Abstract: A turbo blower is used in combination with a gas laser oscillation device for machining, e.g., cutting off, workpieces. The turbo blower comprises a shaft (2) having an impeller (1) on one end thereof, a pair of bearings (5, 6) on which the shaft (2) is supported, and a motor (3, 4) for rotating the shaft. Heat radiating fins (11) are mounted on the shaft (2) for radiating the heat which is generated by a rotor (3) of the motor, thus preventing the heat from being transmitted to the bearings (5, 6). The heat radiating fins are forcibly cooled by a portion of a laser gas for thereby greatly increasing the heat radiation efficiency. The service life of the grease in the bearings and the bearings themselves is increased, thus reducing an expenditure of labor for grease replenishment and bearing replacement. The bearings are also increased in reliability.

Abstract: A laser processing apparatus including a laser oscillator, a beam expander, and a light converging system. An output-end-side optical component formed by the beam expander and the light converging system includes one light converging system having composite characteristics of the optical component and the light converging system. Accordingly, the number of lenses used is reduced, the absorption loss of the laser output is lowered, and the number of parts used is reduced. Also disclosed is a laser processing apparatus in which an optical component forming a beam expander is formed partially of an output coupling mirror of the laser oscillator, whereby the number of lenses used is reduced.

Abstract: A turbo blower for a laser device, including a shaft having an impeller on one end thereof, a pair of bearings, having inside grease spaces and supporting the shaft Non-contact seal portions are provided for preventing an outflow of grease, whereby other spaces for retaining the grease are formed on either side of the bearings. Although the grease in the inside spaces of the bearings is urged to escape from the bearings by the centrifugal force of the rotation of the shaft, the grease is prevented from flowing out of the spaces on either side of the bearing by the non-contact seal portions.

Abstract: A laser oscillator device comprises an electric-discharge tube for producing an electric discharge in a laser gas contained in the electric-discharge tube for laser excitation, an optical resonator for effecting laser oscillation, and a gas circulating device having a gas blower and a cooling unit for forcibly cooling the laser gas. The gas blower has an impeller that is rotatable in the laser gas and bearings that are lubricated by grease. With this arrangement, contamination of the optical parts is prevented and the device can easily be maintained.

Abstract: Wire electrode type electrical discharge machining equipment is provided with a wire electrode type electrical discharge machining function and a laser machining function. The laser machining is used to effect rough machining at a high machining rate. The electrical discharge machining is used to effect finishing at a high magnitude of precision. The wire electrode type electrical discharge machining equipment is equipped with a laser generator for laser machining, and a column thereof is equipped with laser beam irradiation means which adjoins an upper wire electrode guide and is opposed to a work piece that is to be irradiated with a laser beam. The wire electrode type electrical discharge machining equipment is further provided with a numerical controller which regulates both the machining operation and the relative position of the wire electrode and the work piece as well as the relative position of a laser beam emitter and the work piece along predetermined loci.

Abstract: A numerical control system for a laser comprises a laser oscillator (1), an electric power supply (3) for driving the laser oscillator, and a computerized numerical control system (CNC) (5). The numerical control system includes sequence control means for controlling a sequence of operation of the laser oscillator, output control means for controlling output conditions of the laser oscillator feedback control means for controlling the feedback of an output from the laser oscillator, and display control means for displaying a condition of the laser oscillator. The laser oscillator (1), the power supply (3), and the computerized numerical control system (5) are coupled together, making the numerical control system for the laser small in size and simple in arrangement.

Abstract: A laser oscillator device comprises an electric-discharge tube (1) for producing an electric discharge in a laser gas contained in the electric-discharge tube for laser excitation, an optical resonator (2, 3) for effecting laser oscillation, and a gas circulating device having a gas blower (15) and a cooling unit (8) for forcibly cooling the laser gas. The gas blower (15) has an impeller (16) rotatable in the laser gas. An electric motor for driving the turbo impeller has a stator (20) cooled by thermal contact with a water-cooled medium (25) or an air-cooled medium, and a rotor (19) cooled by contact with a gas flowing between the rotor (19) and the stator (20). The motor for driving the turbo impeller can thus sufficiently be cooled.

