阅读说明：本技术 使用可见拉曼激光器进行材料处理的应用、方法和系统 (Applications, methods and systems for material processing using visible Raman lasers ) 是由 马克·S.·泽迪克 于 2015-08-27 设计创作，主要内容包括：使用小于800nm的激光波长的激光增材制造系统和设备。拉曼激光器模块具有蓝光波长范围内的激光泵浦源。将功能激光束波长与起始材料的最大吸收波长进行匹配。此外,长期以来,对用以提供300nm-800nm波长的激光束、尤其是具有较高功率和高光束质量的蓝色激光和激光束的激光器的需求尚未实现,这样的激光器用于改进的激光增材制造工艺、焊接工艺、切割工艺、钎焊工艺、抛光工艺、烧蚀工艺以及锡焊工艺。此外,本发明通过提供本文所教导和公开的制造制品、装置以及工艺来解决这些需求。(Laser additive manufacturing systems and apparatus using laser wavelengths less than 800 nm. The raman laser module has a laser pump source in the blue wavelength range. The functional laser beam wavelength is matched to the maximum absorption wavelength of the starting material. Furthermore, there has been a long felt need for a laser to provide laser beams of wavelengths between 300nm and 800nm, especially blue lasers and laser beams with higher power and high beam quality, for improved laser additive manufacturing processes, welding processes, cutting processes, brazing processes, polishing processes, ablation processes and soldering processes. Further, the present invention addresses these needs by providing articles of manufacture, devices, and processes as taught and disclosed herein.)

1. A Laser Additive Manufacturing (LAM) apparatus, comprising:

a. a laser for providing a functional laser beam along a beam path, the functional laser beam having a wavelength of less than about 750 nm;

b. constructing a platform;

c. a starting material and a starting material delivery apparatus, wherein the starting material is capable of being delivered to a target area adjacent the build station;

d. a laser beam delivery device comprising beam shaping optics to form a laser beam spot;

e. a motor and positioning device mechanically connected to the build table, the laser beam delivery device, or both; whereby the motor and positioning apparatus are capable of providing relative motion between the laser beam delivery apparatus and the build table;

f. a control system comprising a processor, a storage device, and a LAM plan, wherein the LAM plan is in the storage device, wherein the control system is capable of implementing the LAM plan by a predetermined layout of the functional laser beam and the starting material; and the number of the first and second groups,

g. wherein the laser comprises a pump laser diode and a raman oscillator configured to provide n-order raman oscillations, wherein n is an integer.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein n is selected from the group consisting of 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the n-order Raman oscillation is a Stokes oscillation.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the n-order Raman oscillation is an anti-Stokes oscillation.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the build material is selected from the group consisting of: magnesium, aluminum, gallium, tin, lead, titanium, vanadium, chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, zirconium, molybdenum, rhodium, palladium, silver, cadmium, tungsten, gold, mercury, metals, metal alloys, and mixtures of metals.

6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the build material is selected from the group consisting of: magnesium, aluminum, gallium, tin, lead, titanium, vanadium, chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, zirconium, molybdenum, rhodium, palladium, silver, cadmium, tungsten, gold, mercury, metals, metal alloys, and mixtures of metals.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the starting material is a powder.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the starting material is a powder having a particle size of less than about 1 μ ι η.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the starting material is a powder having a particle size of about 0.05 μ ι η to about 2.5 μ ι η.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the starting material is a powder having a particle size of about 0.05 μm to about 2.5 μm.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the starting material is a powder having a particle size of about 40 μ ι η or less.

12. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the starting material is a powder having a particle size of less than about 25 μm.

13. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the starting material is a powder having a particle size of less than about 15 μm.

14. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the starting material is a powder having a particle size of less than about 0.5 μm.

15. A Raman Laser Module (RLM) for laser additive manufacturing, the RLM comprising: for providingA pumping laser beam source and a Raman oscillator for the functional laser beam; the functional laser beam has a wavelength of less than about 700nm, M of less than 2²And a power greater than 500W.

16. The module of claim 15, wherein the raman oscillator comprises a fiber oscillator comprising a material selected from the group consisting of silicon dioxide, GeO-doped₂Silicon dioxide, phosphorus doped silicon dioxide.

17. The module of claim 15, wherein the pump laser beam source comprises a diode laser.

18. The module of claim 15, wherein the pump laser beam source comprises a plurality of laser diodes to generate a pump laser beam having a beam parameter product of less than about 10 mm-mrad.

19. The module of claim 15, wherein the pump laser beam source comprises an array of at least 20 blue laser diodes.

20. The module of claim 19, wherein the array provides pump laser beams having wavelengths in a range of about 405nm to about 460 nm.

21. The module of claim 15, wherein the raman oscillator comprises an oscillator fiber having a length, and the length is about 30m or less.

22. The module of claim 15, wherein the raman oscillator comprises an oscillator fiber having a length, and the length is about 20m or less.

23. The module of claim 16, wherein the fiber oscillator has a length, and the length is about 25m or less.

24. The module of claim 16, wherein the fiber oscillator has a length, and the length is about 20m or less.

25. The module of claim 15, wherein the functional laser beam has a wavelength of about 405nm to about 470 nm.

26. The module of claim 16, wherein the functional laser beam has a wavelength of about 405nm to about 470 nm.

27. The module of claim 20, wherein the functional laser beam has a wavelength of about 405nm to about 470 nm.

28. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the pump laser beam source comprises a blue laser diode system providing a pump laser beam having a wavelength of about 405-475nm and a power greater than 100W; and wherein the Raman oscillator fiber has a core diameter of about 10 μm to 50 μm and is a graded index fiber.

29. The module of claim 15, wherein the pump laser beam source is cooled, and the cooling is selected from the group consisting of air cooled, liquid cooled, and water cooled.

30. The module of claim 15, wherein the pump laser beam source comprises a spectral beam combiner.

31. A system comprising a plurality of the RLMs of claim 15, wherein laser beams from the RLMs are coherently combined to form a single functional laser beam.

32. The module of claim 15, wherein the pump laser beam source comprises a laser diode and integrated drive electronics to control current flow and enable rapid pulsing of the pump laser beam source diode to provide a pulsed pump laser beam.

33. The module of claim 32, wherein the pulse frequency is about 0.1MHz to about 10 MHz.

34. The module of claim 15, wherein the raman oscillator comprises a crystal oscillator comprising a material selected from the group consisting of diamond, KGW, YVO₄And Ba (NO)₃)₂A material of the group.

35. The module of claim 15, wherein the raman oscillator comprises a high pressure gas.

36. The module of claim 15, wherein the pump laser beam source comprises a plurality of laser diodes to generate a pump laser beam having a beam parameter product of less than about 14 mm-mrad.

37. A 3D printing device comprising: a starting material delivery apparatus, wherein starting material is capable of being delivered to a target area adjacent to a predetermined build area; beam shaping optics to provide a functional laser beam spot having a cross-section of less than about 100 μm at the build region; and a Raman Laser Module (RLM).

38. The 3D printing device of claim 37, wherein the RLM comprises: a pump laser beam source and a Raman oscillator; the functional laser beam has a wavelength of less than about 700nm, M of less than 2²And a power greater than 500W.

39. The 3D printing apparatus of claim 38, wherein the raman oscillator comprises a fiber oscillator comprising a material selected from the group consisting of silicon dioxide, GeO-doped₂Silicon dioxide, phosphorus doped silicon dioxide.

40. The 3D printing device according to claim 38, wherein the pump laser beam source comprises an array of at least 20 blue laser diodes.

41. The 3D printing apparatus according to claim 39, wherein the array provides pump laser beams having wavelengths in a range of about 405nm to about 460 nm.

42. The 3D printing apparatus according to claim 38, wherein the functional laser beam has a wavelength of about 405nm to about 470 nm.

43. The 3D printing device according to claim 38, wherein the functional laser beam has a wavelength of 500nm to less than 600 nm.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a laser that generates a laser beam in the range of 300nm to 700nm, including a higher power laser beam of these wavelengths with excellent beam quality. The invention also relates to a laser manufacturing process, a system and a device, in particular to a laser additive manufacturing process of a novel laser beam by using the novel laser.

Background

Prior to the present invention, laser beams in the range of 300-700nm were typically obtained from laser sources using near-infrared or frequency doubling of infrared lasers. Heretofore, it has generally been believed (particularly for commercially viable systems) that the art has been unable to expand these types of lasers to produce higher power lasers, such as greater than 500W (0.5kW) lasers, especially1kW and above. Thus, it has been considered to be impossible in the art to expand these lasers to obtain high power lasers with high beam quality in the 300-700nm wavelength range so far. Furthermore, it is generally accepted in the art that high power lasers at these wavelengths are not available because of the limited ability of the nonlinear crystal to handle the thermal load and fluence levels required for high power levels. Thus, it is presently believed that the highest power, high beam quality laser available through frequency doubling is limited to about 400 watts (0.4kW) of pulse modulation. This pulsing is required to handle the thermal load on the crystal. It is believed that prior to the present invention, higher powers (e.g., 1kW and above) and high beam quality (e.g., M) in the 300-700nm range have not been achieved²1) commercially viable or practical lasers.

Prior to embodiments of the present invention, it was believed that there were generally four types of blue lasers. The blue laser is a laser with a wavelength in the range of about 400-505nm (typically 405-495 nm). These blue lasers are: (i) he is Cd laser; (ii) an Ar ion laser; (iii) a direct frequency doubling diode laser; (iv) a solid state parametric frequency doubling oscillator; and (v) a frequency-shifted frequency-doubled fiber laser.

