Apparatus for heat operating a workpiece with the aid of an optical projection of a radiation source

Abstract

Abstract An apparatus for the heating, melting, welding, brazing, cutting and the like of a workpiece with the aid of the optical projection of a radiation source. The radiation source is disposed within a radiation focusing chamber at one focal point thereof and the radiation therefrom exits the chamber through a radiation outlet to impinge on a second external working focal point. A pressurized gas, which may be a cooling gas, protective gas or reactive gas may be introduced into at least a portion of the chamber. The gas discharges through the radiation outlet and prevents entry into the chamber of damaging vapors which develop during use of the apparatus. The chamber may be divided by a radiation permeable partition into a pair of compartments; a first containing the radiation source and a second having the radiation outlet. The gas may be introduced into the first compartment to exit through an aperture in the partition into the second compartment for discharge through the outlet. Alternatively a first gas may be introduced into the first compartment and a second gas may be introduced into the second compartment whereby both gases, either mixed or unmixed are discharged through the outlet. In other embodiments, the first compartment may be sealed and the gas or gases introduced directly into the second compartment. The second compartment may include a narrow tube disposed substantially coaxial with an imaginary line interconnecting the foci for directing a concentrated stream of a gas toward the workpiece. A fiber optic rod may be mounted at the radiation outlet to provide a concentrated radiation at a point removed from the second focus. The rod may have a bore for passage of the pressurized gas from the chamber.

Inventors

• 👤 Horst Herbrich

Bibliographic Details