Laser welding system and its associated process

Abstract

A laser welding system configured for welding together two thermoplastic components includes a welding manifold (1) comprising a through-through aperture (10) extending along the longitudinal axis (X) configured to allow the positioning of an overlap portion of the thermoplastic components, at least one internal channel (11) for guiding a laser beam, the internal channel (11) comprising a plurality of inlets (12) distributed angularly about the longitudinal axis (X), configured to receive laser sources (2), and a single circumferential outlet (13) formed in an inner face of the through-through aperture (10) so as to weld the peripheral weld zone. Abstract figure: Figure 7

Description

Title of the invention: Laser welding system and its associated process. Technical field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of aircraft fluid circuits. The invention particularly relates to the assembly of pipes intended to be mounted in an aircraft fluid circuit by laser welding.

[0002] As is known, an aircraft fluid circuit comprises a plurality of pipes mechanically and fluidically connected to each other. In practice, with reference to [Fig. 1], each pipe 101 extends longitudinally along an axis X and comprises a tube 102 mechanically connected to a connector 103. The connector 103 is then connected to a tube 102 of an adjacent pipe 101 (directly or via a fitting) to form the fluid circuit.

[0003] In order to reduce the mass of an aircraft, pipes are increasingly being made of a thermoplastic material, and more particularly of a polymer known as PEEK (meaning polyetheretherketone), which allows the manufacture of semi-rigid, lightweight and robust pipes.

[0004] The tube 102 and the connector 103 of such pipelines 101 are generally assembled by fitting and secured by a welding process.

[0005] As is known, laser welding of thermoplastic polymers requires, on the one hand, a component transparent to laser radiation and, on the other hand, a component absorbing the radiation. During laser welding, the radiation-absorbing component (in this example, the tube) is inserted into the radiation-transparent component (in this example, the connector). A laser beam passes through the transparent component and is absorbed by the absorbing component, thus forming the weld. Laser welding therefore makes it possible to join the tube and the connector in such a way as to quickly form a pipeline while ensuring its watertightness and structural integrity.

[0006] In practice, the weld must be uniform around the entire circumference of the pipe to guarantee structural integrity over time. Transparent PEEK parts usually have "black spots" on their surface or within the part's volume. When a black spot is illuminated by laser radiation, the area around the black spot is susceptible to burning and damage, since a black spot is not transparent to the laser beam. Welding is then not performed on this damaged area, and the weld is not optimal.

[0007] In order to avoid the creation of such damaged areas, it is known to perform laser welding of the pipeline components by controlling the power density on the area to be welded.

[0008] To weld a peripheral joint zone, it is known to use a single laser beam positioned at a fixed angle and directed towards the area of ​​the pipeline to be welded, while rotating the pipeline on its axis so as to weld the peripheral joint zone. By varying the rotation speed and the number of passes of the laser beam, the energy input of the laser beam radiation can be advantageously controlled. However, this has the disadvantage of creating a thermal gradient on the peripheral joint zone. This induces stresses in the weld that can weaken the assembled pipeline.

[0009] To eliminate this drawback, with reference to [Fig.2], it is known to use a welding system comprising a single laser 104 positioned in the X axis of a pipe 106 with one or more mirrors 105 to form a peripheral radiation zone corresponding to the peripheral bonding zone.

[0010] It is possible to perform simultaneous welding across the entire area to be welded on the pipeline. In practice, such a welding system is only suitable for a single pipeline diameter. The mirror(s) must be replaced when the diameter is changed. Furthermore, such a welding system does not allow for welding at different positions along a longitudinal pipeline due to the positioning constraints of the laser and the mirrors, particularly in a weld joining a pipe to a T-connector.

