However, there are many types of welding that were used long before laser welding, so why do we need laser technology when there are other alternatives? Let’s take a quick look at the basics of the technology, then take a closer look. It was Einstein who predicted the emission medium, the principle of lasers.
Laser welding uses light in a small space so that the area under the laser beam absorbs the light and produces high energy. When a powerful laser beam is used, the atoms in this region explode the bonds with each other, so the electrons in this region are very happy to be where the material is melting. At the seam, the two materials are melted and fused into the seam. It’s amazing how light can be powerful enough to turn metal to metal in milliseconds. In order to obtain such a powerful laser beam, the laser welder uses several materials that directly and precisely amplify the laser. You can click here to know about handheld laser welder price
Gas lasers, semiconductor lasers, and fiber lasers are the three most common lasers used in laser welding systems. Typically, a laser beam is routed to a laser welding machine using fiber optics. There is one fiber welding machine and several fiber welding machines. Multi-fiber welding machines have a laser connected to each fiber, and laser efficiency increases with each fiber. A lens collimator is usually used in conjunction with a magnifying glass to see the beam to a point before it exits the machine.
If you have looked into laser welding, you may have seen that it continues to be used with laser nozzles, another nozzle that delivers oil called process oil or cutting oil. Basically, it is the flow of gas, usually CO2, that leads to the welding surface with the purpose of protecting the welding surface from contact with air.
If no cutting oil is used, there are only two options for welding: ordinary air or vacuum. Vacuum laser welding is certainly possible, but not plausible due to its high cost and special configuration. Laser welding without oil treatment in the surrounding area may have a negative impact. Since nitrogen in the air is very concentrated, it can mix with molten metal and form voids or holes in the weld. This result can lead to welding failure.
Characteristics such as humidity in the air can produce hydrogen during welding. The diffusion of hydrogen in the weak metal of the joint. Therefore, laser welding at a place without shielding is not pleasant at all. Welding machines are equipped with a cutting gas connection which sprays the weld surface with an oil so that impurities do not mix with the weld.
Types of laser welding
Laser welding can be done in two ways: heat conduction welding and keyhole welding.
Heat conduction welding: In this process, the metal surface is heated above the melting point of the metal, but not to vaporization. This technique is used for welds that do not require high weld strength. The advantage of thermal conduction welding is that the final weld is very smooth and beautiful. Low power lasers in the <500 W range are used for conduction heating welding.
Keyhole Welding: In this process, a laser beam heats the metal, vaporizing the contact surface and digging deep into the metal. This creates a significant effect that blood-like conditions form at temperatures above 10,000 K.
This process requires a high laser power with a power greater than 105 W/mm2. Different welding processes and laser welding. Laser welding is usually used in combination with arc welding to create so-called hybrid laser arc welding. In hybrid laser arc welding, one of the most common arc welding techniques such as MIG, TIG or SAW is used in combination with deep laser welding.
The result is welding with the advantages of laser welding and arc welding. The resulting weld has a deep seam across the joint due to laser welding and also has better protection for the joint. Other side effects such as cracking and internal porosity are also reduced. The advantages of using laser welding technology.Laser welding has many advantages that are rarely found in other welding methods. Some common definitions of laser welding are:
Laser beam welding is used for high precision welding. Due to the lack of electrodes used, the final weld is light but strong. The initial investment is expensive, but the quality and characteristics of laser welding cannot be simplified.