Patent ID: 9302346
Filing Date: 2016-04-05
CPC Classification: B23K,C03B

Claim Text:
1. A process for splitting a sheet, comprising the following steps: (I-1) providing a circular laser beam having a diameter D(CLB) and an energy distribution in S-mode along any diameter thereof; (I-2) converting the circular laser beam into an elongated laser beam having a width W(LB) and a length L(LB) where intercepted by a surface of the sheet by passing the circular laser beam through an optical assembly adapted for maintaining the energy distribution in S-mode along the width, and transforming the energy distribution in S-mode to a flat-top-mode profile along the length; (II) exposing part of the surface of the sheet along a scoreline to the laser beam and causing the temperature of the exposed area to rise, wherein the total exposed area has a width W(EA), a length L(EA), W(EA)≈W(LB), and the scoreline is within the exposed area and is essentially parallel to L(LB); and (III) splitting the sheet substantially linearly along the scoreline, wherein the laser beam is generated by a continuous wave CO 2 laser.