What are the Benefits of Using Lasers for Welding
The use of lasers for welding has some crucial benefits over the other techniques that are used in welding. Many of these benefits are connected to the idea that with laser welding, a keyhole can be designed. This keyhole is vital since it allows heat input to go through the thickness of the material. We have many benefits of utilizing lasers in welding. Read some of the benefits below.
Flexibility and speed is the first benefit. You need to know that laser welding is one of the quickest techniques. Based on the type and the power of the laser that is used, those materials that have thin sections can be welded fast within minutes. As such, lasers are important when working in automated environments with high productivity. For thicker materials, productivity gains can also be created. This makes the manufacturing process to be much more flexible.
The laser provides deep, narrow welds. The good thing with laser welding is that it helps welds to be created with a top aspect ratio. That is from large depth to narrow width. Therefore, laser welding is vital for joint configurations that are not suitable for the other techniques used in welding. With laser welding, the small flanges to be utilized can be compared with some parts that are created using resistance spot welding.
Low heat input and low distortion. This is the other benefit of using lasers in welding. One thing about lasers is that they produce a heat source that is highly concentrated. This makes a laser create a keyhole. Other than this, you need to know that lasers offer a little volume to weld metal and ensure a limited transmission of a little amount of heat into the surrounding material. Now that lasers have low heat input, they help in less thermal damage to the materials.
Lasers can be used for a range of materials and thicknesses. Do you know that many materials can be welded using lasers? Well, with lasers, a significant amount of materials can be welded and joined. These materials include both metallic and non-metallic. Such materials include stainless steel, aluminum, Ni alloys, textiles, plastics, and so on. To add to this, if we consider steel, the thickness of the material can easily be welded using lasers. But, this highly depends on the power and the type of laser that is utilized.
Deep penetration. This is the other advantage of using lasers for welding. Other than lasers having increased productivity, lasers offer deep penetration. This helps in the creation of simplified design parts that have stronger components. Such components can be welded at a lower cost. In these cases, lasers are the only option to go for due to the ease of automation and repeatability. The laser welding process offers good repeatability, and it is simpler to automate. These characteristics make laser welding to be an excellent choice for quality productivity in various processes.
In summing up, you should know that laser welding has several benefits. For you to enjoy these benefits, you need to make sure that you have taken advantage of the quality features that the process provides.