(i) The He: Cd laser is single mode, with power limited to a few hundred milliwatts, e.g., 0.0001 kW. Cd lasers are typically single transverse mode, but it is difficult to scale such lasers to high power levels due to their low efficiency (< 0.025%). Therefore, such lasers are not suitable for high power material processing applications.

(ii) The efficiency of Ar ion lasers is low and is therefore limited to relatively low power, multilines of less than about 0.005 kW. At such low powers, such lasers are single transverse mode for multiple wavelength operation. The lifetime of such systems is typically <5000 hours, which is relatively short for most industrial applications.

(iii) Blue diode lasers have only recently come into use. However, they are low power, typically less than 0.0025kW, and poor beam quality, e.g., M in the slow axis²>In the fast axis M²1. Today, the lifetime of such devices is about 20000 hours, andand is suitable for many industrial and commercial laser applications. When such devices are scaled up to 200 watts or more, the light speed quality decreases with increasing power. For example, at 200 watts, M²>50。

(iv) The frequency doubled blue laser source is typically limited to an output power of about 0.50 kW. The method for generating blue light may be to frequency-double the light source in the 800-900nm order range or to generate the third one with the sum frequency of two different wavelengths. Both techniques require the use of a non-linear frequency doubling crystal, such as lithium niobate or KTP. These crystals are relatively short, so they require high peak power levels to achieve efficient conversion. When operating in CW mode, heating problems as well as charge migration problems can cause rapid degradation of the crystal, resulting in rapid reduction of the laser output power.

(v) Fiber lasers that frequency shift and then frequency multiply to blue require the use of nonlinear frequency doubling crystals such as lithium niobate or KTP. These crystals are relatively short, so they require high peak power levels to achieve efficient conversion. When operating in CW mode, heating problems as well as charge migration problems can cause rapid degradation of the crystal, resulting in a rapid decrease in laser output power.

Prior to the present invention, blue wavelength laser beams were typically obtained by parametric oscillators, four-wave mixing, and direct frequency doubling. These are all inefficient processes that rely on the use of nonlinear crystals to achieve blue wavelengths. These crystals cannot control the thermal load that occurs when the laser power approaches a Continuous Wave (CW) of several hundred watts (0.1kW), let alone kilowatts and above.

It is believed that these existing types of blue lasers and the laser beams they provide are not sufficient for use in a laser additive manufacturing process or system. It is believed that these types of existing blue lasers do not achieve the high power laser beams in embodiments of the present invention, such as blue wavelengths with powers of 0.1kW and above). High power frequency doubled laser sources are typically fast pulse modulated sources that can achieve high peak power levels for high conversion efficiency. These types of existing blue lasers also have time characteristics for most laser additive manufacturing, particularly for the formation of articles with tight tolerances. These types of existing blue lasers do not provide the high power and CW output of embodiments of the present invention.

Prior to the present invention, laser beams of 450nm or less were typically obtained by parametric oscillators, four-wave mixing, and frequency tripling of the IR source. These are inefficient processes that rely on the use of nonlinear crystals to achieve short (200nm-450nm) wavelengths. These crystals cannot handle the thermal loads that occur when the laser power approaches CW of several hundred watts (0.1kW), let alone powers of kW and above.

Prior to the present invention, laser beams in the 700nm-800nm range were typically obtained by pumping dye lasers, parametric oscillators, four-wave mixing, and frequency doubling of the IR source. These are inefficient processes, dye lasers tend to fade over time, and their interaction volume is limited, making it difficult to achieve high CW power levels. Other processes rely on the use of nonlinear crystals to achieve wavelengths between 700nm and 800 nm. These crystals cannot handle the thermal load that occurs when the laser power approaches CW of several hundred watts (0.1kW), let alone powers of one kW and above.

As used herein, unless otherwise expressly specified, the terms "Laser Additive Manufacturing (LAM)", "laser additive manufacturing process", "additive manufacturing process", and the like are to be given their broadest meaning and are intended to include processes, applications and systems such as 3D printing, three-dimensional printing, sintering, welding, and brazing, as well as any other process that uses a laser beam during at least one stage of manufacturing an article (e.g., a product, a component, and a part). These terms are not limited or restricted by the size of the article of manufacture, for example they would encompass articles from sub-micron (e.g., less than 1 μm) to 1 μm, to 10 μm, to tens of microns, to hundreds of microns, to thousands of microns, to millimeters, to meters to kilometers (e.g., a continuous LAM process of making ribbon or strip material).

As used herein, the terms "laser beam spot size" and "spot size" are to be given their broadest meaning, unless explicitly specified otherwise, including: cross section of laser beamA shape; a cross-sectional area of the laser beam; the shape of the illumination area of the laser beam on the target; an illumination area of the laser beam on the target; "maximum intensity spot size" which is the cross-sectional area of the laser beam, wherein the laser beam is at least 1/e of its peak value²Or 0.135; "50% intensity spot size," which is the cross-sectional area of the laser beam, where the laser beam is at least 0.00675 of its peak; and a cross-sectional area of the laser beam, wherein the laser beam has a functional characteristic.

As used herein, unless expressly specified otherwise, the terms "functional additive manufacturing laser beam", "functional light beam", "functional laser beam" and similar such terms mean: by applying a laser beam to these materials (e.g., sintering, brazing, annealing, welding, ablating, coupling, tacking, softening, cross-linking, bonding, reacting, etc.), a laser beam having the following properties: power, wavelength, fluence, irradiance (power per unit area), and combinations and variations of these properties to form or construct a starting or target material into an article.

As used herein, unless otherwise expressly specified, the term "about" is intended to encompass a variation or range of ± 10%, experimental or instrumental errors associated with obtaining stated values, and preferably the larger of these.

As used herein, unless otherwise expressly specified, the terms "optical device," "optical element," "optical system," and similar such terms are to be given their broadest meaning, including: any type of element or system capable of manipulating a laser beam (e.g., emission, reflection, etc. that is not damaged or rapidly destroyed by the energy of the beam); any type of element or system capable of affecting a laser beam in a predetermined manner (e.g., emitting, focusing, defocusing, shaping, collimating, steering, scanning, etc.); elements or systems that provide a variety of beam shapes (such as crosses, x-shapes, rectangles, hexagons, array lines, or related shapes in which lines, squares, and cylinders are connected or spaced at different distances); a refractive lens; a diffractive lens; a grating; a transmission grating; a mirror; a prism; a lens; a collimator; an aspherical lens; a spherical lens; convex lenses, negative meniscus lenses; a lenticular lens; an axicon; a gradient refractive lens; an element having an aspheric profile; an element having an achromatic doublet; a microlens; a microarray; micro-electro-mechanical (mems) steering mirrors (mems steering mirrors such as those used in DLP projectors can be used to create and manipulate running images); lithium niobate light beam steering crystal; a high-speed current meter; a combination of a linear motor and a high speed galvanometer; a flying optical head; a deformable mirror device; and combinations and variations of these and other beam steering devices.

This background section is intended to introduce various aspects of the art, which may be associated with embodiments of the present invention. The above discussion in this section therefore provides a framework for a better understanding of the present invention, but should not be taken as an admission of prior art.

Disclosure of Invention

Furthermore, there has been a long felt need for a laser to provide laser beams of wavelengths of 300nm-800nm, especially blue lasers and laser beams with higher power and high beam quality, for improved laser additive manufacturing processes, welding processes, cutting processes, brazing processes, polishing processes, ablation processes and soldering processes. Further, the present invention addresses these needs by providing articles of manufacture, devices, and processes as taught and disclosed herein.

There is provided a Laser Additive Manufacturing (LAM) apparatus having: a laser for providing a functional laser beam along a beam path, the functional laser beam having a wavelength of less than about 750 nm; constructing a platform; a starting material and a starting material delivery apparatus, wherein the starting material can be delivered to a target area adjacent to the build station; a laser beam delivery device having beam shaping optics to provide a functional laser beam and form a laser beam spot; a motor and positioning device mechanically connected to the build table or the laser beam delivery device or both, whereby the motor and positioning device are capable of providing relative motion between the laser beam delivery device and the build table; and a control system having a processor, a memory device, and a LAM plan, wherein the control system is capable of implementing the LAM plan by a predetermined layout of the functional laser beam and the starting material.

Systems, devices, and methods are also provided having one or more of the following features: wherein the laser has a pump laser diode and a Raman oscillator fiber with a wavelength of less than 500 nm; wherein the laser has a pump laser diode and a raman oscillator for providing n-order raman oscillation, wherein n is an integer; wherein n is selected from 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9; wherein the n-order oscillations are stokes oscillations; wherein the n-order oscillations are anti-stokes oscillations; wherein the build material is selected from the group consisting of magnesium, aluminum, gallium, tin, lead, titanium, vanadium, chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, zirconium, molybdenum, rhodium, palladium, silver, cadmium, tungsten, gold, mercury, metals, metal alloys, and mixtures of metals; wherein the starting material is a powder; wherein the starting material is a powder having a particle size of less than 1 μm; wherein the starting material is a powder having a particle size of about 0.05 μm to about 2.5 μm; wherein the starting material is a powder having a particle size of about 0.05 μm to about 2.5 μm; wherein the starting material is a powder having a particle size of about 40 μm and less; wherein the starting material is a powder having a particle size of less than about 25 μm; wherein the starting material is a powder having a particle size of less than about 15 μm; and wherein the starting material is a powder having a particle size of less than about 0.5 μm.

Further, a Raman Laser Module (RLM) for laser additive manufacturing is provided, the RLM having: a pump laser beam source and a Raman oscillator for providing a functional laser beam; the functional laser beam has a wavelength of less than about 700nm, M of less than 2²And a power greater than 500W.

