HELCoW: High energy laser capable of welding

ICON Technology proposes development of a laser beam welding toolhead for use in palentary and on-orbit applications. The HELCoW laser toolhead will utilize direct diode lasers to realize a simplified optical design compared to fiber and gas lasers typically used for welding. The laser toolhead will be capable of extended operation in a microtorr vacuum environment and include instrumentation for monitoring the weld process as well as the toolhead state of health. Software will be written to enable robotic manipulation of the toolhead to produce welds on appropriate workpiece geometries and adjust processing parameters based on data from the process and instrument monitoring data.

The proposed laser toolhead is a critical component of welding in space. This will enable manufacturing and repair operations of metal structures such as trusses, towers, pipelines, and tanks on orbit or on celestial bodies such as the moon and mars. Vacuum laser welding is used in modern industrial applications. The HELCoW laser toolhead represents a simplified optical design compared to the current state of art. Applications requiring extended operation in vacuum could benefit from adopting the HELCoW laser toolhead or the technical innovations represented in its subsystems.

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

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