Three-Axis Galvo System Scan Heads


  • XYZ Scanning Using Galvanometers with Focus Adjustment
  • Flexible Design Suitable for Many Applications
  • Integrated Digital Control Electronics

XG330-Y1

Dynamic Focusing 3-Axis Galvo Scan Head

Inside View

With Lid On

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Volume Pricing Discount

Large-Volume Orders

For orders where a large quantity of an item is purchased and the delivery of that item is scheduled with our production (i.e., not taken directly from inventory), Thorlabs passes on to the customer the cost savings associated with planned production of high volumes of that item. Since the volume and planned production are key to realizing the cost savings, we ask that you contact us to obtain volume pricing.

Additional requests can include custom optic sizes and coatings, specialized tuning, and variable cable options.

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Applications

  • Large Field Marking
  • Contoured Surfaces Marking
  • Micromachining
  • Cutting and Embossing
  • Solar Scribing
  • Thin Film Scribing
  • Rapid Prototyping
  • Laser 3D Printing
  • Surface Treatment
  • Ablation
  • Welding
  • Mark-on-the-Fly Processing

Features

  • XY Galvo Scanning with Dynamic Z-Axis Focusing
  • Ideal for Large Field Sizes and Small Spot Sizes

These 3-Axis Galvo System Scan Heads include XY scanning mirrors and Z-axis focusing elements in order to achieve a large, three-dimensional field of view. Rather than a standard f-theta scanning lens, these scan heads use translating focusing elements to adjust the focal point of the system and maintain a flat scan area. See the 2-Axis vs. 3-Axis tab for details.

Our Dynamic Focusing Scan Heads are capable of achieving field sizes up to 1000 x 1000 mm² or spot sizes down to Ø22 µm, offering flexibility and making them suitable for many applications. The dynamic lens translator continuously adjusts the focus distance via a combination of manual and motorized actuators to produce a flat or contoured field; manual adjustment of the lens position determines the working distance and field size, while fine motorized adjustment provides focal correction while scanning. These scan heads are available with mirrors for Nd:YAG (1064 nm) or CO2 (10.6 µm) lasers.

Our High-Speed Focusing Scan Head is a scanning solution designed to offer 3-axis capabilities in a compact package for field sizes up to 450 x 450 mm². It includes the BLINK high-bandwidth Z-axis focuser for scanning highly contoured surfaces. The fully packaged design allows for easy integration into tabletopworkstations and assembly lines. This scan head includes mirrors coated for Nd:YAG (1064 nm) lasers.

We recommend the SAMLight software package from SCAPS for operating these scan heads; click here for information on this software. Power supplies and cables are sold separately.

For OEM or custom requests, please email TMS-Sales@thorlabs.com.

Galvo Specifications

Item # XG330-Y1 XG345-CD DCB320-Y1
Maximum Input Beam Diameter 8.5 mm 14 mm 8.5 mm
Input/Output Beam Offseta 35.2 mm 44.0 mm 22.2 mm
Mirror Coating Nd:YAG CO2 Nd:YAG
Wavelength 1064 nm 10.6 µm 1064 nm
Absolute Reflectance 99.5% at 1064 nm 99.5% at 10.6 µm 99.5% at 1064 nm
Z-Axis Step Response Time 6 ms 1.5 ms
Compatible Power Supplyb GPWR15 GPWR24
  • The input and output beams are offset by 90°.
  • Sold Separately