[0011] The invention thus aims to eliminate at least some of these drawbacks. PRESENTATION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The invention relates to a laser welding system configured to weld together two thermoplastic components nested along a longitudinal axis extending from back to front, the two thermoplastic components having an overlapping portion, the laser welding system being configured to perform welding of the overlapping portion according to a peripheral welding zone defined in a welding plane orthogonal to the longitudinal axis, the welding system comprising: • a welding manifold comprising: • a through-through opening extending along the longitudinal axis configured to allow the positioning of the overlapping portion of the thermoplastic components, the through-through opening defining an inner face, • at least one internal channel for guiding a laser beam, the internal channel comprising a plurality of inputs distributed angularly around of the longitudinal axis, configured to receive laser sources, and a single circumferential output formed in the inner face of the through-through opening so as to weld the peripheral welding area.

[0013] A welding system allows for the simultaneous welding of the entire periphery of thermoplastic components. The diffusion of laser radiation within the internal channel ensures simultaneous coverage of the entire surface of the peripheral welding zone and also enables homogeneous welding, limiting intensity peaks and thus the creation of burn zones at black spots. Similarly, this limits the presence of areas with low laser radiation exposure, thereby guaranteeing good weld quality across the entire peripheral welding zone. Thanks to the geometry of the welding manifold, the welding system allows for simple laser welding of several different diameters of thermoplastic components using the same process. Insertion and extraction of the thermoplastic components is quick and easy. Furthermore, the welding manifold is simple to manufacture.Finally, the laser radiation is advantageously confined within the welding collector and is thus protected from external interference. The collector also protects any operator moving around or working near the welding system from laser radiation. Furthermore, the collector has a transverse rather than axial footprint, which allows for the welding of complex thermoplastic parts with joints or curved sections.

[0014] According to one aspect, the welding manifold having an outer periphery, the plurality of inlets is positioned at the outer periphery. This simplifies the machining of the welding manifold and thus reduces its manufacturing cost. The inlets are easily accessible.

[0015] According to one aspect, the inputs are distributed angularly around the longitudinal axis, preferably uniformly. This improves the homogeneity of the welding while spacing the laser sources apart and limiting their heating.

[0016] According to one aspect, the welding manifold comprises at least two bodies, preferably hinged, each body including at least one inlet. These bodies thus allow the welding manifold to open, in order to facilitate the positioning of the thermoplastic components in the through-through opening.

[0017] According to one aspect, the through-through opening is centered in the welding manifold. This minimizes the size of the welding manifold and positions the inlets at the same distance from the through-through opening.

[0018] According to one aspect, the welding system comprises laser sources mounted in the inlets. According to a preferred aspect, the laser sources are power-controlled, allowing optimal adjustment of the power density for welding according to the diameter of the parts and their materials.

[0019] According to one aspect, the internal channel comprises polished guide walls, preferably made of metallic material. Polishing the guide walls optimizes the reflection of laser radiation in order to limit its energy loss. This, in turn, optimizes the energy efficiency of the welding system.

[0020] According to one aspect, each inlet having an inlet diameter, the outlet extending along the longitudinal axis over an outlet length, the outlet length being greater than the inlet diameter, preferably three times greater. This makes it possible to maximize the peripheral welding area using laser sources with a laser beam of reduced angular amplitude. It goes without saying that this ratio can vary depending on the constraints.

[0021] According to one aspect, each input is centered with respect to the output along the longitudinal axis.

[0022] According to one aspect, each input is offset longitudinally relative to the output along the longitudinal axis.

[0023] According to a particular aspect, each inlet having a front end, the outlet having a front end defined along the longitudinal axis, the front end of the outlet is offset forward along the longitudinal axis relative to the front end of the inlets, for example, by a first offset greater than 5 mm. This makes it possible to take into account the space constraints of the components to be soldered.

[0024] According to one aspect, each inlet having a rear end, the outlet having a rear end defined along the longitudinal axis, the rear end of the outlet being offset forward along the longitudinal axis relative to the rear ends of the inlets, for example, by a second offset greater than 5 mm. This makes it possible to limit the size of the welding manifold for welding in hard-to-reach areas.

