<title>CO2 laser mounted on a robot for dynamic cutting manipulations</title>

Abstract

A compact 550 watt slow flow RF excited CO2 laser directly attached to a Yaskawa Motoman robot is used to cut three dimensional patterns in 1 mm thick curved steel sheets. The quality and speed of the cutting is identical to that of cuts made with a static laser, since movement of the laser does not degrade its mode quality in any way. The light weight laser head is rigidly attached to the five-axis robot and is flexibly connected to its power/gas/cooling sources. It can be manipulated through a 2r spherical angle at dynamic accelerations of up to at least (3.4g. This laser-robot system implements the ultimate precision capability of the robot. Its potential for manufacturing flexibility will be reviewed.