Further provided are devices, systems, and methods having one or more of the following features: wherein the Raman oscillator has a fiber oscillator having a material selected from the group consisting of silica and GeO₂Silicon dioxide, phosphorus doped silicon dioxide; wherein the pump laser source has a diode laser; wherein the pump laser source has a plurality of laser diodes to produce a pump laser beam having a beam parameter product of less than about 10 mm-mrad; wherein the pump laser source has an array of at least 20 blue laser diodes; wherein the array provides pumps having wavelengths of about 405nm to about 460nmA pump laser beam; wherein the length of the oscillator fiber is about 30m or less; wherein the length of the oscillator fiber is about 20m or less; wherein the length of the oscillator fiber is about 25m or less; wherein the length of the oscillator fiber is about 40m or less; and wherein the functional laser beam has a wavelength of about 405nm to about 470 nm.

In addition, the following devices, methods and systems are also provided: wherein the pump laser source has a blue laser diode system providing a pump laser beam having a wavelength of about 405nm to about 475nm and a power of greater than 100W; and wherein the Raman oscillator fiber has a core diameter of about 10 μm to 50 μm and is a graded index fiber or a step index fiber.

Also provided is an apparatus for cooling a laser including a pump laser source, which may be air-cooled (using active or passive air cooling), liquid-cooled (such as using a coolant or refrigerant), and water-cooled (such as using a closed-loop water cooling system).

Further, devices, methods, and systems are provided having one or more of the following features: wherein the pump laser source has a spectrum beam combiner; wherein the laser beams from the RLMs are coherently combined to form a single function laser beam; wherein the pump laser source has a laser diode and integral drive electronics to control current and enable fast pulsing of the pump laser source diode to provide a pulsed pump laser beam; and wherein the pulse rate is from about 0.1MHz to about 10 MHz.

Furthermore, a 3D printing apparatus having a starting material conveying apparatus is provided, wherein starting material can be conveyed to a target area adjacent to a predetermined build area; beam shaping optics to provide a functional laser beam spot having a cross-section of less than 100 microns at the build area; and a Raman Laser Module (RLM).

Further, there is provided an LAM system including a 3D printing apparatus having RLMs, which are one or more of the RLMs described in this specification.

Further, a method of Laser Additive Manufacturing (LAM) is provided, the method comprising: providing a starting material having a predetermined maximum absorption wavelength; directing a functional laser beam having a predetermined wavelength to the starting material based at least in part on matching the functional laser beam wavelength to a starting material maximum absorption wavelength; the functional laser beam interacts with the starting material to build the article.

Additionally, methods, systems, and devices are provided having one or more of the following features: wherein the functional laser beam wavelength and the maximum absorption wavelength match within 100nm of each other; wherein the functional laser beam wavelength and the maximum absorption wavelength match within 50nm of each other; wherein the functional laser beam wavelength and the maximum absorption wavelength are matched within 10% of each other; wherein the functional laser beam wavelength and the maximum absorption wavelength are matched within 20% of each other; wherein the functional laser beam wavelength and the maximum absorption wavelength are matched, wherein their wavelengths are equal; wherein the article is built in a single step; wherein the article has: a thermal expansion (at 25 ℃) of from 7.5 to 32 [ mu ] m/(m-K); a thermal conductivity of 18 to 450W/(m-K); a resistivity (at 20 ℃) of 14 to 420n Ω -m; a Young's modulus of 40 to 220 GPa; a shear modulus of 15 to 52 GPa; a bulk modulus of 40 to 190 GPa; a poisson's ratio of 0.2 to 0.5; a Mohs hardness of 1 to 7; a Vickers hardness of 150 to 3500 MPa; a Brinell hardness of 35 to 2800 MPa; 1.5 to 21g/cm³(ii) a density of (d); wherein the article has: a thermal expansion (at 25 ℃) of from 7.5 to 32 [ mu ] m/(m-K); a thermal conductivity of 18 to 450W/(m-K); a Young's modulus of 40 to 220 GPa; a shear modulus of 15 to 52 GPa; a bulk modulus of 40 to 190 GPa; a poisson's ratio of 0.2 to 0.5; and 1.5 to 21g/cm³(ii) a density of (d); wherein the article has: a resistivity (at 20 ℃) of 14 to 420n Ω -m; a poisson's ratio of 0.2 to 0.5; and a mohs hardness of 1 to 7; wherein the article has: a thermal expansion (at 25 ℃) of from 7.5 to 32 [ mu ] m/(m-K); a resistivity (at 20 ℃) of 14 to 420n Ω -m; a Young's modulus of 40 to 220 GPa; a Mohs hardness of 1 to 7; and 1.5 to 21g/cm³(ii) a density of (d); and wherein the article has physical properties selected from the group consisting of: a thermal expansion (at 25 ℃) of from 7.5 to 32 [ mu ] m/(m-K); a thermal conductivity of 18 to 450W/(m-K); a resistivity (at 20 ℃) of 14 to 420n Ω -m; a Young's modulus of 40 to 220 GPa; shear of 15 to 52GPaShear modulus; a bulk modulus of 40 to 190 GPa; a poisson's ratio of 0.2 to 0.5; a Mohs hardness of 1 to 7; a Vickers hardness of 150 to 3500 MPa; a Brinell hardness of 35 to 2800 MPa; and 1.5 to 21g/cm³The density of (c).

Further, devices, systems, and methods are provided having one or more of the following features: wherein the Raman oscillator comprises a crystal oscillator having a crystal selected from diamond, KGW, YVO₄And Ba (No)₃)₂The material of (a); wherein the Raman oscillator has a high pressure gas; wherein the pump laser source has a plurality of laser diodes to generate a pump laser beam having a beam parameter product of less than about 14 nm-mrad; and wherein the pump laser source has a plurality of laser diodes to generate a pump laser beam having a beam parameter product of about 9 to about 14 nm-mrad.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of a LAM system and process according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an example of starting materials in one stage of the LAM process according to the present invention.

Fig. 2A is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of an article formed from the starting material of fig. 2 in a subsequent stage of an embodiment of a LAM process according to the present invention.

Fig. 2B is a cross-sectional view of the article and an embodiment of the starting material of fig. 2A at a subsequent stage of an embodiment of a LAM process according to the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a LAM article according to the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a LAM article according to the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a LAM system according to the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a LAM system according to the present invention.

Figure 7 is a graph of output versus output coupler percentage for various raman oscillator fiber lengths providing 459nm functional laser beams in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a graph of output power versus output coupler percentage at various 100W pump wavelengths for providing a 455nm functional laser beam in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a graph of output power of 455nm function laser beams from 100W, 450nm pump laser beams versus output coupler for various Raman oscillator fiber lengths in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 10 is a plot of spot size versus beam waist for a pump laser beam passing through a 500mm focal length lens relative to the slow and fast axes of a collimated laser diode in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a chart showing the maximum absorption wavelength for an embodiment of the starting material used in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 12 is a graph showing the absorption of water used according to the present invention.

Fig. 13A to 13C are graphs showing raman stokes shift and raman cascade of raman fibers and raman crystals of various materials according to the present invention.

Fig. 14A to 14C are graphs showing raman anti-stokes shifts and raman cascades of raman fibers and raman crystals of various materials according to the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a Raman spectrum of an embodiment of phosphosilicate fiber for three different dopant contents used in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 16 is a graph of absorption curves for various metals, illustrating the increased absorption at the wavelengths shown for an embodiment of a laser in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 17 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a LAM system according to the present invention.

Fig. 18 is a graph illustrating laser performance of various embodiments of lasers according to the present invention.

Detailed Description

In general, the present invention relates to lasers that generate laser beams having wavelengths in the range of about 200nm to 800 nm. In particular, embodiments of the present invention relate to lasers that generate blue laser beams and the use of such laser beams. Furthermore, embodiments of the present invention relate to higher power and high power lasers and laser beams with wavelengths in the 300-700nm range, in particular in the range of the order of 400nm and in the range of the order of 500 nm; and these lasers and laser beams of these wavelengths have excellent beam quality. Embodiments of the invention also relate to additive manufacturing and laser material processing, in particular laser additive manufacturing processes as well as welding, brazing, cutting and soldering, of a novel laser beam using the novel laser of the invention.

Furthermore, embodiments of the present invention relate to predetermined metallic starting materials and predetermined laser wavelengths for laser additive manufacturing using these starting materials. In particular, embodiments of the present invention relate to a predetermined laser beam wavelength matched to a metallic starting material for laser additive manufacturing to produce a metallic article.

Referring (turning to) fig. 1, a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a LAM system and process is shown. Thus, there is shown a base 100, a laser unit 101, and a laser beam delivery assembly 102. The laser beam delivery unit 102 has a distal end 108, the distal end 108 being at a spaced distance (stand off distance)103 from the base 100 (and from the starting material when present on the base). Typically, during the LAM process, a starting material (not shown) is supported by the base 100. The starting material and laser beam then move relative to each other as functional laser beam 109 travels along beam path 110 to form laser spot 111 that contacts the starting material and couples the starting materials together to form the article. The relative motion (e.g., raster scan) of the starting material and the laser spot is illustrated by arrows 104 (e.g., x-axis movement), 105 (e.g., y-axis movement), 106 (e.g., z-axis movement), and 107 (e.g., rotation) and the angle at which the laser beam path and the laser beam strike the susceptor so that the starting material on the susceptor can be changed. The laser spot may also be moved in a vector fashion where x and y movements occur simultaneously to move the spot to a predetermined location on the material. The angle of the laser beam on the target in fig. 1 is 90 ° or at right angles to the base. The angle may vary from 45 ° to 135 °, 30 ° to 120 °,0 ° to 180 °, and 180 ° to 360 ° (e.g., inverting the article to form, for example, a U-shaped lip). Further combinations and variations of these different basic relative movements are also possible in conjunction with the firing of the laser beam and the deposition of the starting materials. Also, in this manner, many articles of different shapes, sizes and varying degrees of complexity can be manufactured. It will be appreciated that such relative movement may be achieved by moving the base, moving the laser delivery assembly, manipulating the laser beam (e.g., scanning the beam with a galvo scanner), and combinations and variations of these movements.

