Patent ID: 9664504
Date: 2017-05-30
CPC Classifications: B22F,B23K,B33Y,G01B,G01M,G01P,H01J,Y02P

Claim:
1. A computer-implemented method for automatically verifying a size of at least one energy beam spot, said method comprising the steps of: (a) generating a first energy beam spot from a first energy beam source, the first energy beam spot having a predetermined size and power at a first position on a work piece, wherein said first position is detected by at least one of an IR-camera, a CCD-camera, a digital camera, a CMOS camera, or a NIR-camera, (b) varying, via at least one control unit containing a processor, at least one of a focus lens setting or an astigmatism lens setting for said first energy beam spot until a maximum intensity of the first energy beam spot is detected, (c) comparing, via said at least one control unit, at least one setting of said focus lens and/or astigmatism lens associated with said detected maximum intensity of the first energy beam spot with corresponding stored settings of said focus lens and/or astigmatism lens associated with said predetermined size and power of the first energy beam spot, the stored settings being stored within a memory, (d) repeating, via said at least one control unit, steps a-c for different predetermined beam powers, and (e) repeating, via said at least one control unit, steps a-d for different positions on said work piece, and verifying said first energy beam spot size by verifying that each of said focus lens and/or astigmatism lens settings associated with the detected maximum intensity deviate less than a predetermined value from the corresponding stored settings of said focus lens and/or astigmatism lens.