Laser manufacture has become a highly competitive market, with lasers being introduced in a wide variety of industry sectors for a range of applications, including cutting, drilling, welding, marking and surface engineering. Initial welding trials using a 7kW Yb-fibre laser at TWI confirm that this new type of laser source should now be considered as an alternative to CO2 or Nd:YAG for the welding of steel and aluminium. Over the next few years, it is expected that various industry sectors will further investigate the viability of the fibre laser as a production tool, because of its power conversion efficiency and claimed reliability. Its compact design, easy set-up and minimal cooling requirement also makes it an ideal laser source for onsite welding, for pipeline welding or shipbuilding, or for remote repair applications, for instance. The high beam quality available at high powers is also attractive from a cutting point of view, a market currently dominated by CO2 lasers. Current confidence in fibre laser technology, as well as advances made with other laser technologies, such as the Yb-disc laser, is increasingly pushing the boundaries of optical fibre beam delivery and output power. Besides a technological impact, this should contribute to much more affordable lasers.
Battle of the sources - using a high-power Yb-fibre laser for welding steel and aluminium
2005
6 Seiten, 11 Bilder, 1 Tabelle, 7 Quellen
Aufsatz (Konferenz)
Englisch
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