpose intermediary that enables both beam delivery and safe optical sensing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/visual inspection system (camera based visual monitoring) with an optical sensing system that detects backscattered laser light. This substitution enables precise determination of machining states through optical signal detection rather than visual inspection, significantly improving measurement precision while the fluid jet protects the sensing equipment from fluid damage.
2Manufacturing precision
If laser beam machining is performed without fluid jet, then the apparatus is simpler, but the machining precision and control are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the fluid jet serve multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a coolant, a debris remover, and most importantly, an optical waveguide for the laser beam. By giving the fluid jet this multi-functionality, the system achieves high machining precision through effective beam delivery and process control without adding separate complex optical guiding components, thus balancing manufacturing precision with device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the fluid dynamic properties of the pressurized jet to create an optical waveguide structure. The pressurized fluid forms a stable, confined channel that guides the laser beam through total internal reflection, enabling precise beam delivery to the workpiece. This hydraulic approach provides the necessary machining precision while maintaining relative system simplicity by using fluid dynamics rather than complex mechanical optical positioning.
3Reliability
If the machining process runs longer to ensure complete penetration, then the cutting quality is safer, but the productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements real-time feedback by continuously monitoring the backscattered light signal from the machining zone. The signal processing unit analyzes changes in the optical signal to detect the exact moment when the laser beam penetrates through the workpiece. This feedback mechanism allows the system to automatically terminate the machining process at the precise moment of penetration, ensuring complete penetration quality while minimizing unnecessary processing time, thus resolving the contradiction between reliability and productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary detection and monitoring during the machining process to anticipate the penetration event before it occurs. By continuously analyzing the backscattered light signal patterns, the system can predict when penetration is imminent and prepare for automatic process termination, ensuring that the cutting is completed at the optimal moment without over-processing, thereby maintaining both quality and productivity.
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
The solution enables accurate and efficient determination of machining states, significantly reducing process time and preventing equipment damage by using the fluid jet to guide and detect radiation, ensuring precise control and compact apparatus design.
Implementation Method 1
the laser beam is coupled into the pressurized fluid jet, which acts like a waveguide for the laser beam and guides the laser beam onto the workpiece by means of total internal reflection
Implementation Method 2
a sensing unit arranged to receive a laser-induced electromagnetic radiation propagating away from the workpiece through the fluid jet and through at least one optical element, and configured to convert the received radiation into a signal
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to an apparatus 100, 200, 300, 700 and a method 400 for machining a workpiece 101 with a laser beam 102. The apparatus 100, 200, 300, 700 comprises a machining unit 103 configured to provide a pressurized fluid jet 104 onto the workpiece 101 and to couple the laser beam 102 through at least one optical element 105 into the fluid jet 104 towards the workpiece 101. Further, it comprises a sensing unit 107 arranged to receive a laser-induced electromagnetic radiation 106 propagating away from the workpiece 101 through the fluid jet 104 and through at least one optical element, and configured to convert the received radiation 106 into a signal 108. The apparatus 100, 200, 300, 700 also comprises a signal processing unit 109 configured determine a state of machining the workpiece 101 based on the signal 108.