For quite some time, remote head cameras with separate controls have enabled laser welding system operators to monitor and guide the laser process. Recently, however, engineers at Newport Corp decided to replace the remote head camera system on their LaserWeld™ 4000 series workstations with tiny Elmo MN 400 micro cameras, which combine the camera head and the controls into one unit. Newport Corp supplies laser welding systems and other high-tech products to markets including research, life and health science, aerospace and defense, industrial manufacturing, semiconductor and advanced packaging.
"We discussed our requirements with William Corns, president of Wilco Imaging, a San Diego, CA distributor, who suggested that we try the Elmo micro cameras," explains Sam Miller of Newport. "These tiny all-in-one cameras eliminate the need for separate remote controls, which makes them easier to integrate into the system and easier to operate than remote head cameras. They also deliver the same image quality as the remote head cameras."
The advantages of laser welding are well known. Along with the capability to perform within tight tolerances, lasers can complete most tasks much faster and with greater precision than conventional methods. In addition, laser technology provides the flexibility required for changing pattern and depth, as well as outstanding cut and hole quality.
Laser welding relies on skilled operators to achieve the pinpoint laser accuracy required for many high-tech applications. Various components used for Internet applications, for example, for which proper alignment and attachment at both ends is crucial, are assembled with laser welders.
"It is difficult for computers alone to determine exactly where to weld complicated fiber optic parts," explains Miller. "While our instruments utilize machine vision, laser welding of some opto-electronic transmitters and other fiber optic components requires human intervention."
The Elmo MN 400 cameras, which look down the optical axis of the weld, give the operator a bird's-eye view of the process before, during, and after completion. Newport's AccuView™ welding beam output housing design features a high-precision optical train that compensates for the focal plane offset between the camera (visible) and welding beam (infrared) wavelengths. The combination of the Elmo camera and Newport design provides "what-you-see-is-what-you-weld" results for ultra-precise position control of welding spots on lenses, fibers, isolators, or weld clips inside the package.
Newport's LaserWeld™ series 4000 automatic packaging workstations are configurable for multiple welding geometric and package designs. Each laser focus head has one Elmo high-resolution micro camera. The camera's small size -- just 3.15 in. long -- makes it ideal for use in a wide variety of applications involving difficult environments and locations. Currently, Newport Corp is integrating Elmo MN 400 micro cameras into its LW4000S 2-beam and 3-beam LaserWeld™ fiber attachment systems.
