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Laser Welding


Companies like ESAB are using their expertise in gas metal arc welding (GMAW)—think MIG—combined with fi ber-de- livered laser energy to create the best of both in these hybrid systems. The addition of GMAW means using an arc to add-in fi ller material from a wire. Welds in thicker materials benefi t from the precise, deep penetration heat source of lasers, and the combined system is faster and more forgiving. “With a fi ller metal added, this allows you to start applying laser welding to joint fi t-ups and joint designs that are not optimal,” Hansen said. Modest gaps can be bridged. Certain amounts of surface contamination are tolerable and weld chemistry and mechanical properties can be manipulated. Designers can also add fi llets and bead reinforcements for greater strength and to resist fatigue failures. “This means laser welding can be applied in more conventional applications,” he said. ESAB’s Hybrio is such a hybrid system, combining a solid-state laser with GMAW. It welds at 3-10 times the speed of conventional processes, with 80–90% less heat input, ac-


A high power direct-diode laser from Laserline welding an aluminum deck lid. Aluminum is a particularly good application for direct-diodes, according to Laserline.


cording to the company. Its wider bead bridges gaps that are four times wider than a conventional laser-only process. Just as importantly, an adaptive control system monitors the weld joint in real time, adjusting for joint gaps and mismatches and further broadening the process window to handle gaps up to 1.5 mm. New applications now opened to laser welding


84 ManufacturingEngineeringMedia.com | March 2014


Photo courtesy Laserline


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