Spot size and distance characterization for a laser tool

摘要

A system and method for maintaining a specified distance between the focus of a laser tooling beam of a laser machining system and a workpiece. The system includes an optical assembly for focusing the tooling beam substantially onto a spot on the surface of the workpiece and a beam splitter for deflecting light retro-reflected from the workpiece and through the optical assembly. The system also includes a distance-measuring apparatus, such as a conoscope, for receiving the retro-reflected beam and for determining the distance to the spot on the surface of the workpiece relative to a fiducial reference as well as a controller for governing the location of the workpiece relative to the focus of the optical assembly based on the measured distance of the spot.