LASER CUTTING APPARATUS

• US 3,569,660 A
• Filed: 07/29/1968
• Issued: 03/09/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/1968
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Peter T. Houldcroft
• Original Assignee: Peter T. Houldcroft
• Inventors: Houldcroft, Peter T.
• Application Number:
  US04/748,418
• Time in Patent Office: 953 Days
• US Class Current: 219/121.68
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/142 for the removal of by-products
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/1438 for directional control
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/147 Features outside the nozzle for feeding the fluid stream towards the workpiece
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/1476 Features inside the nozzle for feeding the fluid stream through the nozzle

Abstract

A workpiece is cut or gouged by moving a concentrated laser beam along its surface and directing on to the moving region of the workpiece, at which the laser beam is concentrated, a jet of gas; a material which is different from the material of the workpiece is also introduced in this region. The additional material assists the cutting or gouging in that it has a fluxing action with the material of the workpiece and/or an exothermic reaction with the gas.

Claims

1. A method of cutting or gouging in which a laser beam is concentrated at a point on a workpiece and the beam and workpiece are moved relatively to one another so that the said point moves along the workpiece and in which a jet of gas is directed at the point on the workpiece at which the laser beam is concentrated, and a material which is different from, and has a fluxing action with, the material of the workpiece and which reacts exothermically with the gas is introduced into the gas jet at the said point on the workpiece.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1, in which the said material is iron and the workpiece is of such composition as to be fluxed by said iron.

3. A method in accordance with claim 2, in which the said material is iron wire or strip which is fed forwards continuously towards the point on the workpiece at which the laser beam strikes the workpiece.

4. A method in accordance with claim 1, in which the workpiece is aluminum.

5. A method of cutting or gouging in which a laser beam is concentrated at a point on a workpiece and the beam and workpiece are moved relatively to one another so that the said point moves along the workpiece, and in which a jet of gas is directed at the point on the workpiece at which the laser beam is concentrated and in which a material which has a fluxing action with the material of the workpiece is so guided that it first meets the beam and workpiece at the said point on the workpiece at which the beam is concentrated.

6. A method in accordance with claim 5, in which the fluxing material is sodium chloride and the gas is an inert gas.

7. A method in accordance with claim 5, in which the fluxing material is of gaseous form.

8. A method in accordance with claim 5, in which the fluxing material is sodium chloride and the gas is air.

9. Apparatus for cutting or gouging a workpiece, comprising:

a laser;

means for concentrating the beam of the laser onto the surface of a workpiece;

a source of gas;

a nozzle connected to the gas source for directing a jet of gas toward the point on the workpiece at which the laser beam is concentrated; and

means for directing at the said point of concentration a material wHich has a fluxing action with the material of the workpiece.

10. Apparatus in accordance with claim 9, in which the nozzle for directing the gas jet towards the said point is coaxial with the axis of the laser beam and the means for directing the said material towards the said point is a second nozzle making an angle with the said first nozzle.

11. Apparatus in accordance with claim 9, in which the nozzle for directing the gas towards the point on the workpiece at which the laser beam is concentrated makes an angle with the direction of the laser beam and in which the same nozzle serves for the passage of the said material towards the point of concentration of the laser beam.