The laser unit and laser beam delivery assembly may be an integral device, or they may be separate but optically connected (e.g., by fiber optics or flying optics). Furthermore, some or all of the components of the laser unit may be located within the laser beam delivery assembly, and vice versa. Moreover, these and other components may be located remotely from the laser unit and laser beam delivery assembly. These remote components may be associated with the laser unit and the laser beam delivery assembly optically, functionally (e.g., control communications, data communications, WiFi, etc.), and both optically and functionally. The laser unit and laser beam delivery assembly typically have a high power laser (preferably a raman laser as disclosed and taught in this specification, or a direct diode laser as disclosed and taught in document 62/193,047, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference) and beam shaping processing optics to deliver a laser beam at a predetermined spot size along a laser beam path.

Preferably, the laser unit has a high power laser capable of generating and propagating a laser beam of a predetermined wavelength and transmitting the laser beam to a laser beam delivery assembly that can shape and deliver the laser beam from a distal end along a laser beam path to a target (e.g., a starting material), which may be on a base or on an article being constructed.

For example, the laser beam may preferably have one, two or more of the properties listed in Table I (the rows or columns in the table are not specific to a particular embodiment; thus, the properties of different rows may be combined with the properties of different columns, e.g., power may be present as one column for all different wavelengths.

TABLE I

Cross section is the longest distance across the spot (e.g., slow axis); for a circular spot, the cross-section is the diameter; for an elliptical spot, the cross-section is the major axis.

The laser beam delivery device contains passive and active beam shaping optics to provide a predetermined spot size at a desired separation distance. The laser beam delivery apparatus may also include or be operatively associated with monitoring and control means. For example, the device may look down the pipe using, for example, a high speed camera. In this manner, the camera views the laser beam path of the susceptor downward, and then can observe the formation of a melt pool (melt pool) due to the interaction of the laser beam with the starting material. Depth sensors or gauges, position sensors or gauges, laser monitors, infrared visible pyrometers and measuring devices for measuring the temperature of the molten bath, and other monitoring, analysis and control devices may be used. In this manner, the LAM process (e.g., the process of building or manufacturing an article from starting materials) can be monitored, analyzed, and controlled. Thus, the LAM process can be controlled to follow a predetermined application, can be changed or modified in real time, or the monitoring equipment can provide real time feedback on the densification and quality of the material under process.

The delivery means for providing the starting material may also be located in, adjacent to, or otherwise operatively associated with or otherwise associated with the laser beam delivery apparatus. In this manner, the starting material can be transported (e.g., sprayed, flowed, conveyed, drawn, poured, dusted) onto the base or article being fabricated. Thus, for example, the starting material may be conveyed by: a sprayer, a nozzle, a coaxial sprayer surrounding the laser beam, an air knife or doctor blade assembly, any device used to deliver the starting material prior to movement of the laser beam, a spray nozzle, and other means for delivering and processing the starting material. For example, a starting material conveying device and a method for conveying starting material, which are found in 3D printing applications, may be used.

Embodiments of 3D printing apparatus systems and methods are disclosed and taught in U.S. patent nos. 5,352,405, 5,340,656, 5,204,055, 4,863,538, 5,902,441, 5,053,090, 5,597,589, and U.S. patent application publication No. 2012/0072001, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.

The control system preferably integrates, monitors and controls the operation of the laser, the movement of the various components that provide the relative motion required to build the article, and the delivery of the starting materials. The control system may also integrate, monitor, and control other aspects of the operation, such as monitoring, safety interlocks, laser operating conditions, and LAM processing programs or schedules. The control system may be in communication with or have as part of its system (e.g., via a network) data storage and processing devices for storing and computing various information and data related to: such as customer information, billing information, inventory, operating history, maintenance and LAM procedures or plans, etc.

The LAM process program or plan is a file, program, or series of instructions implemented by the controller to operate the LAM device (e.g., 3D printer) to perform a predetermined LAM process to manufacture a predetermined article of manufacture. The LAM treatment plan may be a 3D drawing or model file, which may be based on or derived from a 3D drawing or model file, e.g. a CAD file, such as a standard format file, including: for example,. STEP,. STL,. WRL (VRML),. PLY.₃DS and ZPR. The controller has a LAM processing plan (e.g., in its memory, on a drive, on a storage device, or available via a network), and uses the plan to operate the device to perform LAM processing to build the desired article of manufacture. The controller may have the ability to directly use the 3D model file or convert the file into a LAM treatment plan. The conversion may be done by another computer and may be used directly in the controller after completion, or may be stored in memory or in a storage deviceReady for later use. An example of a program that converts a 3D model file into a LAM treatment plan is ZPrint by Z Corp^TM。

The starting materials can be liquids, fluids, solids, inverse emulsions, colloids, microemulsions, suspensions, and the like, as well as combinations and variations thereof. Fluid-based starting material systems, such as suspensions, colloids, emulsions, have a carrier component and a building component dispersed within the carrier component. The build component interacts with the laser beam to produce the article. These starting material systems may have a carrier component that is transmissive to the laser wavelength and a build component that absorbs the laser wavelength. Referring to fig. 11 and 12, the absorption characteristics of an example of a metal starting material (e.g., a build material) and an example of a carrier component, the absorption characteristics of water, are shown. As can be seen from these figures, at the 450nm wavelength, the building components are highly absorbing, whereas water is readily transmissive to this wavelength. Thus, for a fluid-based starting material system, for a predetermined laser wavelength, particularly the laser wavelength in table I, the absorption of the build component can be at least 2 times, at least 5 times, at least 10 times, and at least 100 times the absorption of the carrier component.

Referring to fig. 16, the absorption characteristics of alumina, copper, gold, silver, titanium, iron, nickel, stainless steel 304, and tin are shown, which may be the base constituents of or constitute the starting materials. As can be seen from this figure, the absorption of these metals is greater at the wavelength of the embodiments of the inventive laser (e.g., line 1602) than at the IR wavelength (e.g., line 1601).

Preferably, for the wavelengths in table I, the starting material is a metal-based particle, e.g., bead, powder, microparticle. Thus, examples of starting materials may be particles of magnesium, aluminum, gallium, tin, lead, titanium, vanadium, chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, zirconium, molybdenum, rhodium, palladium, silver, cadmium, tungsten, gold, and mercury, alloys of these and other metals, Inconel (Inconel)625, Inconel (Invar), stainless steel 304, and mixtures and variations of these and other metals and alloys. Examples of starting materials may be or include: ceramic materials, such as silicon carbide, photo-configurable (aluminosilicate) glass-ceramic substrates; aluminum filled plastic; impact-resistant nylon; nylon; filling glass with nylon; flame-retardant nylon; carbon fibers; filling carbon fibers with nylon; and rubber-based plastics. Embodiments of the system may also include a flowing gas knife to ensure that the optical system remains clean and to provide a means to trap any volatiles released during material processing. The particles may also contain metals and other materials, such as ceramics or fillers, for example to make mixed metal complex or composite products. Other types of starting materials known in the art of 3D printing may also be used. Preferably, the functional laser beam wavelength may be matched (e.g., predetermined) to the absorption characteristics of the starting material. Thus, for example, an example of a starting material with high absorption at 450nm is shown in fig. 11, which is also shown in fig. 16.

The metal particles may be incorporated and preferably distributed evenly in the fiber or rod to be fed into the path of the laser beam to build the article. Preferably, the carrier for the metal particles in the fibres or rods can be incorporated into the alloy being formed, so that the correct ratio of each metal to the metal "tube" is established to provide the necessary balance of materials in the molten bath. In addition, the fiber or rod support may be a non-metallic material that is removed by the air knife system by functional laser beam evaporation with minimal, negligible, or no effect on the starting material or the constructed article. The carrier material may also be selected to form a portion of an article, such as a composite article. For example, the functional laser beam may have absorption characteristics that provide for the fusion of the metal particles, thereby creating a matrix for the article, which is then filled with the support material.

The new laser and high power laser beam provide many conditions for these types of predetermined starting material combinations to take advantage of different absorption characteristics and build materials and articles that were not achievable with previous 3D printing (typically not achievable at wavelengths below about 700 nm). Furthermore, if the metal particles are in the submicron range, the ability to construct unique and novel nanocomposite articles and nanocomposites is provided.

It should be understood that the article and the constructed or manufactured article may be: for example, the final product, the finished part for the final product, the product or part requiring further processing or additional manufacturing steps, materials for other applications, and coatings on substrates, such as coatings on electrical wires.

