Fast beam shaping for advanced laser manufacturing

该项目是关于建立一种经济高效的变形反射镜系统，适用于先进的激光制造系统。激光系统现在被用于或提议用于机械加工、抛光和附加层制造。在计算机控制下引导和整形激光光束，可以产生多个激光工具，并能够制造高度复杂的结构，适用于原型制造、小批量高价值制造和一次性组件，如医疗植入物。更快、更准确、更便宜的自适应光学元件将增加这些先进激光制造技术在工业中的接受度。快速波束整形技术的关键方面是(I)反射镜设计，它适用于小型化以及与传感和驱动电子设备的集成，以及(Ii)“致动器扩展传感”技术，它可以减少压电滞回的影响，从而实现更快、更准确的反射镜控制。具有伸展传感的可变形反射镜的发展为连续改变激光的光束轮廓和光斑大小提供了可能性。例如，在附加层制造中，在计算机控制下扫描激光束，通过熔化金属粉末来制造部件，在扫描金属粉末床层时，可以补偿离轴变形，或者使用更大或更小的光点来粗略或精细地描述部件的结构。本项目的目的是展示具有扩展传感控制的可变形反射镜的有效性和商业价值。我们将展示在实验室中激光制造应用中的反射镜在控制下工作，即附加层制造。我们将深入调查先进激光制造的市场机会、技术进入市场的途径以及进一步投资的要求。

This project is about building a cost-effective deformable mirror system suitable to incorporate into advanced laser manufacturing systems. Laser systems are now used or proposed for machining, polishing, and additive layer manufacture. Directing and shaping a laser beam under computer control allows multiple laser tools to be generated and enables highly complex structures to be manufactured, suitable for prototyping, low volume high value manufacture, and one-off components such as medical implants. Faster, more accurate, and cheaper adaptive optic components will increase the take-up in industry of these advanced laser manufacturing techniques. The key aspects of the fast beam shaping technology are (i) the mirror design, which is adaptable to miniaturisation and integration with sensing and drive electronics, and (ii) the technique of "actuator extension sensing" which reduces the effect of piezoelectric hysteresis enabling faster and more accurate mirror control. The development of the deformable mirror with extension sensing offers the potential for continuously-variable manipulation of the beam profile and spot size of a laser. For example in additive layer manufacturing, in which a laser beam is scanned under computer control to create a component by melting metal powder, it will be possible to compensate for off-axis distortions during scanning across the metal powder bed, or to use a larger or smaller spot for coarse or fine detail of the component's structure.The aim in this project is to show the effectiveness and commercial value of the deformable mirror with extension sensing control. We will show the mirror working under control in the laboratory in a laser manufacturing application, namely additive layer manufacture. We will investigate in depth the market opportunity in advanced laser manufacturing, route to market for the technology, and the requirements for further investment.