Investigation of Galvanometer Scanner Failure During the Laser Processing of High Reflectivity Materials and Concrete Composite Materials

Advanced manufacturing systems such as laser-aided manufacturing technology open new benefits to the industry, especially in packing battery cells and the decontamination of nuclear power plants. Among many other types of laser equipment, galvanometer scanners are well-known for operating at high accuracy and high speed which is a crucial factor in today's industrialized sectors. It is found that the processing of battery cells and concrete composites produces a lot of byproducts such as contaminants and back reflection. The optical component of the scanner suffers thermal damage due to the laser irradiation of the byproducts induced by the highly reflective metals and cement-based composite materials. Hence, the role of laser processing of highly reflective materials and concrete composites in damaging the optical components of the galvanometer scanner is studied in this work. Furthermore, how the back reflection aggravates this damage in the presence of the contaminants causing thermal damage to the mirror was also discussed.