[0025] According to one aspect, each laser source has a projection angle with a plane orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of between 0 and 80°. This ensures that a portion of the laser radiation will be reflected by the guide walls, thereby increasing the size of the peripheral radiation area.

[0026] According to one aspect, the through-hole has an opening diameter between 26mm and 33mm. Thanks to this, a wide range of different diameter thermoplastic components can be inserted into the through-hole and assembled by the welding system.

[0027] According to one aspect, the welding system comprises a front retaining member and a rear retaining member, preferably one dedicated to each component Thermoplastic. These retaining elements ensure the position of the thermoplastic components during welding, thus guaranteeing the correct positioning of the peripheral weld zone within the through-hole. The overlap portion is positioned at a distance from the inner surface of the through-hole.

[0028] The invention also relates to a method for welding two thermoplastic components fitted together along a longitudinal axis to form a pipe by means of a welding system as described above, the two thermoplastic components having an overlapping portion, laser sources being mounted in the inlets, the method comprising steps consisting of: • Position the cover portion in the through-hole of the collector and • Activate the laser sources to weld the peripheral welding area. PRESENTATION OF THE FIGURES

[0029] The invention will be better understood upon reading the following description, given by way of example, and referring to the following figures, given by way of non-limiting examples, in which identical references are given to similar objects.

[0030] Fig. 1 is a schematic representation of a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a pipeline comprising a tube and a T-connector.

[0031] Fig. 2 is a schematic representation of a laser welding according to the prior art.

[0032] Fig. 3 is a schematic perspective representation of a welding system.

[0033] Fig. 4 is a schematic longitudinal sectional representation of two thermoplastic components inserted into the welding system.

[0034] Fig. 5 is a schematic representation of a rear view of a manifold of a welding system in the closed position.

[0035] Fig. 6 is a schematic representation of a rear view of a manifold of a welding system in the open position.

[0036] Fig. 7 is a schematic representation of a rear cross-sectional view of a welding system.

[0037] Fig. 8 is a schematic representation of a longitudinal sectional view of a welding system.

[0038] Fig. 9 is a schematic representation of a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a portion of a welding system during laser welding.

[0039] The [Fig. 10] is a schematic representation of a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a portion of a welding system.

[0040] The [Fig. 11] is a schematic representation of an insertion step and a fitting step of two thermoplastic components of a method of using a welding system.

[0041] The [Fig. 12] is a schematic representation of a step of activation of the laser sources of a process of using a welding system.

[0042] The [Fig. 13] is a schematic representation of a longitudinal sectional view of a welding system with a welding manifold whose inlets are centered on the outlet.

[0043] It should be noted that the figures set out the invention in detail to implement the invention, said figures being of course able to serve to better define the invention where appropriate. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0044] The invention relates to a welding system S for assembling, by laser welding, a pipe intended for installation in an aircraft fluid circuit, particularly for water transport. The welding system S can be integrated into an automated or manual assembly line.

[0045] With reference to [Fig. 3], a welding system S is shown for performing a laser weld to join two thermoplastic components A, B in order to create a pipe AB. The pipe AB consists of the two thermoplastic components A, B nested one inside the other and joined by laser welding at the junction between the two thermoplastic components A, B.

[0046] In this example, with reference to [Fig. 3], the welding system S extends along a longitudinal axis X oriented from back to front. The welding system S comprises, from back to front, a movable support structure SI on which a rear retaining member 5 is mounted, and a fixed support structure S2 on which a welding manifold 1 and a front retaining member 4 are mounted, from back to front. The thermoplastic components A, B are mounted along the longitudinal axis X in the welding system S, specifically in the welding manifold 1, to be joined by laser welding. For this purpose, several laser sources 2 are mounted on the welding manifold 1, as will be described later.

[0047] The movable support structure SI accommodates and holds the second thermoplastic component B, while the movable support structure S2 accommodates and holds the first thermoplastic component A. In particular, the movable support structure SI allows the second component to be centered and aligned. thermoplastic B with the first thermoplastic component A so that they can be fitted together, as will be described later.