The particles of starting material may consist entirely of a single metal or a single alloy, may consist entirely of several metals, alloys and mixtures of the two, and may consist of from about 5% to about 100% of the metal, alloy or both. The metal-based component of the starting material particles may be located outside the particles so as to be in direct contact with the laser beam and may be used to couple the particles together. The particles may be the same shape, substantially the same shape, or they may be different shapes. The particles may be of substantially the same size, or they may be of different sizes. The cross-sectional size of the particles may be from about <1 μm to about 1mm, from about 1 μm to about 100 μm, from about 1 μm to about 5 μm, from about 0.05 μm to about 2.5 μm, from about 0.1 μm to about 3.5 μm, from about 0.5 μm to about 1.5 μm, from about 1 μm to about 10 μm, from about 0.1 μm to about 1 μm, and larger and smaller sizes. The particle size, e.g. the cross-section, may have a predetermined size with respect to the predetermined functional laser beam wavelength. Thus, for example, the size of the particles may be about 1/10 times the laser beam spot size, equal to the laser beam wavelength, 2 times the wavelength, 3 times the wavelength, 5 times the wavelength, 10 times the wavelength, and smaller and larger sizes. Preferably, the use of particles having a size smaller than the laser beam spot and a laser beam spot approximately the same size as the laser beam (e.g., a single mode diffraction limited beam forming its smallest spot) can provide very high resolution articles, such as high resolution 3D printing.

The particle size and shape may be predetermined relative to a predetermined functional laser beam spot. Thus, for example, the size of the particles may be smaller than the laser beam spot (e.g., 1/2, 1/5, 1/10), approximately equal to the laser beam spot, 2 times the spot, 3 times the spot, 5 times the spot, 10 times the spot. The particles may have substantially the same shape as the laser beam spot (e.g., spherical beads for a circular spot) or a different shape, as well as combinations and variations of these shapes.

For a batch of particles in a starting material having a particle size distribution, a median particle size distribution, e.g., D, can be used when referring to the size of the particles₅₀. Typical 3D printers have an average particle size of 40 μm and a particle size in the range of 15 μm to 80 μm. Controlling a more stringent particle distribution is preferred and will improve the surface roughness of the final printed part.

The shape of the particles in the starting material may be any volume shape and may include, for example, the following shapes: spherical, spherule, annular, lenticular, disc, panel, cone, truncated cone, square, rectangular, cubic, channel, hollow sealed chamber, hollow sphere, block, sheet, coating, film, skin, slab, fiber, staple, tubular, cup, irregular or amorphous shape, ellipsoid, sphere, ovoid, polyhedral structures and polyhedrons (e.g., octahedron, dodecahedron, rhombohedral, triacontahedron and prisms) and combinations and variations of these and other more complex shapes in engineering and construction. The preferred particle shape is essentially a nearly perfect sphere with a narrow size distribution to aid particle flow through the system and reduce the surface roughness of the final part being manufactured. When the average particle size is less than 40 μm, any shape that can reduce the viscosity, friction, and both between particles is preferable.

Referring to fig. 2-2B, schematic diagrams of embodiments of LAM processes are shown. In fig. 2, a simplified schematic of several starting material particles (e.g., 201, 202, 203) forming two layers 204, 205 is shown. In operation, the functional laser beam interacts with the starting material particles that fuse them together to form the initial portion 206 (shown in FIG. 2A) of the article 207. In fig. 2B, an additional layer 208 of starting material particles (e.g., 209) is placed on the initial portion 206. The functional laser beam then fuses the additional layer 208 with the initial portion 206 to further build the article 207. The process is then repeated until the article is complete.

In the embodiments of the process and article of fig. 2-2B, the article is constructed as a substantially solid, monolithic material, such as shown in the initial portion 206. The LAM device and process, particularly the LAM device using the laser beam of table 1, enables the manufacture of very strong articles without the need for a separate impregnation or resin impregnation step to strengthen the article. Thus, embodiments of the LAM device and method of the present invention can make an article in a single step (i.e., without a subsequent infiltration process, filling or refilling-type process) that is 2 times, 3 times, 4 times, 10 times or more stronger than articles made by a single process with current 3D printers and by a two-step re-infiltration process. Thus, an article of the present invention constructed (e.g., 3D printed) from an embodiment of an LAM of the present invention may have the properties listed in table II.

TABLE II

Embodiments of LAM-built articles and materials, particularly articles built by a single-step 3D printing process, may have one or more of the following properties: a thermal expansion (at 25 ℃) of 0 to 32 [ mu ] m/(m-K); a thermal conductivity of 18 to 450W/(m-K); a resistivity (at 20 ℃) of 14 to 420n Ω -m; a Young's modulus of 40 to 220 GPa; a shear modulus of 15 to 52 GPa; a bulk modulus of 40 to 190 GPa; a poisson's ratio of 0.2 to 0.5; a Mohs hardness of 1 to 7; a Vickers hardness of 150 to 3500 MPa; a Brinell hardness of 35 to 2800 MPa; 1.5 to 21g/cm³(ii) a density of (d); and combinations of these and other features and properties.

Referring to fig. 3, an embodiment of an article in the form of a build skeleton 301 made from a metallic starting material is shown that can be formed by selectively melting the metallic starting material using a functional laser beam in accordance with a LAM processing plan. The scaffold 301 has interconnected filaments, e.g., 302, 303, and voids (e.g., 304). Further LAM processing or other processing may be performed on the article 301, or the article 301 may be a final article, such as a filter.

Referring to fig. 4, an embodiment of a build article 400 comprised of several different sized starting material particles (e.g., 401, 403, 404) is shown. The particles are fused together at the coupling (e.g., 405, 406, 407) and form a void, e.g., 408. The article 400 may be subjected to further LAM processing or other processing, or the article 400 may be a final article.

Referring to fig. 5, a perspective view of an embodiment of a LAM system 500 is shown. The system 500 has a housing 501, the housing 501 containing a laser unit, a laser beam delivery assembly, and a base. The housing 501 also houses motors, sensors, actuators, nozzles, starting material delivery devices, and other devices for performing relative motion and delivering starting material in a predetermined manner, such as equipment and devices for implementing LAM processing plans. The housing 501, and more specifically the components within the housing 501, are in data and control communication via cable 503 with an operator station 502 having a controller. The controller may be a PLC (programmable logic controller), an automation and equipment controller, a PC or other type of computer that can implement LAM processing planning. In this embodiment, the operator station has two GUIs (graphical user interfaces) 503, 504, e.g. monitors. The chassis 501 has an access panel 505, which access panel 505 may be a window with laser safety glass.

In an embodiment of the LAM system, the system (preferably, the enclosure) may house the following additional components: an automatic air filter, a starting material bulk storage, a compressor for delivering air to clean the final article, an internal filtration system such that the build area (e.g., where the functional laser beam interacts with and fuses the starting material) remains clean and free of dust or other material that interferes with the travel of the laser beam along the laser beam path. Further, the controller may be located in the housing, adjacent to the housing, or at a remote location, but may be in control and data communication with the system. Oxygen monitors in the build chamber and filters may also be used, and preferably are used, to continuously monitor for the absence of oxygen.

Referring to fig. 6, a perspective view of a LAM build area 600 is provided. The build area 600 has a build table 601, the build table 601 having a drive motor 602, the drive motor 602 being connected to the table 601 by an articulated robot 603. In this way, the movement, rotation, angle, separation distance of the table can be controlled. The starting material delivery assembly 604 has a feedstock supply line 605 and a nozzle 606 positioned proximate to where the aiming laser beam 608 is located. Laser beam 608 is delivered from laser head 614. Laser head 614 has: a camera 611 for viewing the LAM process, a connector 612 and an optical fiber 613 for delivering a functional laser beam from the laser unit, and beam shaping optics 607 for transmitting the laser beam 608, such as focusing optics for transmitting the laser beam 608 along a laser beam path 616 to a target area 617. Laser head 614 has two laser position determining devices 609, 610 that use laser beams to measure and monitor the position size and shape of the articles built during the LAM process. Laser head 614 has a mount 615 connected to a frame (not shown). The frame and drive motor 602 may also be unitary and may be movable to provide other types of relative motion.

Lower wavelength ranges (e.g., about 700nm and lower) have significant advantages in LAM, particularly in 3D printing. In these lower wavelength ranges, the higher absorption of starting materials, in particular metal and metal-based starting materials, enables LAM processing with higher efficiency. For example, due to the high absorption rate, less laser power is required to couple the starting materials to build the article. As a result, the following advantages are obtained: faster build times, cheaper LAM devices, less maintenance and larger duty cycles are required for LAM devices.

For example, the linear printing speed of embodiments of 3D printers that build metal articles may be greater than 1 m/sec, greater than 5 m/sec, and greater than 10 m/sec. In addition, typically depending on the specific material, a blue laser can cut 2mm or less of sheet metal, which is CO₂The laser is at least about 4 times faster than a fiber laser, and at least about 2 times faster. In other words, this makes 2kW blue lasers with 5-8kW CO for these materials₂The same cutting rate of the laser. Blue laserIncreased absorption of light is advantageous and preferred in cases where the adiabatic process dominates the laser process, such as in the case of cutting, welding and sintering thin materials. For materials of 5mm or more, where the process is limited by the thermal diffusivity of the material being processed, this advantage is less utilized, or provides less benefit, and therefore the absorption properties have less impact on the process than just the total power being used.

In addition, the lower wavelength enables substantially smaller spot sizes and greater control over the build process. In this manner, articles (equivalent to finely machined parts) having sharper edges, smoother surfaces, and highly refined surface features and properties can be obtained using the LAM system of the present invention. Basically, the spot size formed by the laser is limited by the wavelength of the source laser, with shorter wavelengths forming smaller spot sizes for a given focal length system. However, if the same spot size is desired, a longer focal length lens can be used with the blue laser compared to the IR laser, allowing the blue laser to provide up to 8 times the addressable infrared laser source volume.

