Plastic laser welding is noted for its very readily controlled local and non contact introduction of heat, minimal heat influence zone and low mechanical stress on the adherends. Laser stands for l ight a mplification by s timulated e mission of r adiation. Diode lasers in plastic welding and selective laser soldering. Welding of white and transparent thin films of polypropylene and polyethylene of low and high density at high speeds of 20 m s. By applying the adequate settings in your browser you have control over the acceptance of cookies. Abstract development of techniques for joining and welding materials on a micrometer scale is of great importance in a number. Lpkf produces highly reliable systems for the automotive and other industries. Accordingly plastic laser welding is predestined for applications in which sensitive. Laser plastic welding is considerably more effective in comparison with conventional gluing or ultrasonic welding methods and guarantees highstrength joints without markings and surface damage. Diode lasers are the ideal choice for plastic welding.
It should not therefore be construed as a warranty of specific properties of the products described or a warranty for fitness for a particular purpose. Plastic welding laser welding of plastics is an established process that is increasingly used in different markets and is displacing the traditional welding methods. Laser plastic welding is a technique by which a laser is used to join generally similar plastic materials, where one piece is semitransparent and the other opaque. Laser plasticwelding services custom laser technology or. A document to this effect the classification societies requirements for approval of co 2 laser welding procedures has been produced and is used in practice. The wide array of applications is explained quite simply by the advantages of the proce. Laser tissue welding as well as other alternative methods of closure will play a more important role in surgical specialties as laparoscopic, endoscopic, and microsurgical techniques continue to develop. The process allows contactfree processing of a wide range of materials in different material thicknesses. The laser is used to heat the plastics to bond the two parts together. Laser welding of plastic materials has a large field of applications in the packaging industry provided that it can compete, in quality and productivity, with currently used industrial methods. Both the automotive and medical industries find laser welding an attractive alternative to ultrasonic welding, which often leaves. Welding is an effective method for permanently joining plastic components. The torch welding gun directs the heated gas toward the work piece surfaces and a rod of filler. Cycle times can be further reduced and production costs can be minimized at the same time as raising your productivity.
Guidelines for qualification and quality of laser welding twi. Hoffmann institute of plastics processing ikv at rwth aachen university, pontstr. For welding transparent plastics, the dilas diode laser systems at 1940nm are delivered together with a license allowing the usage of patent pctep9905109. Because of different pigment additions today plastics can be welded highly tensile in diverse color combinations. Laser plastic welding for microfluidics applications. However, there is also a variety of other additives, including colorings, that are ir absorbent.
Both processes are capable of welding blanks at speeds of 410 mmin 67167 mms. Laser plastic welding laser plastic welding definition. Yag welding material comments aluminum welding is limited to certain grades such as 6061 to 4047 or 4032, 1050, 1100, 3003 and 5005. A challenging application for this joining technology is the. These have been small boxes that were welded together with what is. Delivering a focused heat source, laser welding creates a strong seam at a high speed. The same material preparation, fitup, root gap, and beveling are required in plastic welding as are. Laser plastic welding, also often referred to as throughtransmission welding, is a process of bonding plastic using focused laser radiation. The laser welding procedure has without question established itself in the plastic welding industry. Fit the appropriate welding nozzle for the selected welding rod to the bak rion hot air tool. Comparison between weld appearances produced from a a single pass and b double pass fiber laser welding with n 2 shielding gas, first pass. Laser plastic welding focused to the point laser plastic welding a business unit with many years of experience in the laser welding of plastics. 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. Laser welds produce a cosmetically more appealing weld which is harder than the.
The weld formation is caused by the applica tion of external pressure and ultrasonic vibrations. According to transparency market researchs latest market report on the laser plastic welding market for the historical period of 20162019 and forecast period of 20202025, rapid growth in the automotive industry is anticipated to bolster laser plastic welding market growth. Weve helped solve our customers resistance spot welding, laser welding, laser marking and laser cutting applications challenges for more than 60 years and we have a lot to say on the subject. Ultrasonic welding is the most common application of ultrasonic assembly. Laser plastic welding focused to the point laser welding plastics is on the rise. Physics procedia 41 20 234 a 240 18753892 20 the authors.
