High-accuracy, open frame, thermally stable Galvo Scanner from Aerotech

With the extremely low thermal gain drift performance of the position transducers, complex, high-density laser machining applications will maintain consistent micron-level feature placement accuracy over the lifetime of the process. Likewise, high throughput applications will maintain consistent part-to-part quality without having to re-calibrate between parts.

Most scanner control interfaces are on the same surface as the laser input aperture which can create interference problems if the laser beam path approaches the scanner from the top. The AGV-HPO control connections consist of two 300 mm cables terminated in 25-pin D-style connectors. The cables can be oriented in any direction to ensure there is no interference with beam delivery. The AGV-HPO is also available with right-side and left-side input apertures for “mirror image” machine builds or side-by-side scanner mounting with a single laser beam split to source both scanners.

The location of the AGV-HPO mirrors can be captured and analyzed in real time. With direct access to the positions of the scanner, the user no longer has to program delay parameters to compensate for lag and tracking errors in the servo system. The process can be optimized prior to marking the part, saving time and reducing material waste. The state of the laser can also be controlled based on in-position and velocity criteria, further reducing programming complexity.

The AGV-HPO utilizes all of Aerotech’s advanced motion and PSO (Position Synchronized Output) capabilities that have been developed for traditional servo-based laser processing applications. Contouring functions such as Acceleration Limiting can be used to automatically reduce speeds in tight corners or small radii to minimize overshoot. The laser can be triggered based on the position feedback of the mirrors with PSO to ensure consistent spot overlap as the scanner changes speed. Aerotech’s Infinite Field of View (IFOV^TM) function seamlessly combines servo and scanner motion to extend the marking capability of the scanner across the entire travel of the servo stages, eliminating stitching errors that can occur in a more traditional move-expose-repeat process.

The AGV-HPO family is available with 10, 14, 20, and 30 mm input apertures and can be equipped with an F-Theta or telecentric lens directly from Aerotech. Users can also acquire the focusing optic directly from a trusted supplier with Aerotech supplying a spacer ring to ensure that back reflections through the optic do not damage the scanner mirrors. Mirror coatings for a wide range of UV, visible, IR, and CO2 wavelengths are supported.