Field Size vs. Spot Size

Item # XG330-Y1 XG345-CD DCB320-Y1
Field Size Working Distance Spot Sizea,b
150 x 150 mm² 206.1 mm - - 32 µm
200 x 200 mm² 274.7 mm 22 µmc - -
300 x 300 mm² 412.1 mm 30 µm 165 µm 64 µm
400 x 400 mm² 549.5 mm 38 µm 210 µm -
450 x 450 mm² 618.2 mm - - 96 µm
500 x 500 mm² 686.9 mm 46 µm 250 µm -
600 x 600 mm² 824.2 mm 54 µm 295 µm -
700 x 700 mm² 961.6 mm 62 µm 350 µm -
800 x 800 mm² 1099.0 mm 71 µm 395 µm -
900 x 900 mm² 1236.4 mm 80 µm 450 µm -
1000 x 1000 mm² 1373.7 mm 89 µm 495 µm -
  • 1/e² Spot at Center
  • Assumes TEM00 and M² = 1.2
  • 22 µm Value Requires Perfect Beam Delivery
GPWR15 Power Supply Unit Specs
Input 100 - 120 VAC or 220 - 240 VAC
Output ±15 V at 5 A (150 W Max Power)
Operating Temperature 0 to 50 °C
Dimensions 14.0" x 4.9" x 3.5"
(356 mm x 124 mm x 90 mm)
GPWR24 Power Supply Unit Specs
Input 100 - 120 VAC or 220 - 240 VAC
Output ±24 V at 2.4 A (115 W Max Power)
Operating Temperature 0 to 50 °C
Dimensions 9.38" x 4.87" x 3.28"
(238.3 mm x 123.7 mm x 83.3 mm)
Dynamic Focusing Galvo
Click to Enlarge

Diagram Illustrating Dynamic Focusing to Achieve a Flat Field in Our XG300 Series and DCB320-Y1 Three-Axis Galvo Scan Heads

In a typical two axis laser scanning system, a collimated beam is reflected by the X and Y axis scanning mirrors before entering the focusing (objective) lens. The lens focuses the beam on the work surface. Rotation of the X and Y mirrors causes movement of the focused spot within a flat field. The size of the spot and the size of the field are determined by the lens (and other factors). This configuration is known as a pre-objective scanning system because the laser strikes the scanning mirrors before the focusing (objective) lens. An f-theta lens is a common choice for the lens in this configuration.

The architecture works well as long as the beam diameter and field size are relatively small. For example, applications using beam diameters less than 20 mm and field sizes less than 300 mm are well suited to Z-axis pre-objective scanning.

As the field size requirements grow, larger scan mirrors and laser beam diameters are needed to maintain a numerical aperture (NA) consistent with a small focused spot. F-theta scan lenses for these large laser beams would be big, costly, and impractical. For this reason, a 3-axis scanning solution should be considered.

In a 3-axis scanning system, as shown in the figure to the right, the XY mirrors are placed after the final focusing lens, and hence they are referred to as a post-objective scanning system. Since the laser beam does not move on the objective lens, the lens does not need to be very large; however, this arrangement does not create a flat field. To achieve a flat field, a third axis (Z-axis) of motion is introduced in the form of a linear lens translator.

The typical laser system uses a telescope to expand the laser beam to a diameter consistent with the required NA. The distance between the telescope input lens and objective lens determines the focal distance of the system. By mounting the input lens on a linear lens translator (the third axis), we gain dynamic control over the focal distance. See the diagram to the right for details.

By coordinating the motion of the linear lens translator with the rotation of the X and Y scanning mirrors, we achieve a focused laser spot throughout a flat field. Alternatively, the same configuration can be used to scan a three-dimensional surface. In this scenario, the Z-axis position is an arbitrary function of the X and Y galvo mirror positions, enabling the system to scan complex geometries.

XG300 Series Scan Heads

Dynamic 3-Axis Galvo
Click to Enlarge

DCB320 Scan Head

 High-Speed 3-Axis Galvo
Click to Enlarge

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Dynamic Focusing 3-Axis Galvo Scan Heads

Item # XG330-Y1 XG345-CD
Field Size Working Distance Spot Sizea,b
200 x 200 mm² 274.7 mm 22 µmc -
300 x 300 mm² 412.1 mm 30 µm 165 µm
400 x 400 mm² 549.5 mm 38 µm 210 µm
500 x 500 mm² 686.9 mm 46 µm 250 µm
600 x 600 mm² 824.2 mm 54 µm 295 µm
700 x 700 mm² 961.6 mm 62 µm 350 µm
800 x 800 mm² 1099.0 mm 71 µm 395 µm
900 x 900 mm² 1236.4 mm 80 µm 450 µm
1000 x 1000 mm² 1373.7 mm 89 µm 495 µm
  • 1/e² Spot at Center
  • Assumes TEM00 and M² = 1.2
  • 22 µm Value Requires Perfect Beam Delivery
  • 30 mm Max Beam Diameter with Nd:YAG Mirrors (Item # XG330-Y1)
  • 45 mm Max Beam Diameter with CO2 Mirrors (Item # XG345-CD)
  • XY Galvo Scanning with Manual and Automatic Z-Axis Adjustment
  • High Field Size to Spot Size Ratio
  • 6 ms Z-Axis Step Response Time