The spot size of the system combined with the fused particle size determines the minimum feature size and surface roughness. The use of small diameter particles (<40 μm, <10 μm or <1 μm) of beam size <40 μm, <10 μm or <1 μm can produce parts with minimum feature sizes on the order of about 40 μm, about 10 μm or about 1 μm, thereby significantly improving the surface roughness of parts <1 μm. The smaller the spot, the smaller the particles used to form the part, which means that shrinkage and stress of the part can be controlled significantly better than larger particles, and therefore greater part stability can be achieved. The smaller the volume of material processed, the less energy is required to melt the "voxel", and therefore the substrate or component under construction will experience a lower thermal gradient during fabrication, and therefore the lower the amount of shrinkage of the component as it "cools" down from its processing temperature. Thus, by fusing the particles into a solid using lower laser power, e.g., lower heat input, greater strength and lower deformation of the constructed article can be achieved.

Embodiments of the laser of the present invention provide a laser beam in the range of 300nm to 800 nm. Embodiments of the raman laser of the present invention provide laser beams having wavelengths in the 300-700nm range, and in particular, in the 400nm order range and the 500nm order range. Embodiments of the raman laser of the present invention have a power of at least about 10W (0.01kW), at least about 100W (0.1kW), at least about 1000W (1kW), at least about 5kW, and greater. In addition, the raman laser and laser beam of the present invention have excellent beam quality. Thus, these embodiments of raman-generated laser beams may have beam parameter scalability as shown in fig. 18. The figure highlights the beam parameters that can be generated with: a direct blue laser diode source line (450nm) 1801, a wavelength-combined blue laser diode source line 1802, an optically combined raman laser source line 1803, and a wavelength-combined blue raman laser source line 1804. Raman laser sources provide source brightness superior to IR lasers with similar power output. Wavelength-combined raman sources provide unprecedented power and beam brightness over a wide range of output power levels. With the development of large core fibers capable of maintaining single mode performance over a wide spectral range (about 10 μm for fused silica), raman laser sources can have scalability similar to wavelength-combined raman laser sources.

It should be noted that while the present description focuses primarily on applications using the raman high power blue laser of the present invention in LAM processes, systems and devices, the raman laser of the present invention may also be used in many existing and future applications. Thus, for example, embodiments of the raman laser of the present invention may be applied to: welding, cutting, heat treatment, brazing and surface modification; pumping n-stage raman fiber lasers to achieve any visible wavelength; providing a blue raman laser beam having a power of at least about 10W in combination with a digital mirror arrangement for projecting a color image (including 3D capabilities); providing a blue raman laser beam having a power of at least about 10W for entertainment purposes; providing a blue raman laser beam having a power of at least about 10W for pumping the phosphor for producing a white light source that may be applied to a projection system, a headlamp or an illumination system, etc.; providing a blue raman laser beam having a power of at least about 10W for underwater laser ranging; providing a blue raman laser beam having a power of at least about 10W for underwater communications (including encrypted communications); providing a blue raman laser beam having a power of at least about 10W for laser ranging, particularly in high water content environments such as fog and clouds; providing a blue raman laser beam having a power of at least about 10W for communication, in particular encrypted communication in high water content environments such as fog and clouds; providing a blue raman laser beam having a power of at least about 1000W for use as a laser weapon underwater and in high water content environments (such as fog and clouds); providing a blue raman laser beam having a power of at least about 10000W for marine and offshore rescue operations, particularly in surface, tidal and underground environments; providing a blue raman laser beam having a power of at least about 1000W for use as a laser weapon at sea, less than a few feet from sea, passing through sea waves and below the sea surface; providing a blue raman laser beam having a power of at least about 1000W for use as a non-lethal laser weapon; providing a blue raman laser beam having a power of at least about 100W for glass cutting; providing a blue raman laser beam having a power of at least about 1000W for removing paint; providing a blue raman laser beam having a power of at least about 100W for discovering diamonds on the seafloor by raman scattering; a blue raman laser beam with a power of at least about 100W is provided for melting AuSn solder and general soldering.

Embodiments of the blue raman laser of the present invention can be applied to most existing laser cutting, machining and manufacturing systems. Blue raman lasers can be a ready alternative to these systems, replacing existing IR (infrared, >700nm) lasers currently used in such systems. In these systems, blue raman lasers can increase efficiency and processing speed by a factor of two to ten compared to the replaced IR lasers, as well as providing other advantages. The blue raman laser may also provide an overall improved system with less power requirements and a smaller footprint. Thus, for example, embodiments of blue raman lasers may be used to replace (e.g., replace) IR lasers used in laser systems of manufacturing equipment, such as large automobile manufacturers. Preferably, the laser replacement can occur with minimal change to other components of the laser system, such as beam delivery optics for blue wavelengths that need to be coated.

Typically, embodiments of the blue raman laser of the present invention use a solid state laser to pump an n-stage raman laser to oscillate between 410nm and 800 nm. In one embodiment, an array of blue diode lasers (having at least 10, at least 50, and at least 1000 diodes) emitting in the 405-475nm region can pump n-order Raman lasers to oscillate at any order between 410nm and the near infrared 800nm (e.g., n-Raman order). It should be understood that larger stages or other stages are also possible and within the contemplation of the invention; however, n-order in the 405-475nm range is currently preferred, since several commercially available laser diodes in the wavelength pumping range are available to provide the n-order Raman range.

In one embodiment, the array of blue diode lasers may pump anti-stokes raman lasers to generate wavelengths as short as 300nm through the n-raman order. While the anti-stokes line gains significantly less than the stokes line, it is preferable to use a low loss medium when converting from 450nm pump wavelength to 300 nm.

In one embodiment, the blue laser diode pumping is based on a separate laser diode in the case of T056 or mounted separately. Typically, the pump laser beam from the laser diode is collimated in two axes. The laser diodes may be placed in a modular package prior to insertion into the backplane, where all of the laser diodes may be collinear and focused simultaneously into a single optical fiber. The laser diodes may also be mounted on a single carrier, with their beams collimated and launched into the fiber through a single focusing optic. Thus, the laser diode beam can be launched into a double-clad fiber with an outer cladding of 20 μm or more and an inner core diameter sufficient to support single mode operation at the nth raman order (to be the output laser wavelength). The ratio of outer cladding to inner core is limited by the threshold of the n +1 order, where it is desired to pump the nth order instead of the n +1 order. The n +1 order can be suppressed by: limiting the ratio of outer to inner core, the length of the fiber, or suppressing the n +1 order by the filter in the resonator.

In a preferred embodiment, the raman blue laser of the present invention can be extended to 2.9kW when pumped by a high brightness blue laser source. At these power levels, the conversion efficiency pumped by blue laser diodes to 455nm or 459nm wavelength can be as high as 80%, with the result that the system electro-optic conversion efficiency is ≧ 20%.

The raman conversion process depends on and can be highly dependent on the modal loss of the fiber at the blue wavelength. This loss is mainly due to rayleigh scattering in the fiber and varies according to the fourth power backward of the wavelength, so the loss at 450nm can be in the order of 30 dB/km. This loss can be a concern, and in some embodiments is a major concern, when designing laser systems. To account for such losses, embodiments of the raman laser of the present invention may use short fibers (e.g., <15m, <10m, <5m, <3 m). These shorter length embodiments improve the operating efficiency of the laser. However, it should be understood that longer fibers are contemplated. Therefore, the length of the raman oscillation fiber may be 30m or more, 50m or more, 80m or more, and 100m or more.

Modeling this embodiment of the raman laser shows that a high oscillation power level at the first raman conversion stage can be achieved using a relatively high output coupler reflectivity, which enables efficient energy transfer to the stage. The energy conversion loss due to the raman shift is nominal, since the pump wavelength is 447nm, which causes the first raman stage to oscillate at 455 nm. This corresponds to a quantum deficit of only 2% at the converted wavelength, while 98% of the energy is available. However, for the shortest fiber modeling (6m), rayleigh scattering in the fiber limits the conversion efficiency to less than 80%. It should be understood that shorter fiber lasers than the modeled laser are contemplatedAnd greater and lesser conversion efficiencies can be achieved. Conversely, if Rayleigh scattering can be reduced in an optical fiber, for example, P-doped fibers with 85% loss for fused silica fibers₂O₅Fibers, and a gain of 5 times higher, higher efficiencies can be achieved.

The raman conversion laser of the present invention is capable of processing n raman orders. This capability can be used to design the fiber laser output that can oscillate at a predetermined wavelength (e.g., at 455nm or 459 nm). This embodiment may be designed to oscillate simultaneously at different wavelengths (e.g. at 455nm and 459 nm). Preferably, the secondary raman order is suppressed. This suppression can be achieved by: for example, having good AR coatings on the fiber, limiting the length of the fiber and limiting the cladding to core ratio, adding in-line lossy filters at the sub-raman level, and combinations and variations of these.

In addition to fibers, raman oscillators can be crystals and gases. The raman crystal oscillator may be: such as diamond, KGW, YVO₄And Ba (NO)₃)₂. The raman gas oscillator may be: such as high pressure gas, e.g., 50 atmospheres, high pressure hydrogen, and high pressure methane.

The design and construction of multiple kW fiber lasers at wavelengths in the 400-800nm range (e.g. at 455nm or 459 nm) is achieved by combining a cladding pumped raman laser with a laser diode beam combining method. FIG. 7 is the predicted output of the laser source when emitting up to 4000 watts of laser diode power depending on the fiber length into a 200 μm diameter cladding with a 30 μm single core. Fig. 7 shows the power output W and% output coupler of a raman fiber laser that produces 459nm laser beams from raman fibers having lengths of 20m, 15m, 10m, 8m and 6 m. These shorter length fiber embodiments have additional advantages: adverse artifacts caused by other non-linear phenomena, such as stimulated brillouin scattering, are reduced, mitigated and preferably eliminated while suppressing sub-raman order oscillations.

