US 12,186,833 B2
Apparatus for 3D shaping of a workpiece by a liquid jet guided laser beam
Bernold Richerzhagen, Saint-Sulpice (CH); David Hippert, Lancy (CH); and Helgi Diehl, Morges (CH)
Assigned to SYNOVA S.A., Duilier (CH)
Appl. No. 16/768,731
Filed by SYNOVA S.A., Duillier (CH)
PCT Filed Dec. 4, 2018, PCT No. PCT/EP2018/083467
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jun. 1, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/110580, PCT Pub. Date Jun. 13, 2019.
Claims priority of application No. 17205193 (EP), filed on Dec. 4, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2021/0170529 A1, Jun. 10, 2021
Int. Cl. B23K 26/36 (2014.01); B23K 26/0622 (2014.01); B23K 26/08 (2014.01); B23K 26/082 (2014.01); B23K 26/146 (2014.01)
CPC B23K 26/36 (2013.01) [B23K 26/0622 (2015.10); B23K 26/082 (2015.10); B23K 26/0861 (2013.01); B23K 26/146 (2015.10)] 24 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method (1000) for 3D shaping of a workpiece (101) by material ablation with a laser beam (102) comprising a plurality of laser pulses, the method (1000) comprising the steps of:
providing (1001) a pressurized laminar fluid jet (104) produced by a nozzle of an apparatus onto the workpiece (101) and coupling the laser beam (102) into the pressurized laminar fluid jet (104) which guides the laser beam towards the workpiece (101),
moving a machining surface of the apparatus, on which the workpiece (101) is provided, relative to the nozzle according to x-y-z coordinates of the machining surface set in a motion controller of the apparatus, and
performing (1003) a measurement of a z-coordinate of a point of incidence (108) of the pressurized laminar fluid jet (104) on the workpiece (101) at the set x-y-z-coordinates of the machining surface,
wherein the measurement is performed by a measuring unit comprising a depth sensor of the apparatus through the pressurized laminar fluid jet, and
wherein a z-direction is parallel to a propagation direction of the pressurized laminar fluid jet (104),
scanning a surface (109) of the workpiece (101) in a x-y-plane,
determining a profile of the surface (109) by measuring respective z-coordinates of a plurality of points of incidence (108) of the pressurized laminar fluid jet (104) on the workpiece (101),
ablating a layer of material of the workpiece, wherein the ablating comprises setting individually an energy of each laser pulse (200) or setting a trajectory of moving the workpiece (101) by changing the x-y-z coordinates of the machining surface after each laser pulse (200) based on the determined profile of the surface (109), and
calculating a layered representation (601) of a to be ablated volume of the workpiece, wherein the workpiece (101) is shaped by ablating, layer-by-layer, a plurality of layers (800) of workpiece material with the laser beam (102).