Abstract: The object of the present invention is to make it possible to maintain a stable electric discharge and to achieve a stable quality and machining performance even when a work having a non-uniform composition is machined. A wire electric discharge machining device performs electric discharge machining on a work while controlling an inter-electrode distance between a wire and the work based on an inter-electrode voltage between the wire and the work so as to match a set target voltage. The wire electric discharge machining device includes an inter-electrode voltage measuring unit that measures the inter-electrode voltage, an actual amplitude calculating unit that calculates an amplitude of the measured inter-electrode voltage, and a target voltage correcting unit that corrects the target voltage in such a way that the calculated amplitude approaches the target amplitude that is set to a value larger than zero.

Abstract: A method of resistance spot welding that enables an improvement of a weld strength of steel plates having different plate thicknesses while inhibiting generation of spatters is provided. One aspect of the present disclosure is the method of resistance spot welding, the method including welding a workpiece made of layered steel plates with a resistance spot welding apparatus. The resistance spot welding apparatus includes a first electrode configured to contact a first steel plate among the steel plates, and a second electrode configured to contact, among the steel plates, a second steel plate that is thinner than the first steel plate, and the second electrode being arranged such that the workpiece is interposed between the first electrode and the second electrode. The welding includes welding while moving the second electrode relative to the first electrode in a direction parallel with a plate surface of the second steel plate.

Abstract: An apparatus for supplying a welding tip of a welder and an apparatus for replacing the same include a fixed bracket secured to a support. The apparatus includes an actuator coupled to the fixed bracket and a first moving member moved by the actuator. A second moving member is coupled to the first moving member and hingedly coupled to the fixed bracket. A third moving member is hingedly coupled to the second moving member. A first welding tip removal member is coupled to the third moving member to separate a welding to tip coupled to a shank. A fourth moving member is disposed opposite to the first moving member. A fifth moving member is coupled to the fourth moving member and hingedly coupled to the fixed bracket. A sixth moving member is coupled to the fifth moving member. A second welding tip removal member is coupled to the sixth moving member.

Abstract: A laser processing system includes a laser beam source that produces a raw laser beam; a beam expansion system that receives the raw laser beam and produces an expanded laser beam; a homogenization system that receives the expanded laser beam and produces a laser beam that is homogenized and has a line-shaped beam cross section in the processing plane, wherein the homogenization system includes a first homogenization arrangement that homogenizes along the short axis and a second homogenization arrangement for homogenization along the long axis, each of the homogenization arrangements includes optical elements that split the laser beam into a multiplicity of partial beams and a condenser system that superposes the partial beams in a superposition plane, and the first homogenization arrangement includes a first condenser system with at least one first mirror and the second homogenization arrangement includes a second condenser system with at least one second mirror.

Abstract: The invention relates to an electrode for an especially gas-cooled plasma torch, in particular plasma cutting torch, the electrode comprising: an elongated electrode body with an open end and a closed end, the ends defining a longitudinal axis L, and an emission insert in the closed end, a cavity extending in the electrode body from the open end of the electrode body towards the closed end, the cavity fluidically communicating with the outer face of the electrode body which is radial with regard to the longitudinal axis, via at least one opening in its wall or in the front solid portion of the closed end. The invention further relates to a system consisting of said electrode and cooling tube, to a gas conducting unit, a plasma torch comprising same, a method for conducting gas in a plasma torch and a method for operating the plasma torch.

Abstract: A method for conducting gas in a gas-cooled plasma torch wherein the plasma torch has a plasma torch body which holds an electrode with an open end and a closed end. A cavity extends from the open end in the direction of the closed end, and which, with a spacing in an axial direction, holds a nozzle by means of a nozzle holder. The nozzle has a central opening with an upstream inlet end, into which the electrode projects, and with an outlet end with a nozzle bore and is surrounded by a nozzle cap and/or a nozzle protection cap. The plasma torch body has an opening for a gas feeder, which opening is fluidically connected to a cooling tube which projects into the open end of the electrode.

Abstract: An apparatus and system for treating a substrate includes a chamber having an inner space, a support unit in the inner space and configured to support and rotate the substrate, and first and second laser irradiation unit configured to irradiate first and second laser beams onto the substrate. The first laser irradiation unit includes a first laser light source configured to generate the first laser beam, and a first wavelength adjusting member configured to adjust a range of a wavelength of the first laser beam received from the first laser light source. The second laser beam, and a second wavelength adjusting member configured to adjust a range of a wavelength of the second laser beam received from the second laser light source.