In an embodiment, a method employing a diamond raman converter or similar material uses a conventional resonator, such as a semi-confocal or fully confocal resonator, combined with a mode-matched pump beam. Diamond is a good choice due to its very large stokes shift and high raman gain coefficient.

Examples of stokes shifts for various oscillators are shown in table III, where the first stokes shift corresponds to a 29nm shift in the wavelength of light of 450nm to 479nm, one of the largest single stokes shifts being achievable with currently available materials that are transparent at that wavelength. Other raman conversion methods may be used to achieve high power visible operation, such as, for example, transmission into the following materials: pure fused silica optical fiber doped with GeO₂Optical fiber, doped with P₂O₅(P) fiber, KGW crystal pumped by laser diode array or single laser source, YVO pumped by laser diode array or single laser source₄(Yttrium vanadate) crystal, Ba (NO) pumped by laser diode array or single laser source₃)₂(barium nitrate) crystal.

TABLE III

Examples of these laser diode packaging concepts enable very compact high density configurations with highly modular designs, which may provide significant reliability for sufficient redundancy. An embodiment of the blue diode laser device oscillates at 450nm at 20 c. This wavelength can be shifted to lower wavelengths by cooling the diode, for example, a GaN laser diode wavelength shift of about 0.04 to 0.06 nm/deg.c. The wavelength can also be reduced by using an external grating-locked diode, such as a Volume Bragg Grating (VBG) or a scribed grating in a Littrow (Littman-Metcalf) external cavity. Only a single VBG is needed to lock the entire pump array to the desired wavelength. But two, three or more VBGs may be used. For a raman laser oscillating at 455nm or 459nm, the pump wavelength may be 450 nm. It should be noted that the 455nm line has lower gain and results in lower conversion efficiency than the 459nm line.

The blue laser diode pump is fiber coupled and fused to a raman laser, such as a raman oscillator fiber. This is preferred and provides the most robust design, enabling operation under extreme conditions such as high vibration and large temperature excursion. It will be appreciated that although preferred for extreme conditions, other ways of coupling the pump laser to the raman oscillator fibre may be employed, such as free space with external optics.

Referring to fig. 8, the simulated output of a raman oscillator fiber laser with a core diameter of 10 μm and a cladding diameter of 62.5 μm is shown. The laser has an HR grating at the pump wavelength at the distal end of the fiber and an HR grating at the first order raman at the pump input end of the fiber. The reflectivity of the output coupler at the far end of the fiber, first order raman, was varied to study the dependence on fiber length and pump center wavelength. Designs requiring high reflectivity at first order raman are preferred, but not required, for suppressing second order raman oscillations. The results of the pump wavelength variation at 450nm, 449nm, 448nm and 447nm coupled into the raman oscillator fiber are shown in fig. 8 for a 455nm oscillator output, thereby showing the pump bandwidth of the oscillation at the predetermined wavelength. In the graph and model, the output power is shown as a function of the output coupler and pump source wavelength. The length of the fiber was 15 meters, the diameter of the cladding was 62.5 μm, and the numerical aperture (na) was 0.21. The higher outer cladding na enables a high output power level to be injected into the cladding.

The 459nm raman laser simulation result is shown in fig. 9. In this embodiment, the raman laser provides a laser beam of 459nm, with output power shown as a function of two output couplers of 20m and 15m fiber length. The cladding and core configurations are the same as in the embodiment of fig. 8, with 459nm being the first order raman of these fibers when pumped using the 450nm center wavelength of a laser diode. If broadband temperature operation is required, a volume bragg grating can be used to stabilize the wavelength with a minor effect on the output power.

Using a 500mm focal lengthThe lens measures the embodiment of the blue laser diode pump that produces a 450nm beam to determine the beam caustic and thus the diameter of the fiber that the laser array can emit. Fig. 10 shows the beam waist as a function of output power, which does not vary significantly with the output power of the device. The graph shows that the slow axis has a 1/e of 200 μm²Beam waist, which is converted to a 30 μm beam waist when an 80mm focal length lens is used. Fig. 10 also has the fast axis represented by the graph. This means that for this embodiment a coupling efficiency of over 90% can be achieved in a fiber having a diameter of 62.5 μm. The pump power and brightness can be doubled by using two polarization states before launching into a 62.5 μm diameter fiber. Thus, in this embodiment, the output power of the raman oscillator laser fiber will be greater than about 60 watts with an input power of 200 watts.

The high brightness blue laser diode used in the embodiments of fig. 7-10 provides sufficient fluence to produce sufficient gain in the single mode core to allow raman oscillation to provide a raman-generated laser beam. Thus, these embodiments of the present invention overcome one of the key problems that hinder the development of visible raman lasers. The problem is the high loss of the fiber at visible wavelengths. This is believed to be one of the reasons (if not the critical reason) why visible raman oscillating lasers were ignored by the art prior to the present invention and were not explained or suggested by others.

Embodiments of the raman oscillator of the present invention can be made of many different types of materials. Preferably, for the fibers, they are silica-based materials and will comprise materials that have been doped with GeO₂Or P₂O₅The silica-based fibers of (a) and their properties are shown in table III. Other heavy metals may also be used as dopants for various types of oscillators where the operating wavelength is near the band edge of absorption, which results in an abnormal raman gain that may be significantly higher than conventional sources. One example of a material for 500nm light is tellurate doped glass, where the raman gain is almost 40 times that of fused silica. Other dopants with similar results may be used at the target wavelength of 450 nm.

In a preferred embodiment, for double clad fibers, there is a high NA outer cladding, where the cladding has relatively low loss at the pump wavelength and the core has dimensions >3 μm, >10 μm, and in some embodiments >20 μm. The cladding/core ratio is preferably kept below a threshold value for self-oscillation of the second order Stokes wire. The primary stokes gain is determined by the intensity of light in the cladding coupled to the core, while the secondary stokes gain is determined by the oscillation of the primary stokes line in the core. As previously mentioned, this becomes the limiting factor and depends on the following: losses in the fiber, the oscillating power of the first order stokes line, the length of the fiber and the resulting overall gain, and (if any) second order stokes signal feedback. This process ultimately limits the amount of brightness enhancement that can be achieved by this approach, which can be addressed, for example, by the scalability shown in fig. 18, where the raman source requires a wavelength beam combining approach to achieve high brightness and high power.

Raman amplification has a very wide bandwidth, enabling modulation rates in the GHz regime to be fully achieved. Due to the short lifetime associated with the inversion process, fast modulation of the blue raman laser source is possible. The ability to rapidly modulate can provide significant benefits in additive manufacturing applications where, for example, the components have high spatial frequencies or require elaborate details to be reproduced. Ideally, the faster the laser can be turned on and off, the faster the printing component. For example, in an embodiment at a given scan speed, the spatial frequency of a part becomes a limitation on the print rate, since a laser that can only be modulated at a few kHz requires the scanner to move at low speed to replicate the fine details and spatial frequency of the part, whereas a laser that can be modulated at around 10ghz (region) can scan the part quickly, thereby printing the part quickly.

Table IV shows the build rate of the fiber laser compared to the build rate of the equivalent power level blue laser. The table shows that for a given spot size, the blue laser can achieve a larger build volume and, depending on the materials compared, the speed increase is from 1.2 times (titanium) to >80 times (gold) based on enhanced laser wavelength absorption.

TABLE IV

Referring to fig. 13A, the transition through the stokes lines of three raman orders to provide a 478nm functional laser beam from a 450nm pump source is shown.

Examples of raman fiber lasers with different materials and their corresponding wavelength outputs for n-order stokes shifts when pumped with 450nm lasers are shown in fig. 13B and 13C. These fibers all have a 20 μm diameter core and a 50 μm cladding thickness.

Referring to fig. 14A, the transition through three raman orders of anti-stokes to provide a 425nm functional laser beam from a 450nm pump source is shown.

Examples of raman fiber lasers with different materials and their corresponding wavelength outputs for n-order stokes shifts when pumped with 450nm lasers are shown in fig. 14B and 14C. These fibers all have a 20 μm diameter core and a 50 μm cladding thickness.

Referring to fig. 15, a raman spectrum of a phosphorus doped silicate fiber is shown. P in the fiber₂O₅The concentration is as follows: 18 mol%, line 1; 7 mol%, line 2; and does not contain P₂O₅(e.g., 0 nik%) fused silica fiber, line 3. Thus, it can be in a few cm^-1To 1330cm^-1To achieve laser emission over a wide frequency range.

The following embodiments are provided to illustrate various embodiments of the LAM system, LAM method, and raman oscillator laser of the present invention. These examples are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention.

Example 1

Raman Laser Modules (RLMs) have forward pumped Raman standard laser modules as pump lasers for Raman laser oscillator fibers to provide for various manufacturing applications200W, M for use with predetermined manufacturing applications²A 460nm laser beam of about 1, which can be modulated up to 2 MHz. A pump Standard Laser Module (SLM) provides a 200W, 10mm-mrad laser beam of about 450nm to be used as a forward pump for the laser oscillator fiber. The oscillator fiber has a cladding of 60-100 μm, a core of 10-50 μm, and provides an output of 200W,<0.3mm-mrad, about 460nm laser beam.

Example 2

The 5 RLMs of example 1 are in the additive manufacturing system of fig. 5. Their beams are combined to form a single 1kW functional laser beam. The exemplary embodiments may be used to print (e.g., build or manufacture) a metal-based article.