The welding process is highly automated, using topoftheline process control systems to acheive product quality. Most welding processes for plastics do not meet the demands of micro technology and thus cannot be applied for. Ultrasonic metal welding ultrasonic metal welding is a technique suitable for joining both similar and dis similar metal work pieces 1. Hence, laser welding is particularly well established in this market. How laser beam welding works laser beam welding process. Laser welding of plastic laser cutting, laser engraving. Exlar corporation 18400 w 77th street chanhassen, mn 55317 phone. Typical serial application in laser plastic welding. Today, laser plasticwelding is replacing other joining techniques such as gluing and ultrasonic welding in many manufacturing and industrial fields. It is a noncontact process that requires access to the weld zone from one side of the parts being welded. The system satisfies in welding of thermoplastics and.
Expertise in laser technology, optics, precision motion control, clamping, automation integration, and process control set lpkf apart from competitors by offering complete laser plastic. Guidelines for qualification and quality of laser welding. The new lpkf precisionweld adds another application to laser plastic welding. In medical device manufacturing, for instance, cleanliness is absolutely mandatory. A commonly used additive to make plastic absorbent for ir laser light is carbon black typically 0. Currently it is finding wide use in communication engineering application where very fine wires are required to be welded and on micro circuit boards etc. Nanoscience provides many strategies to construct highperformance materials and devices, including solar cells, thermoelectrics, sensors, transistors, and transparent electrodes. Globally, the laser plastic welding market is estimated at. The process control is carried out via an automatic clamping pressure controller and the waytime monitoring of the whole welding process. Laser plasticwelding services custom laser technology. Compact evolution with galvo easytointegrate fibercoupled system compact 19inch rackmountable 3hu high beam quality of 22mm mrad diode laser control unit dlc quasisimultaneous welding online process control by collapse measuring andor pyrometer. Welding actually started a very long time ago during the middle ages. Diode lasers used in plastic welding and selective laser.
These efforts are being fueled by new laser sources. Over 90% of the applications can be implemented affordably with the diode lasers, it is particularly suitable for applications in which broader welding seams, rounding seams and simple spot welding can be implemented and offer high component stabilities. Laser tissue welding uses laser energy to anastomose tissues and is ideally suited for. Leister is the only provider of all standard laser welding processes in the industry including two patents for key laser delivery methods mask welding and globo welding. Today, laser plastic welding is replacing other joining techniques such as gluing and ultrasonic welding in many manufacturing and industrial fields. Avoiding common defects in laser welding structural steels twi. Selflimited plasmonic welding of silver nanowire junctions. Laser beam welding is a welding process that uses a laser beam to melt and vaporize material. Other aluminum alloys should be tested thoroughly for joint design and crack sensitivity. Direct welding of fused silica with femtosecond fiber laser huan huang, lihmei yang and jian liu polaronyx, inc. Use this tool to determine material weldability using laser spot or seam welding. Pdf laser overlap welding of zinccoated steel on aluminum.
The modern joining process for plastics is highly flexible and free of particles and solvents, and it provides highstrength connections without marking or damaging the work surface. Avoiding common defects in laser welding structural steels. Many artifacts have been found that date back to the bronze age. Laser welding utilizes a laser beam as a concentrated heat source to join multiple pieces together. Moreover, the process is totally free of debris, unlike other welding processes. Laser welding plastic is cleaner, safer, more accurate and more repeatable than other more traditional methods of welding plastic components.