Abstract: A cutting electrode head for a handheld electrical discharge machining (EDM) device comprising: a housing; a cutting electrode supported in the housing, and configured to move from a retracted position to an extended position along an electrode axis (C) to cut a workpiece; and an actuator supported in the housing and movable along a movement axis (E) which is at an angle to the electrode axis (C), wherein movement of the actuator along the movement axis (E) causes the cutting electrode to move between its retracted and extended positions.

Abstract: A laser system includes an integrated fiber laser front-end, configured to generate and output a pre-amplified first pulsed laser beam having predefined beam characteristics corresponding to a user defined pulse shape and a user defined pulse width setting selection of a controller. The first pulsed laser beam is generated from a master oscillator which outputs a CW laser beam to a temporal pulse shaper, which modulates the CW laser beam to output the first pulsed laser beam in response to an electrical pulse from an arbitrary wave generator and a DC bias voltage from an automatic modulator bias control circuitry. The first pulsed laser beam is pre-amplified to an output pulsed laser beam for laser peening or laser bond inspection. A beam detector is used to monitor beam characteristics, and to generate an error signal to be sent back as a feedback signal to the controller for adjustments and corrections.

Abstract: Provided is a spot welding method by which welding can be performed successfully while inhibiting occurrence of expulsion. First to third metal plates W1 to W3 were welded in which a ratio of a total thickness to a thickness of the first metal plate W1 is 7. In Example 1, a peak current value A1 is 14.6 kA, an effective current value A2 is 7.8 kA, a peak duration T1 is 0.1 ms, and a no-peak duration T2 is 5.9 ms. As a result, a lower limit current value A3 is 6.9 kA, an upper limit current value A4 is 8.42 kA, a difference A5 between A4 and A3 is 1.52 kA, T2/T1 is 59.0, A2/A1 is 0.53, and rising time T3/falling time T4 is 0.53, furthermore, no expulsion occurs, and a welding result was determined to be OK.

Abstract: A method for preparing a super-hydrophobic aluminum alloy surface through flat-topped laser peening includes the following steps: pretreating an aluminum alloy surface; evenly coating the pretreated aluminum alloy surface with a nanoscale carbon powder layer; performing unconstrained peening treatment on the aluminum alloy surface using a square spot flat-topped nanosecond pulsed laser with the nanoscale carbon powder layer serving as an absorption layer, where beams are kept perpendicular to the aluminum alloy surface all the time; and removing residual carbon nanopowder after the peening, and reducing surface energy of the aluminum alloy material through low-temperature heat treatment, to obtain a super-hydrophobic aluminum alloy surface with micro-nano multiscale structures. According to the present disclosure, the carbon content near the surface layer of the aluminum alloy material is increased, and the hardness and wear resistance of the prepared hydrophobic surface can be effectively improved.

Abstract: A method for creating an iridescent effect on a surface through formation of wavelets on the source can include using a pulse of laser beams sent to the surface in juxtaposed optical fields of a focusing system. A scanner scans the surface using laser beams along a series of lines that follow each other in a relative direction of travel of the part and of the scanner and a series of lines that lie in continuation of each other in a direction perpendicular to the relative direction of travel. The optical fields overlap in an overlapping area having a width that is twice the diameter of the pulse laser beam up to 2 cm. Two lines lying in continuation of each other overlap at a junction and between the two series of lines follow each other in a relative direction of travel of the part and the scanner.

Abstract: An electrical discharge machining apparatus and an electrical discharge machining method with adjustable machining parameters comprise a carrier and an electrical discharge machining (EDM) unit. The carrier is used for placing a to-be-machined object defined with a machining target area. A discharge electrode of the electrical discharge machining (EDM) unit is used to cut the machining target area of the to-be-machined object along a first cutting direction with at least one machining parameter, the machining parameter is correspondingly adjusted when a specified parameter of the to-be-machined object changes to a first numerical value, thereby using the adjusted machining parameter to perform a second cutting step on the machining target area of the to-be-machined object. A segmented cutting technology for solving a problem that a cutting speed (mm2/min) is slowed down and a total cutting time is prolonged due to changes of the specified parameter of electrical discharge machining cutting.

Abstract: A laser processing system includes a laser beam source that produces a raw laser beam; a beam expansion system that receives the raw laser beam and produces an expanded laser beam; a homogenization system that receives the expanded laser beam and produces a laser beam that is homogenized and has a line-shaped beam cross section in the processing plane, wherein the homogenization system includes a first homogenization arrangement that homogenizes along the short axis and a second homogenization arrangement for homogenization along the long axis, each of the homogenization arrangements includes optical elements that split the laser beam into a multiplicity of partial beams and a condenser system that superposes the partial beams in a superposition plane, and the first homogenization arrangement includes a first condenser system with at least one first mirror and the second homogenization arrangement includes a second condenser system with at least one second mirror.

