Why is laser welding machine Better?

How is laser welding better than TIG?

SIEME supply professional and honest service.

Arc welding as a production process took a long time to become established, but has nevertheless been around since the s. Although the laser was only invented in , it quickly became established as a production process and by the s was starting to be used in high volume manufacturing. Recent advances which have improved the beam quality and efficiency of lasers, make the laser an even more advantageous solution to high volume or automated industrial joining.

Weld quality and consistency

Laser welding enables the quality and consistency of welding to be readily controlled and consistently maintained. Since the laser head makes no contact with the workpiece and there is no electrode which can become worn, eroded or damaged there is no need for a tool change where the electrode needs to be reground or sharpened, as is the case with TIG. The lack of electrode dressing in laser welding results in higher uptime and longer time between maintenance interventions. Also, there is no risk of contamination of the weld material with Tungsten from the TIG electrode tip when striking the arc.

Lower heat input

With laser welding the heat input to the metal being welded is lower which means there is a smaller heat affected zone (HAZ) and the distortion of the assembly is vastly reduced making complex and accurate assembly more achievable, especially in an automated setting. In addition, the lower heat input means that a weld can be placed close to sensitive electronics or other heat-sensitive materials without risk of damage or failure.

Throughput &#; higher welding speed

Weld speeds are generally higher with laser welding, especially with modern high power continuous wave (CW) fibre lasers. A high welding speed sometimes means that the motion system, for example the CNC system or robot contouring speed, is the limiting factor on cycle time rather than the process.

Cost per metre of weld

In processes where throughput is high it is common to find that the laser solution is more efficient and results in a lower cost per metre of weld. Interestingly, there are processes which combine laser and arc welding to achieve deeper penetration and higher welding speeds. These hybrid processes typically use a combination of laser welding to heat the metal efficiently to melting point and arc welding to provide deposition of droplets into the weld pool and enhanced penetration and weld strength over either process as a stand-alone procedure.

No finishing of the weld

With inert gas shielding, a laser weld in stainless steel or aluminium normally requires no post-processing (grinding or dressing) after welding, the weld finish is bright and oxide free and can be typically coated or painted without further cleaning steps.

Access difficult areas

Since the laser beam is a &#;line of sight&#; process, the laser can pass through gaps in a structure to weld areas from the rear, where it would not be possible to introduce a TIG electrode. Using a camera to view through the laser optics, it is easy to align the beam to a precise feature and perform welds in difficult-to-reach parts of the structure.

What about gaps?

One disadvantage of laser welding is that it tends to rely on good contact and minimum gap between parts to be joined. With either a laser process or a TIG weld, there is a need to ensure that gaps are minimised or avoided to ensure good results. With the addition of wire feed, which adds a certain complexity to the process, it is possible to fill gaps or build up areas for additional strength.

Conclusions

For ease of automation, consistent quality and lack of post-processing there are clear advantages to using laser welding. Where welding is to be applied manually, TIG welding has greater flexibility and lower capital cost for the equipment.

Laser spare part

Laser welding machine

Laser precision allows for better quality welds, faster throughput, reduced post-processing costs and access to new domains of application.

The main drawback of laser welding is the hefty price tag for the equipment. Our accurate measurement solutions help you maximize the ROI of this investment.

Let&#;s discuss about the main advantages and disadvantages of laser welding.

Advantages of laser welding

Minimal thermal impact on the surrounding surfaces

Welding, both traditional and laser-based, implies heat delivery at the junction between two surfaces. The melted metals mix and, after they&#;ve cooled, form a strong bond, effectively joining the two components together.

Laser specifications change over time for many reasons and it causes problems accross all industries. Learn about how laser output measurement solves numerous problems in YOUR industry. Download the guide below.

Want more information on laser welding machine? Feel free to contact us.

Gentec-EO's high-accuracy laser beam measurement instruments help engineers, scientists and technicians in all sorts of laser applications from the factory to the hospital, laboratory and research center. Learn about our solutions for these measurement types:

• Laser power meters
• Laser energy meters
• Laser beam profilers
• Terahertz power meters

The problem with the traditional methods is that they do not deliver this heat only at the weld seam, but also in the surrounding material. The result is bending, stress, and other negative impacts on the material near the welds.

Lasers on the other hand, have enormous power density. In other words, they can deliver their heat extremely locally at the seam, leaving the surrounding materials in better condition.

Decreased post-weld processing costs

Laser welds are extremely clean. Usually, they are so clean that they require no subsequent grinding, resulting in a significant reduction in post-processing costs.

Having such cosmetic welds also helps give the product a more premium look, giving a great first impression with products that are destined for end-users

Lasers increase weld speed

Lasers can weld many times faster (up to 5 to 10 times faster!) than traditional methods. Even without considering the decrease in post-processing, it&#;s easy to understand that faster weld speeds mean a quicker turnaround time and increased productivity.

Versatility

Laser welding is extremely versatile. Different laser setups can weld just about anything and everything: thick steel plates for the shipping industry, precious metals for jewelry, dissimilar metals like aluminum and steel, or the copper contacts on electric car batteries.

There have even been some successful attempts (though this is still experimental) to weld ceramics, a notoriously hard-to-weld class of materials.

Disadvantages of laser welding

High upfront cost

All of these advantages come at a cost, literally. The initial acquisition cost of laser setups can easily be double or triple the cost of traditional systems.

However, the per-unit cost is lowered. If you have sufficiently high volumes, the investment pays dividends.

Low gap tolerance

Precision being the trademark of laser welding comes with a bit of a drawback, because that precision means that bad workpiece fit-up will really harm the quality of the welding.

This decrease in gap-tolerance means you need to make sure your upstream processes/suppliers can reliably meet strict tolerance levels.

Is laser welding right for you?

Let us know how you plan to use laser welding in the comment section below. We help customers all around the world from various industries measure their lasers. We can help you too! Our knowledgeable staff is always happy to discuss your specific application to help you make the right decision.

For more fiber laser cleaning machineinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.