US 11,897,052 B2
Apparatus for machining a workpiece with a laser beam coupled into a fluid jet, with automatic laser-nozzle alignment; method of aligning such a beam
Philippe Mazouer, Neuchâtel (CH); Max Epple, Assens (CH); Hyuk Kim, Tokyo (JP); Helgi Diehl, Morges (CH); and Bernold Richerzhagen, Saint-Sulpice (CH)
Assigned to SYNOVA S.A., Duillier (CH); and Makino Milling Machine Co. Ltd., Tokyo (JP)
Appl. No. 16/970,430
Filed by SYNOVA S.A., Duillier (CH); and Makino Milling Machine Co., Ltd., Tokyo (JP)
PCT Filed Mar. 1, 2019, PCT No. PCT/EP2019/055164
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Aug. 17, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/166638, PCT Pub. Date Sep. 6, 2019.
Claims priority of application No. 18159471 (EP), filed on Mar. 1, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0107089 A1, Apr. 15, 2021
Int. Cl. B23K 26/03 (2006.01); B23K 26/146 (2014.01); B23K 26/04 (2014.01); B23K 26/14 (2014.01)
CPC B23K 26/03 (2013.01) [B23K 26/043 (2013.01); B23K 26/146 (2015.10); B23K 26/1476 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus for machining a workpiece with a laser beam coupled into a water jet, the apparatus comprising
a laser for providing the laser beam,
a nozzle with an aperture for producing the water jet,
one or more mirrors configured to provide the laser beam from the laser onto the nozzle, wherein at least one mirror is movable,
a processor configured to control a movement of the at least one movable mirror to change a point of incidence of the laser beam on the nozzle, and
a sensor configured to sense laser light reflected from a surface of the nozzle and produce a sensing signal based on the sensed reflected laser light,
wherein the processor is configured to:
control the movement of the at least one movable mirror to perform an automatic scan of at least a part of the surface of the nozzle with the laser beam,
evaluate the sensing signal during the automatic scan,
detect an appearance of a defined sensing pattern in the sensing signal evaluated during the automatic scan, and
determine the laser beam being fully or partially aligned with the aperture of the nozzle based on the appearance of the defined sensing pattern.