Example 3

The 5 RLMs of example 1 are in the additive manufacturing system of fig. 6. Their beams are combined to form a single 1kW functional laser beam. The exemplary embodiments may be used to print (e.g., build or manufacture) a metal-based article.

Example 4

The 7 RLMs of example 1 are in the 3D printer of fig. 5. Their beams are combined to form a single 1.4kW functional laser beam. The exemplary embodiments may be used to print (e.g., build or manufacture) a metal-based article.

Example 5

The 10 RLMs of example 1 are in the additive manufacturing system of fig. 6. Their beams are combined to form a single 2kW functional laser beam. The illustrated embodiment may be used to print (e.g., build or manufacture) a metal-based article.

Example 6

Raman Laser Module (RLM) has a counter-pumped Raman standard laser module as a pump laser for a Raman laser oscillator fiber to provide 200W, M for various and predetermined manufacturing applications²A 460nm laser beam of about 1, which can be modulated up to 2 MHz. A pump Standard Laser Module (SLM) provides a 200W, 10mm-mrad laser beam of about 450nm to be used as a back pump for the laser oscillator fiber. The oscillator fiber has a cladding of 60-100 μm, a core of 10-50 μm, and provides an outputIs 200W,<0.3mm-mrad, about 460nm laser beam.

Example 7

The 5 RLMs of example 6 are in the additive manufacturing system of fig. 5. Their beams are combined to form a single 1kW functional laser beam. The exemplary embodiments may be used to print (e.g., build or manufacture) a metal-based article.

Example 8

The 8 RLMs of example 6 are in the additive manufacturing system of fig. 6. Their beams are combined to form a single 1,6kW functional laser beam. The illustrated embodiment may be used to print (e.g., build or manufacture) a metal-based article.

Example 9

One RLM of example 6 is in the additive manufacturing system of fig. 5. The LRM provides a single 0.2 kW functional laser beam. The illustrated embodiment may be used to print (e.g., build or manufacture) a metal-based article.

Example 10

At any n-raman order from the originating pump wavelength, the high power raman laser is pumped by a high brightness blue laser diode with an output power >1 watt.

Example 11

The laser of example 10 is used for material processing applications such as welding, cutting, heat treatment, brazing, and surface modification.

Example 12

High power blue laser diode systems (405nm-475nm) that can launch >100 watts into >50 μm fibers.

Example 13

A high power blue laser diode system with a beam parameter product >5mm-mrad for pumping a raman fiber laser.

Example 14

A high power blue laser diode system with a beam parameter product >10mm-mrad for pumping a raman fiber laser.

Example 15

A high power blue laser diode system of an n-raman order fiber laser is pumped to achieve any visible wavelength.

Example 16

A high power blue laser diode system with a raman fiber laser output on all n stages is pumped, where n > 0.

Example 17

High power Raman laser system having 2>M²>1, beam quality.

Example 18

High power raman laser systems operating at 410-.

Example 19

A high power blue raman laser system of >1000 watts for cutting, welding, brazing, polishing and imprinting materials.

Example 20

A high power blue raman laser system of >10 watts with a high power diode pumped system of modular design.

Example 21

A >10 watt high power blue raman laser system with air-cooled blue diode laser pumping.

Example 22

High power blue diode laser systems whose spectrally beam combination produces <10nm composite beams that can be used to pump high power raman laser systems.

Example 23

>10 watt high power blue Raman laser system with spectrally beam-combined generation with low M²Composite beams of values, such as less than 2.5, less than 2.0, less than 1.8, less than 1.5, and less than 1.2.

Example 24

A high power blue raman laser amplifier system >10 watts which are coherently combined to produce a very high power diffraction limited beam.

Example 25

The high power blue diode laser system of example 23 using a prism for beam combining spectrally.

Example 26

The high power blue diode laser raman laser pumping of example 23 using diffractive elements for beam combining spectrally.

Example 27

High power blue diode laser raman pumping of example 23 using volumetric bragg gratings for beam combination spectrally.

Example 28

A >10 watt high power blue raman laser in combination with a digital mirror device for projecting color images including 3D capabilities.

Example 29

High power blue raman laser >10 watts for entertainment purposes.

Example 30

A high power blue raman laser >10 watts for pumping a phosphor to produce a white light source useful in a projection system, a headlamp or an illumination system.

Example 31

An array of high power blue laser diode modules is locked to a narrow wavelength band by a volume bragg grating for pumping a raman fiber laser system.

Example 32

The array of high power blue laser diode modules is locked to a narrow wavelength band by a fiber bragg grating used to pump the raman fiber laser system.

Example 33

An array of high power blue laser diode modules is locked to a narrow wavelength band by a transmission grating used to pump the raman fiber laser.

Example 34

The array of high power blue laser diode modules is locked to a range of wavelengths by a transmission grating used to pump an n-order raman laser.

Example 35

An air or water cooled heat exchanger connected to the backplane to dissipate heat from the laser diode module and the raman fiber laser.

Example 36

A laser diode module with integral drive electronics for controlling current and achieving fast pulse modulation of the laser diode for pumping raman laser.

Example 37

High power raman lasers based on converter materials such as diamond, where the raman laser is pumped by an array of visible laser diodes matched to the raman laser mode.

Example 38

Use of the laser of example 37 for material processing such as welding, cutting, brazing, heat treatment, and surface modification.

Example 39

The build speed of an embodiment of the UV laser of the present invention (350nm) was compared to that of a prior art IR fiber laser (1070 nm). It can be seen from table IV above that significantly greater build speeds can be achieved with embodiments of the present invention.

Example 40

The embodiments of examples 1-8 may be combined with or otherwise incorporated into a milling machine (such as a CNC machine) or laser, sonic, water jet, mechanical or other type of milling, machining or cutting equipment. In this way, there are raman additive manufacturing apparatuses and methods. In one embodiment, a functional raman laser beam can be used to construct an article, which is then further processed, i.e., material removed. The raman laser beam can be used to add lost material to further processed wear articles. Other variations and combinations of adding, removing, and adding material to arrive at a final product, component, or article are also contemplated. Thus, in one embodiment, material added by the raman laser beam is removed. In the laser machining additive and subtractive devices and processes, the laser used for removal (e.g., subtractive manufacturing, cutting laser beam, machining laser beam) may be: the raman-generated beam, the LAM functional beam or the separate beams having different wavelengths (e.g., IR, such as wavelengths >1000nm), the cutting laser beam and the functional laser beam (LAM beam) may follow substantially the same beam transmission path, may follow substantially different beam transmission paths, and may share some, all, or none of the beam shaping and transmission optics, as well as combinations and variations of these.

Example 41

The embodiments of examples 1-8 have a table as a longitudinally moving surface or support structure, such as a belt, conveyor, or hinged and overlapping blades, which allows for the manufacture of continuous belts, rods, fibers, ropes, wires, tubes, strips, or other elongated structures.

Example 42

The embodiments of examples 1 and 6 are for the additive manufacturing system of fig. 17. The system 1700 has: a hopper 1701 for holding starting material, an adjustable metering plate 1702 for transporting starting material, a processing station 1703, a transport chamber 1704, metering plate actuator pins 1705, a shuttle 1711, a rack and pinion shuttle drive 1706, a reciprocating stepper motor 1707, a waste bin 1708, a lift stepper motor 1709, and a lift 1710.

Example 43

The LAM system is a current scanning powder bed process and system. The laser delivery device has a collimator/beam expander for the laser beam, as well as an X-Y galvo scanning system and an F-Theta lens. Depending on the construction process, the collimator/beam expander ratio may be fixed or variable, with the beam expander ratio being reduced if a larger spot size is required. Similarly, if a smaller spot size on the component is desired, the beam expander ratio is increased to produce a larger diameter emitted beam. The powder is placed on a table together with a starting material conveying system and leveled with a leveling mechanism. In this embodiment, only the table is required to move in the z-axis. A variable focusing lens in the path of the laser beam may also be used to accomplish the z-axis motion.

Example 44

High power blue laser diode systems with >10mm-mrad beam parameter product that can be used for welding, cutting, brazing, polishing and imprinting materials such as metals, plastics and non-metallic materials.

Example 45

RLMs combine coherently using a master oscillator power amplifier configuration or fourier transform external cavity. An example of a system for coherent beam combining is disclosed and taught in U.S. patent No. 5,832,006, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

It should be noted that there is no requirement to provide or suggest a novel and novel approach, material, property or other beneficial feature or property based on or associated with the subject matter of the embodiments of the present invention. However, various theories are provided in this specification to further advance the art. The theory presented in this specification in no way limits, constrains, or narrows the scope of protection of the claimed invention unless explicitly stated otherwise. Many of these theories are not required or practical to use the present invention. It is also to be understood that the present invention may introduce new and heretofore unknown theories to explain the functional characteristics of embodiments of the methods, articles, materials, devices, and systems of the present invention; the theory behind this development should not limit the scope of protection of the invention.

The various embodiments of systems, devices, techniques, methods, activities, and operations set forth in this specification can be applied to various other activities and other fields than those set forth herein. Further, these embodiments may be used, for example, with: other devices or activities that may be developed in the future; as well as existing devices or activities that may be modified in part based on the teachings of the specification. In addition, the various embodiments set forth in this specification may be used in various and various combinations with one another. Thus, for example, the configurations provided in the various embodiments of the present specification may be used with each other; and the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the particular embodiments, configurations, or arrangements set forth in the particular embodiments, examples, or embodiments of the particular figures.

The present invention may be embodied in other forms than those specifically disclosed herein without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive.