Advances in Laser Welding Technology
- Magazine Article
- TBMG-34420
Language:
- English
Topic:
There have been many changes in laser technology over the past 30 years. With each advancement comes new challenges and opportunities. The CO2 laser with 10-micron wavelength was king for many of those years because it was versatile, from cutting thin to thick plates and welding fast while maintaining high quality welds. A little over 10 years ago, high brightness 1-micron wavelength fiber and disk lasers came into the market with great promise. Everyone thought the higher absorption in steel (from ~5% up to now ~40%) (Figure 1) was the holy grail for faster, better and greater flexibility in laser processing, with a 200% increase in energy efficiency.