Analysis of typical applications of laser welding

Laser welding is a high-speed, non-contact, and very small deformation welding method, which is very suitable for large and continuous online processing. With the development of laser equipment and processing technology, laser welding capabilities are constantly increasing. At present, the 4kW C02 laser is used to weld 1mm plates, and the welding speed is as high as 20m/min. For example, the large plate splicing and welding work on the bottom of the car box in the automobile industry. There are two main methods of laser welding: conduction welding and penetration welding. At present, the global laser application is mainly based on penetration welding. In recent years, high-power 10,000-watt lasers have been widely used in machinery, automobiles, steel and other industrial sectors.

Compared with other welding technologies, the main advantages of laser welding machine are:

(1) The laser welding speed is fast, the aspect ratio of the weld is large (up to 5-10), and the deformation is small.

(2) Suitable for the processing of precision parts, box parts and welded parts with sealing requirements. The laser beam can get a small spot after being concentrated, can be accurately positioned, and can be applied to mass automated production. Not only the production efficiency is greatly improved, but the heat-affected zone is small, and the solder joints are pollution-free, which greatly improves the quality of welding.

(3) The mechanical properties of laser welding seam are good. Generally, the mechanical properties of the welding seam are stronger than the base metal.

(4) There is no need for shielding or vacuum environment during welding, which is of great significance to industrial scale production.

(5) Realize the industrial application of laser through new process technologies such as laser wire feeding welding and laser powder feeding welding, and open up new application areas of laser welding.

(6) It is possible to weld hard-to-reach parts and implement non-contact long-distance welding. Especially in recent years, the use of optical fiber transmission technology in YAG laser processing technology has made laser welding technology more widely promoted and applied.

In short, laser welding has the following advantages: high strength, long life; high welding speed, high efficiency; simple lap interface technology, low scrap rate; low positioning accuracy is suitable for industrial production. Mainly used in military industry, food industry, chemical industry, petrochemical industry.

4 Typical applications of laser welding

4.1 Application of Laser Welding Automotive Large Plate Splicing

In order to meet the needs of the automotive industry for wide-width steel plates and special-function steel plates, large plates are spliced through laser welding to meet the requirements of large-scale three-dimensional functional stamping parts in automobile factories. Global automakers have implemented laser welding applications for such parts. For example, Mercedes-Benz, BMW Volkswagen, General Motors, Toyota, Opel SAAB, Daimler-Chrysler and many other companies have already used it. Cold-rolled steel plates with a width of 1m can be assembled into a steel plate with a width of 2m by laser welding.

4.2 Application of laser welding in gear processing

The process of laser welding gears has fundamentally changed the traditional design and manufacturing concepts, and has provided better economy and more compact structure for the processing of gearbox parts. To use the laser welding gear technology, it is necessary to process the entire annular long ring gear first, then cut into several ring gears, and then weld them to the drive shaft according to the requirements of the gear box.

5 concluding remarks

Laser processing technology has been widely used in many fields. With the continuous deepening of laser processing technology, equipment and process research, it will have a broader application prospect.