Abstract: A laser processing apparatus according to the present disclosure includes a placement base on which a processing receiving object is placed, an optical system that guides laser light to the processing receiving object, a gas supply port via which a gas is supplied to a laser light irradiated region of the processing receiving object, a gas recovery port via which the supplied gas is recovered, a mover that moves the irradiated region, and a controller that controls, in accordance with the moving direction of the irradiated region, the direction of the flow of the gas flowing from the gas supply port to the gas recovery port, and the controller changes the direction of the gas flow in response to a change in the moving direction of the irradiated region in such a way that the gas flows in the direction opposite the moving direction of the irradiated region.

Abstract: Laser lift off systems and methods overlap irradiation zones to provide multiple pulses of laser irradiation per location at the interface between layers of material to be separated. To overlap irradiation zones, the laser lift off systems and methods provide stepwise relative movement between a pulsed laser beam and a workpiece. The laser irradiation may be provided by a non-homogeneous laser beam with a smooth spatial distribution of energy across the beam profile. The pulses of laser irradiation from the non-homogenous beam may irradiate the overlapping irradiation zones such that each of the locations at the interface is exposed to different portions of the non-homogeneous beam for each of the multiple pulses of the laser irradiation, thereby resulting in self-homogenization. Thus, the number of the multiple pulses of laser irradiation per location is generally sufficient to provide the self-homogenization and to separate the layers of material.

Abstract: A wire electrode feeding apparatus or the like is provided, suitable for feeding a wire electrode along its original path without deviating from its original path. A conversion unit 9 feeds the wire electrode from a feeding inlet 21 to a feeding outlet 25 using a machining liquid. A roller 23 changes the feeding direction of the wire electrode. A discharging unit 27 discharges the machining liquid toward the feeding outlet 25 in a direction tangential to the contact face of the roller 23, to generate a flow of the machining liquid. On the other hand, a diverted flow path for the machining liquid is defined along the contact face of the roller 23 from the feeding outlet 25 side to the feeding inlet 21 side. An intake unit 29 takes in air according to the pressure of the machining liquid to supply the air to the diverted flow path.

Abstract: Laser processing of hard dielectric materials may include cutting a part from a hard dielectric material using a continuous wave laser operating in a quasi-continuous wave (QCW) mode to emit consecutive laser light pulses in a wavelength range of about 1060 nm to 1070 nm. Cutting using a QCW laser may be performed with a lower duty cycle (e.g., between about 1% and 15%) and in an inert gas atmosphere such as nitrogen, argon or helium. Laser processing of hard dielectric materials may further include post-cut processing the cut edges of the part cut from the dielectric material, for example, by beveling and/or polishing the edges to reduce edge defects. The post-cut processing may be performed using a laser beam with different laser parameters than the beam used for cutting, for example, by using a shorter wavelength (e.g., 193 nm excimer laser) and/or a shorter pulse width (e.g., picosecond laser).

Abstract: Device and method for laser welding around a circumference of a workpiece. A fixed, non-movable unitary optical reflector has a pair of optical reflecting surface portions on a first side surface and a second side surface, respectively, arranged at an obtuse angle relative to each other. A workpiece is fixed in an assembly having the reflector. During setup, the vertical distance is adjusted between the reflector and workpiece along an axis that is transverse to a longitudinal axis thereof without any adjustment of the reflecting surfaces. The first and second side surfaces define a curve that is transverse to the longitudinal axis. Once setup has been completed, a laser beam is directed so that it moves along the optical reflector to thereby produce a 360 degree circumferential weld around the workpiece. Another assembly is provided to change the laser beam direction multiple times to irradiate a circumference of a fixed workpiece from a fixed laser source.

Abstract: A standard reference plate is configured for insertion into an additive manufacturing apparatus for calibrating an electron beam of the additive manufacturing apparatus. The standard reference plate includes a lower plate and an upper plate being essentially in parallel and attached spaced apart from each other, the upper plate including a plurality of holes. A predetermined hollow pattern is provided inside the holes, and a spacing between the holes and the size of the holes and a distance between the upper plate and the lower plate and a position of an x-ray sensor of the additive manufacturing apparatus with respect to the standard reference plate are arranged so that x-rays emanating from the lower plate, when the electron beam is passing through a hollow part of the hollow pattern, will not pass directly from the lower plate through any one of the holes to the x-ray sensor.