Laser galvanometric scanning system for improved average power uniformity and larger scanning area.

A new laser galvanometric scanning optical system incorporating a dynamic-tilt focusing lens is proposed to improve the laser spot performance in adaptive manufacturing applications. The simulations focus specifically on the laser spot size, the spot profile, the spot position, the spot energy distribution, and the size of the scanning working field. It is shown that for a designed spot size of 50 mu m, the proposed system achieves an average spot size of 50.5 mu m. Moreover, the maximum position deviation of the laser beam is reduced from (x = -3.02%, y = 1.30%) in a traditional scanning system to (x = -0.055%, y = 0.162%) in the proposed system. Finally, the maximum working field area is increased by around 240% compared to that of a traditional system. Overall, the results show that the proposed laser galvanometric scanning system achieves a small spot size, a symmetrical and round spot profile, a uniform spot energy distribution, and a large working area. As a result, it is ideally suited to rapid prototyping applications. (C) 2016 Optical Society of America