Laser welding: principle of action and benefits

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Joining metals can be different.The most reliable and progressive method of obtaining permanent connection of different products is laser welding.With this technology it is possible not only to achieve high precision and accuracy, but also to join the materials having a high melting point or high thermophilic.Short controlled during melting and a small amount of melt was allowed to weld even those parts that conventional methods are not suitable.

Technology features

Laser welding is characterized in that the laser beam provides a high energy density at the point which the diameter does not exceed a few micrometers.The power level reaches 10 ~ 8 W / cm2, which is much longer than it, for example, an arc.By concentrating the energy laser welding can be compared only to that of the electron beam (its capacity is about 10 ^ a b W / cm2).But if the latter can only be used in a vacuum chamber, the laser welding may be carried out in a medium with some inert gas (CO2, He, Ar) or simply air.With regard to control, it is carried out by an optical system.Laser welding is performed in a fairly wide range of conditions, and this provides a high-joining process different materials, the thickness of which starts from a few micrometers and up to several tens of millimeters.Despite the fact that this process is very complex and has no universal theoretical model that could describe it in all fullness, it is widely used in practice, and that is a good reason.

What good laser welding of metals

Among the undoubted advantages of this method include the following:

  1. high performance of this technology compared to other methods.
  2. Shallow zone of thermal exposure, which is limited to only one diameter of the laser.This allows a greater technological strength and ductility compound.
  3. ease of management and the ability to change the treatment program.
  4. Sustainability.Modern laser welding installation eliminates the need for auxiliary materials and welding fluxes.
  5. possibility of secure connections of dissimilar metals.
  6. is often possible to avoid the use of filler material.
  7. ability to weld in difficult to access locations.

for welding of metal parts used gas and solid-state lasers as a continuous and periodic action.Application of this technology is directly dependent on the power plant.Thus, lasers whose power lies in the range of 100-500 W, have long been used for the welding of small-sized components such as electronic components, or medical devices.A plant capable of concentrating a higher energy level (in kW range) are often used in conjunction with the robots and fiber optics.They are virtually indispensable in the automotive industry, mechanical engineering, shipbuilding and other industries.