These 3-Axis Scan Heads use a dynamic focusing system, rather than an f-theta lens, to produce a flat field. Each scan head incorporates an XY galvo system plus a linear lens translator (the Z-axis) that can produce a flat or contoured field by dynamically focusing on the surface of the workpiece. The system is designed to create a large scan field with a relatively small spot; spot sizes as small as 30 µm or scan fields as large as 1 m x 1 m are achievable. Various field and spot size combinations can be selected simply by turning a knob to adjust the working distance, while motorized focusing elements can be automated to enable scanning of a flat or contoured surface. The ability to vary the field and spot size offers application flexibility and is ideal for process development and job shop settings.

The Scan Head is used for optical scanning in XY and XYZ applications with lasers of various wavelengths. Configurations are available for a 30 mm max beam diameter and mirrors coated for Nd:YAG (1064 nm) lasers or a 45 mm max beam diameter and mirrors coated for CO2 (10.6 µm) lasers.

The compatible power supply (item # GPWR15), power cable (item # CBLPA16F), and galvo command cable (item # CBLA16D) are sold separately.

Based on your currency / country selection, your order will ship from Newton, New Jersey  
+1 Qty Docs Part Number - Universal Price Available
XG330-Y1 Support Documentation
XG330-Y13-Axis Galvo Scan Head, 30 mm Max Beam Diameter, Nd:YAG Laser Line Mirrors
$15,389.30
Lead Time
XG345-CD Support Documentation
XG345-CD3-Axis Galvo Scan Head, 45 mm Max Beam Diameter, CO2 Laser Line Mirrors
$30,500.00
Lead Time
CBLA16D Support Documentation
CBLA16DCommand Cable for XG Series Scan Heads
$196.20
Today
CBLPA16F Support Documentation
CBLPA16FPower Cable for XG Series Scan Heads
$78.57
Today
GPWR15 Support Documentation
GPWR15±15 V Power Supply for BLINK & QS, SS, SP, & XG Series Galvo Scanners
$550.00
Lead Time

High-Speed Focusing 3-Axis Galvo Scan Head

Item # DCB320-Y1
Field Size Working Distance Spot Sizea,b
150 x 150 mm² 206.1 mm 32 µm
300 x 300 mm² 412.1 mm 64 µm
450 x 450 mm² 618.2 mm 96 µm
  • 1/e² Spot at Center
  • Assumes TEM00 and M² = 1.2
  • Ø13 mm Input; Ø20 mm Mirror Aperture
  • XY Galvo Scanning with Integrated BLINK High-Speed Focuser
  • 1.5 ms Z-Axis Step Response Time
  • Fully Packaged Design Suitable for Laboratory or Industrial Environments

The DCB320-Y1 is a scanning solution offering 3-axis capabilities in a compact package for small to medium field sizes. The integrated design features advanced galvanometer technology that provides superior bandwidth, accuracy, and flexibility, and incorporates a high bandwidth Z-axis voice coil actuator for marking on highly contoured surfaces. This 3-Axis scan head is designed to operate seamlessly with the SAMLight laser scan control software and process controllers, making for easy integration into workstations and assembly lines.

The compatible power supply (item # GPWR24) and cable set (item # CBLA16F) are sold separately.

Based on your currency / country selection, your order will ship from Newton, New Jersey  
+1 Qty Docs Part Number - Universal Price Available
DCB320-Y1 Support Documentation
DCB320-Y13-Axis Galvo Scan Head with Integrated High-Speed Focuser
$15,066.43
Lead Time
CBLA16F Support Documentation
CBLA16FCommand and Power Cables for DCB Series Scan Heads
$298.43
Lead Time
GPWR24 Support Documentation
GPWR24Power Supply Unit, ±24 V
$457.41
Lead Time