| United States Patent | 5,854,751 |
| Di Pietro, et. al. | Dec. 29, 1998 |
Abstract
A system and method for stabilizing the cutting front temperature of a laser beam on a workpiece in order to improve the quality of the laser beam cut. The technique and system models the temperature of a virtual grid of nodes on the workpiece's surface and determines the effect of the laser beam on each node's temperature including the creation of the kerf. An optimization technique is then performed on the results from temperature model which creates a power data profile to indicate the correct level of power which the laser should be operated for every point on the laser cut. The technique and system is especially useful when boundary, turns or holes are required where the cutting conditions change creating excessive heat accumulation.
| Inventors: | Di Pietro; Paul (Fairy Meadow, AU); Yao; Y. Lawrence (New York, NY). |
| Assignee: | The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York (New York, NY). |
| Appl. No.: | 730,330 |
| Filed: | Oct. 15, 1996 |
| Intl. Cl. : | G06F 19/00 |
| Current U.S. Cl.: | 364/474.08; 219/121.62; 219/121.64 |
| Field of Search: | 364/167.01, 474.08, 477.01, 477.06, 167.07, 167.09; 219/121.62, 121.67, 121.72, 121.81, 121.83, 121.85, 121.64 |
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| 5,552,575 | Sept., 1996 | Doumanidis | 219/121.64 |
| 5,586,714 | Dec., 1996 | Curicuta et al. | 219/121.64 |
P. Di Pietro and Y. L. Yao, "A New Technique to Characterize and Predict Laser Cut Striations," International Journal of Machine Tools for Manufacturing, vol. 35, No. 7, pp. 993-1002 (1995); and.
P. Di Pietro and Y. L. Yao, "A Numerical Investigation Into Cutting Front Mobility In CO(2) Laser Cutting," International Journal of Machine Tools for Manufacturing, vol. 35, No. 5, pp. 673-688 (1995).