Claims
- 1. Gas handling means for use in cutting materials with laser radiation and comprising:
- a hollow structure capable of withstanding an internal gas pressure, and directing gas at a workpiece along a flow axis as a moving stream of cutting assist medium, the structure capable also of allowing a beam of focused laser radiation propagated along a laser axis to pass therethrough without interference, the hollow structure having an upper plate and a lower plate and including;
- inlet means for receiving the gas from a source and admitting the gas under pressure to the interior of the structure, and
- gas outlet means for releasing the pressurized gas through the upper and lower plates along the flow axis and delivering a stream of the gas to the location on the workpiece at which the radiation is focused, the outlet means having a first gas port positioned in the upper plate and a second gas port positioned in the lower plate.
- 2. The invention according to claim 1 wherein the cross sectional area of the first port is less than the cross sectional area of the second port.
- 3. The invention according to claim 2 wherein the first and second ports are concentric about the axis of propagation of the laser beam.
- 4. The invention according to claim 3 wherein the first and second ports are circular in cross section.
Government Interests
The invention herein described was made in the course of or under a contract or subcontract thereunder with the Department of the Air Force.
US Referenced Citations (8)