Abstract: A turbo blower for a laser comprises a motor which includes a shaft (17) having a distal end to which a turbo impeller (16) is mounted, a pair of bearings (22,23) for supporting the shaft (17), a rotor (19(, and a stator (20). A squeezed-film damper (36,37) is provided around each of the bearings (22,23), whereby vibration of the blower is damped. The damping coefficient of the squeezed-film dampers (36,37) are different from each other, whereby vibration at the bearing is reduced.

Abstract: A laser oscillator device effects laser oscillation while circulating a laser gas with a rotary blower (6). The laser oscillator device has a fresh gas passage (16) separate from a passsage of the laser gas and having filters (9a, 9b), and ejector holes (17a, 17b) defined in said passage of the laser gas near optical components (2, 3) for ejecting a gas into the passage of the laser gas which is circulated by the blower, the fresh gas passage (16) being connected to the ejector holes (17a, 17b). A fresh laser gas from which impurities have been removed by filters (9a, 9) flows from the ejector holes (17a, 17b) away from the optical components (2, 3) to prevent the optical components from being contaminated by impurities in the laser gas which would otherwise be diffused into the optical components.

Abstract: A laser oscillator is provided with a folded laser resonator which includes an output coupling mirror (4), a rear mirror (10) and folding mirrors (11,12). The rear mirror (10) has a maximum reflectivity with respect to a linear polarization component of the laser beam, in which the linear polarization component has an E vector the direction of which is rotated from an incident plane of the nearest folding mirror by .pi./4. The folding mirrors (11,12) function as a whole as a phase retarder imposing a .pi./2 phase delay with respect to parallel and perpendicular polarization components of the laser beam, and accordingly, a circularly polarized laser beam is obtained from the laser oscillator.

Abstract: A laser oscillator device applies a high-frequency voltage to a plurality of discharge regions (1a, 1b) through a dielectric to produce a high-frequency discharge for laser pumping. The laser oscillator device includes high-frequency power supplies (26a, 26b) for converting a DC power supply into high-frequency power supply outputs, output transformers (22a, 22b) for boosting the high-frequency power supply outputs and transmitting high-frequency electric power to the discharge regions, the output transformers having secondary windings with grounded midpoints, and current detectors (CT1a, CT1b) for detecting currents flowing through discharge tubes. Output currents of the high-frequency power supplies are controlled by feeding back the detected currents. Since the detected currents are not affected by mutual currents between electrodes, alarm conditions due to uncontrollable operation of a feedback loop and damage of parts are prevented from occurring, and stable current control is achieved.

Abstract: A laser oscillator device applies a high-frequency voltage to a plurality of discharge regions through a dielectric for producing a high-frequency discharge for laser pumping. Various interferences in the laser oscillator device are prevented to allow the device to produce a stable output. The laser oscillator device includes DC power supplies (DC12a, DC13a, DC13c, DC13d) and high-frequency power supplies (RF12b, RF13b, RF14b, RF15b) which are integrally coupled to prevent electromagnetic interference through cables for allowing stable laser oscillation and also to prevent various other interferences.

Abstract: A laser oscillator device applies a high-frequency voltage to a plurality of discharge regions through a dielectric for producing a high-frequency discharge for laser pumping. The laser oscillator device includes a DC power supply (16), and a high-frequency power supply (18, 19, 20, 21) for converting a DC voltage into a high-frequency voltage. The DC power supply (16) and the high-frequency power supply (18, 19, 20, 21) are coupled to each other by a filter (30). The filter (30) prevents a high-frequency component from being fed back from the high-frequency power supply (18, 19, 20, 21) to prevent the laser oscillator device from operating unstably due to parasitic oscillation. Other arrangements are disclosed for preventing interference between the high-frequency power supply and the DC power supply.

