As used in this application, the term “scanner head” refers to a sub-assembly which can be supported on a 3D laser processing system or an industrial robot (as an end effector), so that it can rotate about the first and second direction referred to above, a generally collimated laser beam being delivered to the scanner head.
Such a scanner head is described in EP 1 228 835. The laser beam there is focused onto a focal point by means of a displaceable lens, around which a two-dimensional, arched (spherical shell-shaped) working field is produced through rotation of the scanner mirror about the second direction or a tilting thereof. By moving the lens, it is possible to adjust the spatial position of the focal point, so that the working field is expanded into a working space.
DE 100 27 148 A1 discloses a device for processing a workpiece, in which a moveable adjustable scanner mirror is arranged in the beam path. A moveable scanner mirror is there taken to mean a scanner mirror having a moveable suspension, for example a cardan suspension. The adjustability of the mirror is achieved by a tilting of the mirror about two axes perpendicular to one another.
A disadvantage of the scanner head described there and of other, conventional scanner devices is that the direction of incidence of the focused laser beam is oriented substantially perpendicular to the working field of the scanner. The scanner is thereby primarily suited to plane processing, which means that for three dimensional processing additional axial movements of the workpiece are generally necessary.