provide a large window of acceptable parameters.” Some customers prefer a lower average power with many pulses; others prefer high power with few pulses. Customers can obtain a variety of results from the same basic system. “The simple processes actu- ally mean we can do more interesting welding,” he added.
Laser Developments Another key development Barry is seeing is a single laser system tasked to do multiple operations, such as cutting, drilling, and welding. He attributes this to the newer quasi-continuous wave (QCW) fi ber laser. “Before, manufacturers would cluster lasers in the same area, now they are distributing them into work cells because they can perform multiple opera- tions and they do not need specialized operators who are experts with lasers,” he explained. The next big jump in development may very well be high-brightness direct diode lasers, according to Hansen. Attributes he likes include lower cost, higher electrical effi ciency and the small footprint or form factor. In fact, they are similar in size to current welding power.
What are direct-diode lasers? Many solid-state la- sers use diodes to excite a lasing material. Therefore, disk-lasers or fi ber-lasers use diode lasers as an inter- mediate power source. The direct diode laser skips the intermediate process. The trade-off is poorer beam quality but higher effi ciency. Laserline (Santa Clara, CA) is a supplier of high-power direct diodes used to create the laser beam used in welding, cutting, or brazing. “The wall plug effi ciency of a direct-diode system is between 40–48%,” said Wolfgang Todt of Laserline.
Laserline’s LDF series direct-diode lasers range from 3 to 20-kW power, though beam quality de- creases as power increases. For example, the Laser- line’s LDF 3-kW version is 20 mm-mrad, the 6-kW version is only 40 mm-mrads, with standoff distances
MfgEngMedia.com LF31
of 150 mm. These are better than they used to be and today there are a number of applications where this is suf- fi cient beam quality, especially in aluminum welding, Todt said. Welding with direct diode lasers is not always autogenous. Audi uses LDF diodes to weld aluminum with aluminum-silicon wire fi ller, using 2–6 kW LDF lasers.
In other applications requiring higher quality, Laserline introduced a beam converter device for its LDF line of laser diodes. “For up to 4 kW, the beam converter provides 8 mm-mrads of beam quality with a standoff distance of 500–650 mm,” Todt said. There are trade-offs for the enhanced quality. Wall-plug effi ciency is reduced and the beam converter adds capital expense. Said Todt: “It is our answer to fi ber lasers in applications requiring higher-quality fi ber- optic delivery of a beam.”
ESAB Welding & Cutting Products Ph: 843-669-4411 / 800-ESAB123 Web site:
www.esabna.com/ Hybrid Laser Microsite:
www.esab.com/hlaw
Laserdyne
Ph: 763-433-3700 Web site:
http://tinyurl.com/laserdynesme
Laserline
Ph: 408-834-4660 Web site:
www.laserline.de/t
Lincoln Electric Ph: 888-935-3876 Web site:
www.lincolnelectric.com/en-us/
Trumpf Inc.
Ph: 860-255-6000 Web site:
www.us.trumpf.com/en
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