Diode laser applications hardening and welding

Abstract

High power diode lasers with a power range up to several kilowatts have been available for a few years. These new kind of high power lasers extends the classical laser materials processing applications. New applications will also be performed using up to date other energy sources. High power diode lasers have, compared to other high power lasers, a very high efficiency of about 40%. Consequently the cooling equipment necessary is compact as a dishwasher. The diode laser itself has dimensions of a shoe box. That means that high power diode lasers are portable and easy to integrate into tooling machines. Several applications of hardening and welding will be presented. Hardening of piston rings, razor blades and side cutting pliers are all examples of high power diode laser applications. Using conventional high power lasers for these applications is not caught on yet in the industry because of high running costs. Thin stainless steel material with a thickness of 150 μm can be welded with the high speed of 6000 mm/min (236 ipm) using only 500 W of a high power diode laser. Sealing of welding seams to prevent gap corrosion is another field of application where the very flat and smooth surface of the welding seam has an advantage over other welding processes. Welding of an aluminum housing is presented as an example, where a gap several tenth of a millimeter wide is closed to create a hermetic welding seam.High power diode lasers with a power range up to several kilowatts have been available for a few years. These new kind of high power lasers extends the classical laser materials processing applications. New applications will also be performed using up to date other energy sources. High power diode lasers have, compared to other high power lasers, a very high efficiency of about 40%. Consequently the cooling equipment necessary is compact as a dishwasher. The diode laser itself has dimensions of a shoe box. That means that high power diode lasers are portable and easy to integrate into tooling machines. Several applications of hardening and welding will be presented. Hardening of piston rings, razor blades and side cutting pliers are all examples of high power diode laser applications. Using conventional high power lasers for these applications is not caught on yet in the industry because of high running costs. Thin stainless steel material with a thickness of 150 μm can be welded with the high speed of 60...