A FLEXIBLE LASER SYSTEM PROVIDED WITH A LASER BEAM COMPOSITION UNIT FOR INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION

A study is presented of a flexible manufacturing system provided with several laser sources for industrial applications. In the configuration described the system is able to deliver a total output laser power on the workpiece of up to 6.5 kW carried by one, two or three laser beams, each of which can be addressed at any moment to any among five workstations. Cutting, welding, hardening, alloying and cladding can be performed on workpieces of different materials, dimensions and geometries in each workstation. Because of its intrinsic flexibility, this system is well suited for integrating in a more general flexible manufacturing complex.