Manually guided workpiece machining using laser radiation - monitoring characteristics of gas flow directed onto machining point for reducing laser radiation when seal with workpiece surface is broken.

: Barkhausen, W.; Buechter, E.; Schlueter, H.; Zefferer, H.; Wissenbach, K.

Abstract
The machining method uses a radiation head (21) coupled to a laser radiation source and applied to the surface of the workpiece via a spacer (22) which has a gas feed and discharge line for directing a gas flow (10) onto the machining point (4). The pressure and/or flow characteristics of the gas flow are measured when the spacer is placed in sealed contact with the workpiece surface, with a subsequent variation in the measured values causing the radiation level to be reduced automatically. ADVANTAGE - Protects operator from laser radiation.