LASER LABEL-PRINTER

摘要

A laser label printer for use with a laser markable medium includes a laser-diode fiber-coupled to an optical train, which includes a focusing lens for focusing the radiation on the medium. The focusing lens is traversed across the medium, with incremental motion of the medium between traverses, for line by line printing of the label. The printer includes a feature for protecting the focusing lens from contamination, and self-diagnostic and adjustment features.

主权项

1. Apparatus for printing a laser markable medium, comprising:
a sheet of the medium in a printing plane, the sheet having a width; a collimating module held in a fixed position, the collimating module including a collimating lens; a focusing module including a turning mirror and a focusing lens, the focusing module being reciprocally translatable along a axis about parallel to the printing plane; a source of laser-radiation and an optical fiber for transporting the laser-radiation from the source thereof to the collimating module and delivering the laser-radiation from a distal end thereof in a diverging beam to the collimating lens; the collimating lens arranged to collimate the diverging beam from the optical fiber and direct the collimated beam to the focusing module, the turning mirror directing the collimated beam to the focusing lens and the focusing lens focusing the collimated beam through the window onto the sheet at a focal distance from the focusing lens for printing on the sheet, the window protecting the focusing lens from contamination by by-products of the printing by the focused beam; and and wherein the focal distance becomes greater as the focusing module is translated away from the collimating module and the axis is tilted with respect to the printing plane such that the beam remains focused on the sheet during the translation of the focusing module.