Abstract
Polymer joining results are evaluated and compared in different ways, such as visual inspection, computer simulation, and deep learning analysis, to assess the joining quality. For the experiments, energies in the range of 3 to 5 J/mm were used from preliminary experimental data. A total of 15 welding experiment schedules were performed. Weld defects due to a lack of fusion were detected in some regions of specimens treated with a low-power laser region (3 J/mm), where a lack of fusion, in turn, occurred due to underheating. Bubble-shaped weld defects were observed in some specimens treated with a high-power laser region (5 J/mm); melting occurred due to the overheating of the specimen. Computer simulations were used to trace the boundaries of the fusion zone, and yielded results similar to the visual inspection ones. In the lower-energy region, the energy may not be sufficient to fuse the specimen, whereas the high-energy region may have sufficient energy to break down the polymer chains. A novel deep learning algorithm was used to statistically evaluate the weld quality. Approximately 1700–1900 samples were collected for each condition, and the pre-trained quality evaluation indicated a highly reliable (>98%) welding classification (fail or good). According to the results of this study, welding quality assessments based on visual inspection, computer simulation, and DL-based inspection yield similar results.
Highlights
Polymer materials are widely used in the interiors and exteriors of automobiles because they are lighter than metallic materials
This paper reports the results of a comparative analysis of the joining of polycarbonate (PC) and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) polymeric materials with different characteristics using a diode laser
The experiments were performed based on the welding presented in Table
Summary
Polymer materials are widely used in the interiors and exteriors of automobiles because they are lighter than metallic materials. Their excellent strength and moldability at low temperatures represent additional advantages of polymers, as this reduces production costs and enhances design flexibility [1,2]. Researchers have developed various techniques for producing components from polymer materials. Adhesive and mechanical fastening are typical bonding methods for polymers, but the recent development of direct thermal energy for joining has reduced costs and provided eco-friendly products. Joining techniques have improved significantly over the past few decades [1,2,3,4,5,6]
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