Introduction
Laser welding is evolving and no one wants to stay outside the loop. Everyone is looking for ways to keep their production high and stay relevant. That’s why the underline benefits of laser welding have to be unveiled. So, what’s laser welding? Do I need it for my workshop? Is it worth it?
Let’s answer all that!
What is Laser Welding?
The whole idea of welding is fusing or separating metals. Hence, laser welding uses laser beams to melt the materials, which the welder will leave to fuse as they cool. A laser, in this case, is a concentrated heat source that melts the metals in question. This welding technique is high-precision as well as versatile. The welder can weld thin materials at high speeds. If operating on thick materials, the welder can run narrow and deep welds.
The cost of laser welding machines is lower than other traditional welding methods. Traditional methods are often back-breaking. So much effort is required to bend, separate, or fuse two metals. Traditional methods will also need post-processing and additional filler materials, unlike laser welding.
Types of Laser Welding
Laser beam welding entails two major categories:
Deep Penetration Welding
Also known as keyhole welding. This welding technique creates deep and narrow welds with a uniform structure. The welder melts the metal and vaporizes it. In the process, they create a vapor-filled cavity called a keyhole cavity.
The welder then fills the keyhole cavity with molten metal. Keyhole welding adopts a high-speed process. Hence, there is little to no chance of forming heat-affected zones.
Heat Conduction Welding
This technique uses heat conduction to direct energy toward the weld zone. The welder will then use focused laser beams on the base material surface. He will end up with a smooth weld seam after the joint cools and solidifies. This surface is often so good that it doesn’t require additional polishing.
As the energy enters the weld zone, it reduces the welding depth. This makes it the best technique for welding thin metals. It is also applied when you need to add an aesthetic touch to visible weld seams.
How Does Laser Welding Work?
Laser weld machines use high-power density lasers to apply heat on a joint between two metals. The heat is normally as high as to melt the two metal surfaces so that they fuse and solidify as one. Welding can be undertaken under normal atmospheric conditions. However, for highly reactive materials, the process will require inert shielding. This is why laser welders spray inert gases around the weld area.
Laser weld machines can operate on a variety of metallic materials. For instance aluminum, titanium, stainless steel, and low-carbon steel. High-carbon steel would have been a good material for welding. However, it has the tendency to crack when cooling down.
Laser beams can also fuse material combinations. So you can go in with copper-copper and copper-aluminum among others. Filler lap welds, edge flange welds, butt welds, and overlap welds are among the most common joints a laser welding machine can operate.
Advantages of Laser Welding
- Versatile: Laser welding can be used with arc welding to produce hybrid laser arc welding. The welder can, in this way enjoy the benefits of both arc and laser welding. You also have deeper joints, which means increased tolerance to joint fit-up. Hybrid welds provide minimal chances of crack formation and internal porosity.
- Faster welds: With good laser welding equipment, welding will prove more fun and fast. This results in higher production, short turnaround, and hence, high revenue.
- Little to no thermal distortion: Laser welding requires less heat input. This means lower cases of thermal stress. Hence, you won’t end up destroying your workpiece since the beam is precise. The beam also focuses on a specific part of the material and cannot bend to other areas.
- High accuracy: It is easy to control a laser welding machine and focus on a specific area. In this way, you can operate on very thin metals or surfaces requiring high precision.
- Wide material tolerance: This makes laser welding applicable in many industries. Tool construction industries, steel construction, automotive, and shipbuilding companies employ it.
Conclusion
So far, we hope to have answered most of your questions regarding laser welding. One last answer could be how to get yourself started with laser welding. As you look around, you might find a lot of similar options. Hence, use the above qualities of laser welding machines to choose an option.
Click this link to learn more about the best laser welding equipment. While laser welding machines aren’t exactly cheap, they will reap massive returns. But this happens when you choose the best machine among the plethora of options you’ll face.