High-Power Lasers and Optical Waveguides for Robotic Material-Processing Applications

Abstract

For various material-processing applications with robots we propose the use of high-power continuous wave and pulsed lasers (Nd <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">3+</sup> :YAG, Argon ion, CO <inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</inf> , excimer, etc.) and optical waveguides for delivering high powers in the ultraviolet (UV), the visible, and the infrared (IR) regions. We discuss the use of low-loss silica glass fiber waveguides for delivering high-power laser beam in the UV to near-IR spectral region (0.3 to 2 μm), and the use of a waveguiding articulating arm for delivering high-power laser beam in the long IR (2 to 10 μm). We also describe a design for fitting a CO <inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</inf> laser waveguiding arm to the robotic arm, as well as the advantages of using optical waveguides for high-power laser delivery to robots for material processing.