Abstract: A method is disclosed for removing material from moving metal workpieces, particular for cutting sheet metal. It entails preheating, without melting, the surface of the workpiece to a temperature at which ignition is triggered by a combustible gas directed onto the preheated section as a jet under pressure, while burnt material from the workpiece is blown away from the cut recess thus produced. In order to achieve smooth edges on large-gauge workpieces with a relatively high feed-rate, a laser beam is also directed onto the cutting front in the cut recess.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for removing material from moving metal workpieces, in particular for cutting sheet metal. It entails preheating, without melting, the surface of the workpiece to a temperature at which ignition is triggered by a combustible gas directed onto the preheated section as a jet under pressure, while burnt material from the workpiece is blown away from the cut recess thus produced. In order to achieve smooth edges on large-gauge workpieces with a relatively high feed-rate, a laser beam is also directed onto the cutting front in the cut recess.

Abstract: A laser has a beam path multiply folded by two resonator end mirrors and at east one reflector retroreflectively folding the laser beam. The laser axis is parallel displaced to the axis of a further reflector. In order to improve the laser beam quality while retaining its comparatively low adjustment sensitivity, the beam path is folded at least twice with the retroreflective reflector.

Abstract: Gas laser, particularly carbon dioxide laser, with a component-free gas dharge chamber between high voltage electrodes, with a beam of two resonator end mirrors multiply folded between facing reflectors and with openings of the outwardly sealed gas discharge chamber permitting the inflow and outflow of gas. A gas laser with the aforementioned features is so constructed for the purpose of increasing its efficiency, that there is a continuous gas flow in the gas discharge chamber and that the gas flow direction is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the component-free gas discharge chamber located between the reflectors.

Abstract: In machining a workpiece, maximal absorption of laser irradiation in the workpiece is achieved by a minimal interference by optical back-coupling and plasma effects is achieved by continuously determining the actual value of the laser irradiation and continuously sensing stochastic processes taking place in the machining zone and in response to such measuring and sensing, controlling the modulation of laser irradiation.

Abstract: A gas laser comprises a discharge channel which is defined by two electrodes located on a dielectric layer spaced from one another. The dielectric layer forms a carrier which has a further electrode on the opposite side thereof. A laser head is connected to one end of this structure and includes a laser active gas encompassing a dielectric plate optically coupled to the discharge channel. The first of the two electrodes extends into the laser head and the last-mentioned electrode wraps around the end of the dielectric plate to the plane of the plane of the first electrode and to a point spaced therefrom to form a gap which is a surface discharge gap. The other end of the structure is connected to a high-voltage pulse generator including a switch operable to connect the two electrodes and generate a rapidly rising voltage pulse. The first of the two electrodes and the further electrode are connected to a reference potential by way of respective inductances.

Abstract: A gas laser which has transverse high frequency exitation and which is improved in efficiency and in power density by the use of a coupling structure which assures a roughly positional independent electrical field strength for each neutral particle density in the full discharge space and this is accomplished with capacitance electrodes (2) between which the discharge space of a laser are arranged in a cavity resonator and wherein the mutual spacings between the capacitive electrodes (2) are positionally dependent and are selected such that they assure that an electrical field strength proportional to the neutral particle density occurs.

Abstract: A virtually punctiform plasma source of high-intensity radiation in the X-ray region is produced at the open downstream end of a gas-filled discharge space defined by and between concentric cylindrical inner and outer electrodes. At the closed upstream end, the electrodes which define this discharge space are directly connected to a low-inductance high-power switch which serves for momentarily connecting the electrodes to a source of stored electric energy. At the closed end of the discharge space, the inner electrode is concentrically surrounded by an insulator which has a high coefficient of secondary-electron emission. In closely opposed adjacency to the insulator region of the inner electrode is an annular emission electrode which is at the potential of the outer electrode, the emission electrode being positioned at close radial offset from the insulator, and the offset being less than the mean free path in the gas of the discharge space.

Abstract: A fast axial flow gas transport laser has a discharge tube. The discharge tube has at least one sudden discontinuous enlargement of the cross section of the discharge tube.