Abstract: A laser oscillator device produces an electric discharge between confronting double helical electrodes for laser pumping. The electrodes (9b, 9b) are helically wound an integral number of turns, and start being helically wound at points which are .pi./n spaced about the axis of the discharge tube segments (1 ). This arrangement achieves a more completely circular mode and a fundamental mode.

Abstract: A gas laser device in which a laser medium gas is circulated in a discharge tube and a laser beam is generated from the gas excited by a high-frequency electric discharge, includes a high-frequency power supply (3) serving as an electric discharge power supply and a plurality of reflecting mirrors (6, 7) disposed axially in the discharge tube (1). The distance (d) between electrodes of the discharge tube (1) is selected such that electrons will not collide with side walls of the discharge tube based on the frequency (f) of the high-frequency power supply (1) and electron mobility. The oscillation efficiency of the laser beam is increased because of electron capture and since the distance traversed by the laser beam (9) in the discharge tube (1) is increased.

Abstract: A laser oscillator device applies a high-frequency voltage to a plurality of discharge regions through a dielectric for producing a high-frequency discharge for laser pumping. The laser oscillator device has current detectors (CT2a, CT2b) for detecting currents flowing from high-frequency power supplies (26a, 26b) into discharge tubes (1). The current detectors are disposed in positions to detect mutual currents between the adjacent discharge tubes. The currents detected by the current detectors (CT2a, CT2b) are used as feedback currents for preventing uncontrollable conditions of the currents due to a coupling current. The laser oscillator device also has a mechanism for preventing interference in the discharge regions.

Abstract: A gas laser device in which a laser medium gas is circulated in an airtight container and a laser beam is generated from the gas excited by an electric discharge, includes a main unit (10) including an air blower and a heat exchanger for circulating and cooling the gas, and a discharging power supply. A laser beam emitter includes a resonator (2). The main unit and the laser beam emitter are separate from each other, with the laser beam emitter being mounted on the tip end of a robot (1). The resonator (2) includes a lateral multimode resonator, and the discharging power supply includes a high-frequency power supply. A gas flow in the resonator (2) is produced by using a compressor having a high compression ratio.

Abstract: A gas laser device in which a laser medium gas is circulated in an airtight container and a laser beam is generated from the gas excited by an electric discharge, includes a main unit (10) including an air blower (13) for circulating the gas, heat exchangers (12a, 12b) for cooling the gas, and a discharging power supply (11). A laser beam emitter (20) includes a discharging unit (23) and resonator reflecting mirrors (21a, 21b). The main unit (10) and the laser beam emitter (20) are separate and spaced from each other. The main unit (10) and the laser beam emitter (20) are interconnected by a gas pipe assembly having a plurality of highly rigid steel pipes and flexible, expandable/contractable, airtight connector members (31a, 31b) connecting the steel pipes.

Abstract: A high frequency discharge excited coaxial type CO.sub.2 laser is provided, which has both the advantageous characteristic of high frequency excitation type, namely, small size and high efficiency, and the advantageous characteristic of coaxial type, namely, high quality beam mode. This laser includes a dielectric laser tube and two helical electric conductors of the same pitch, and a high frequency voltage is applied between the conductors by a high frequency power source while the CO.sub.2 laser gas is passed axially in the laser tube.

Abstract: A high-frequency-discharge excited gas laser is provided, which is adapted to excite a laser gas by applying of a high frequency voltage to electrodes. In order to increase the output capacity of the high-frequency-discharge excited gas laser without sacrificing its virtues of small size, high efficiency and good beam mode, the laser, in its one aspect, has its metallic electrode (1) covered with a dielectric layer (2), with the dielectric layer being detached from the electrode. In another aspect, a pair of metallic films are laid positions diametrically opposite to each other on the outer surface of a laser tube formed of a dielectric pipe.