Real-time sensor integration with scanning optics

Laser material processing is a precise technique that requires accurate energy delivery at the right location and time to ensure successful manufacturing. During the process, thermal and positional variations can influence the chemical, physical, and mechanical properties of the final product. EXOM Engineering has developed and implemented Software defined Laser Beam Shape - SdLBS®, a technology that utilizes oscillating optics (such as scanner heads) to shape the laser beam and adapt it to the material and process requirements.

The SdLED XY2-100 Control Card enables users to control commercially available industrial scanner heads and connect them to I/O interfaces like high-speed infrared and visual cameras, pyrometers, thermocouples, laser sources, and more. By incorporating algorithms in FPGA and using input signals derived from process variables, the beam shape can be adapted in real-time. These signals can be triggered directly by the sensors (analogue signals) or by computing sensor information (video processing), or even by using sensor-fusion techniques.