Galvo Laser Welding

Galvo laser welding pairs a non-contact, high intensity heat source (laser) with a compact, relatively inexpensive high speed motion system (galvo, galvonometer, or scan head).

A scan head consists of two mirrors, each mounted on tiny rotary motors, called galvanometers. The mirrors and motors are mounted orthogonally such that the rotary motion of the two mirrors translates to linear motion in the X- and Y-axis. Their compact size ensures high-speed positioning, short settling times, and high acceleration and deceleration, ideal for high-speed, short-distance motion.

The laser is then directed though the scan head by two mirrors to a lens, which focuses the laser over an X/Y area according to where the motors have positioned the laser at the input side of the lens. This contrasts with a regular lens, which focuses to a single point in X and Y.

Read more in our blog piece Scan heads for micro laser welding: “Ham n’ Eggs” of laser industry