Nowadays, laser welding has long been a standard process, which is used, for example, in automobile production, steel construction as well as in the aerospace industry. The principle of laser welding is "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation" and means that light is generated with only one wavelength. The high energy density of 105 up to 106 Watts per square centimetre generated in this way is exploited technically in welding: the high energy density of a laser beam is applied to a small spot, creating the possibility of contactless welding at high process speed.
Why are high feed rates possible with laser welding?
The high energy density of the laser beam can selectively melt the material to be welded in fractions of a second. The solidification process takes place at the same speed. Under ideal conditions, up to 60 metres per minute can be welded with the laser welding process.
But the laser is not only very fast when welding. A great time saving is achieved in laser welding especially when moving the laser between two weld seams, e. g. using a scanner system. Stitched seam welding is a good example of this, when one seam is welded after the other at intervals of only a few centimetres. The laser can do this at very high speed, ensuring high productivity.
Strength of laser welds
If required, laser welds can also be created to increase the strength of components: With the laser optics scanner system, specific patterns of the weld seam can be created. For example, small spirals welded at regular intervals increase the strength of a component significantly compared to linear stitched seams. Such arbitrary weld seam geometries are only possible with a scanner system.
Low thermal load on the component
The precise heat input is also what keeps the thermal load on the component low compared to MIG/MAG-welded workpieces. The material is only slightly compressed by the laser beam during targeted short-term heating. The heat-affected zone is correspondingly small, which means that there is almost no distortion of the component during the heating and cooling process.
Please also have a look at this video:
Are you interested in other topics?
In general, every visitor to the WELDPROF website can ask me specific questions via »Ask the WELDPROF«. I am happy to answer them by e-mail or in one of my video formats. Interaction with interested parties from the world of welding and joining technology is expressly desired!
