Laser Beam Welding Aluminium

Laser beam welding is a fusion welding process in which two metal pieces are joined together by the use of laser.

Laser beam welding aluminium.

Laser beam welding is a technique in manufacturing whereby two or more pieces of material usually metal are joined by together through use of a laser beam. As a result it is possible to couple the energy much more efficiently using electron beam welding compared to laser welding. Joint configurations examples of sheet metal joint configurations suitable for laser welding are shown in fig 1 however to get an acceptable joint profile and weld quality 1 a number of processing and fit up conditions have to be satisfied table 2 some examples are given below. The process is frequently used in high volume applications using automation as in the automotive industry it is based on keyhole or penetration mode welding.

The laser beams have enough energy and when it strikes the metal pieces produce heat that melts the material from the two metal pieces and fills the cavity. Friction stir welding fsw and laser beam welding lbw are noteworthy for their present use in commercial aircraft manufacturing 7 11. The laser beams are focused to the cavity between the two metal pieces to be joined. The electrons of an electron beam on the other hand are too energetic to be deflected significantly by the plasma.

1 acceptable weld qualities are specified in the workmanship standard bs en 13919 welding electron and. Aluminum is one of the easiest metals to penetrate with an electron beam. However with the evolution of high power good beam quality carbon dioxide co 2 lasers and the advent of high power high brightness solid state fiber delivered lasers coupling the energy into aluminum is no longer an issue. Laser beam welding can be used with crack sensitive materials such as the 6000 series of aluminum alloys when combined with an appropriate filler material such as 4032 or 4047 aluminum.

In the past aluminum s high reflectivity was a problem for laser welding. Laser beam welding lbw is a welding technique used to join pieces of metal or thermoplastics through the use of a laser the beam provides a concentrated heat source allowing for narrow deep welds and high welding rates. Kossowsky laser beam welding of aluminum alloy plates 7039 5083 and 2090 in proceeding of the international congress on applications of lasers and electro optics icaleo 89 pp. Properties aluminium alloys are increasingly being employed in many important manufacturing areas such as the automobile industries aeronautics and the military 4 6.