Patent ID: 7456370

Claim:
An automated welding system for welding a workpiece, comprising: an arm having an end, the arm configured to move multiaxially; a fiber optic cable coupled to the arm; a laser source coupled to the fiber optic cable and configured to supply laser light thereto; a focusing head including a first end, a second end, and a passage extending therebetween, the first end coupled to the arm end, and the passage receiving at least a portion of the fiber optic cable therein; a focus lens disposed within the focusing head passage and in communication with the fiber optic cable, the focus lens configured to focus the laser light from the fiber optic cable to form a laser beam; and a shield being cup-shaped and having a first end, a second end, an inlet, an outlet, and a cavity formed therebetween, the first end including the inlet, the second end having a rounded inner surface forming the shield cavity and including the outlet, each of the inlet and the outlet having a diameter, the shield inlet coupled to the focusing head second end, the shield inlet diameter being greater than the shield outlet diameter, the shield outlet diameter sized to provide an opening through which the laser beam exits, and the shield inlet diameter and the shield outlet diameter configured to maintain positive pressure within the shield cavity to thereby prevent substantially all particles external to the shield cavity from entering therein.