Large scale layering laser surface texturing system based on high speed optical scanners and gantry machine tool

A layering laser surface texturing system for large freeform surface workpiece was realized with a reconfigurable structure of usual mechanical gantry machine tool plus laser processing head, which is composed of dual high speed galvanometer optical scanning axes and a mechanical linear axis. The principle of layering processing ability of laser focus point and the method to divide freeform surface into partitions and layers was analyzed. The kinematic of five axes machine tool with three axes laser processing head was derived. A novel computer aided laser texturing software named WnloLaserRobots was designed on visual C++ platform, which provides full function of 3D model data analyzing and real time processing control. The laser head position, the orientation data, and the layering scanning paths for processing a freeform surface were generated through importing and analyzing the universal initial graphics exchange specification (IGES) model file. In the control module, the software sends command to five axes gantry machine tool to position laser head normal to the processing surface partition and control laser processing head to accomplish layering laser texturing. This proposed system is particular suitable for laser ablation of film layer from multilayer materials on large scale free form surface. It has been used in practical application and satisfactory results were obtained.