Here the lasing material is in the form of a solid ruby. For the shipbuilding industry, european classification societies have prepared guidelines for the approval of co 2 laser welding. In welding, the horn is brought into contact with one of the workpieces, pressure is. During the transmitting welding the laser beam is transmitted by the first join partner and absorbed by the second join partner. The process is very much different than traditional metal welding. Lexus is laser screw welds toyota collision repair. Highspeed laser welding of plastic films sciencedirect. The concept involves passing a focused laser beam through an upper, laser transmissive part to the interface of the two parts to be joined. The laser welding of unicolor plastics was born and registered for a patent by marquardt in 1994.
There are various welding techniques such as spin, ultrasonic, friction, laser and hot. Laser polymer welding, howecer, means low thermal and mechanical load to the component, this procedure is clean, there are no particles nor solvents and is highly flexible. Welding recipe process diagrams process data manual movement via jog touch screen for teaching integration package advanced high accuracy clamping fixed base plate with glass plate or welding mask movable carrier plate for mounting the work piece fixture servodriven spindle axis collapsing height process control. The new technology of laser welding of unicolor thermoplastics has now been adopted by industry worldwide and a dynamic development of applications has begun globally throughout industry. In ultrasonic welding, highfrequency vibrations generate heat at the interface of the parts to be joined, melting the plastic and creating a strong bond. Laser plastic welding a business unit with many years of experience in the laser welding of plastics. Laser welding does not require that the part being welded be electrically conductive as is required for competing technologies including resistance welding, arc welding, and electron beam welding. Comparison between weld appearances produced from a a single pass and b double pass fiber laser welding with n 2 shielding gas, first pass welding parameters. With different wavelengths ranging from 808 to 1470 nm they provide the best foundation for welding workpieces of any. Plastic laser welding is noted for its very readily controlled local and noncontact introduction of heat, minimal heat influence zone and low mechanical stress on the adherends. The unique capabilities of laser processing has solved some of the problems associated with conventional plastic joining.
Consequently, lasers have been used to weld all types of. Other benefits lie in the comparably low procurement and. Laser weldingbasics laser welding is a noncontact process that requires access to the weld zone from one side of the parts being welded the weld is formed as the intense laser light rapidly heats the materialtypically calculated in milliseconds. How laser beam welding works laser beam welding process laser beam welding setup. The processes and applications of laser welding are most prominent in the automotive industry, where lasers boost productivity at a low cost when welding. Using a laser beam, two plastic materials are combined by heat.
The cost of laser beam welding is now competitive compared with mashseam welding. Plastic welding we have more than 15 years of experience in developing laser plastic welding processes for welding of both amorphous polymers such as ps, pc, acrylics and semicrystalline polymers such as nylon, pe and pp. The systems are suitable for a variety of batch and component sizes. Cawley, gentex corporation, carbondale, pa 184070315, usa. Laser welding of al alloys is also problematic due to its high thermal conductivity and high reflectivity of the laser light, but progress is being made using nd.
In this wavelength range, welding of transparent foils or two transparent joining partners is possible without the addition of absorbents. The gas usually air is heated by electric heating elements mounted within the welding gun. High energy levels required to overcome surface reflectivity. The use of infrared absorbers to laser weld plastics has been developed over the past few years. We use cookies to give you a better experience while surfing on our website and we use such data for statistical purposes. Without proper preparation of materials and selection of welding parameters, certain defects can be more likely solidification cracks, pores, loss of toughness, and certain other defects less likely e. Direct welding of fused silica with femtosecond fiber laser.
Welding of plastics agricultural and biosystems engineering iowa. He states that since efforts at meyer werft, he is aware of a number of companies that have or are considering hybrid welding. As a fusion welding process, in common with arc welding, laser welds in structural steels can contain defects. The heataffected zone conventional types of welding, including squeezetype resistance spot welding strsw and metal inert gas mig plug welding, can affect metal due to the intense heat used during the welding process. Plastic welding is welding for semifinished plastic materials, and is described in iso 472 as a.
616 783 732 1641 956 1078 1242 604 400 921 792 1033 1111 199 729 1309 1156 815 197 405 48 904 796 268 138 1086 51 1395 867 1244 1041 78 290 1078 1030 438 83 815 1062 163 995 1277 1317 568