[0048] The two thermoplastic components A and B are inserted into the welding system S along the longitudinal axis X. In this example, the first thermoplastic component A is a T-connecting fitting and the second thermoplastic component B is a tube, but it is understood that it could be any type of thermoplastic component. The invention is particularly advantageous for forming a pipeline. In this example, the second thermoplastic component B is inserted into the first thermoplastic component A from the front along the longitudinal axis X.

[0049] With reference to [Fig. 4], the thermoplastic components A, B are nested one inside the other on an overlap portion PR, preferably between 1 mm and 20 mm, and more preferably between 1 mm and 5 mm. In particular, the overlap portion PR is the portion along the longitudinal axis X in which the first thermoplastic component A covers the second thermoplastic component B.

[0050] In this particular example, with reference to [Fig.3], the welding system S includes a thrust member 6, in this example a cylinder, allowing the second thermoplastic component B to be fitted into the first thermoplastic component A held by the front retaining member 4.

[0051] In this example, the first thermoplastic component A is held in place by the front retaining member 4, positioned at the front of the weld manifold 1. The second thermoplastic component B is held in place by the rear retaining member 5, positioned at the rear of the weld manifold 1. In this example, the retaining members 4 and 5 are vertical clamping members. In particular, the retaining members 4 and 5 have several templates so as to accommodate a wide range of thermoplastic components A and B. The retaining members 4 and 5 ensure that the thermoplastic components A and B are held securely and improve welding accuracy.

[0052] According to one embodiment, the welding system S includes a protective cage encompassing the elements mentioned above, allowing the operator to be protected during laser welding.

[0053] The invention is particularly advantageous when axial space constraints are high, for example, for a T-fitting.

[0054] With reference to [Fig.4], the welding collector 1 accommodates the thermoplastic components A, B and performs laser welding on a peripheral welding zone ZS on their overlap portion PR so as to join them.

[0055] To this end, with reference to Figures 3 to 5, the welding manifold 1 has the shape of a circular cylinder, preferably a straight annular cylinder, and thus includes a through-passage opening 10 along the longitudinal axis X allowing to surround the thermoplastic components A and B, in particular their cover portion PR. For clarity, only the second thermoplastic component B is shown in [Fig. 5]. The weld manifold 1 could also be in another form. The retaining elements 4 and 5 hold the cover portion in the through-hole 10 without contacting the weld manifold 1.

[0056] With reference to [Fig.4], the welding collector 1 is hollow and has an internal channel 11, which will be described in more detail later, allowing the laser beams from the laser sources 2 to be routed to the peripheral welding zone ZS.

[0057] In this example, the welding manifold 1 extends longitudinally along the longitudinal axis X, laterally along an axis Y, and vertically along an axis Z, so as to form an orthogonal coordinate system (X, Y, Z). In particular, in this example, the welding manifold 1 has a flattened shape in the (Y, Z) plane. Its dimension along the X axis is smaller than its dimensions along the Y or Z axes.

[0058] Preferably, with reference to [Fig. 8], the welding manifold 1 extends along the longitudinal axis X over a manifold length L1 of, preferably, between 3 mm and 40 mm. Preferably, the welding manifold 1 has a manifold diameter DI in the plane orthogonal (Y, Z) to the longitudinal axis X of between 100 mm and 600 mm. These dimensions optimize the overall size of the welding manifold 1 while allowing the insertion and welding of several diameters of thermoplastic components A, B.

[0059] The through-through opening 10 connects a front face ISA and a rear face 1SB, and allows the insertion of the thermoplastic components A, B so as to perform a peripheral weld over the entire peripheral weld zone ZS.

[0060] The through-through opening 10 thus allows the thermoplastic components A, B to be accommodated. The through-through opening 10 is preferably centered in the welding collector 1, so as to minimize the bulk and allow homogeneous laser welding.

[0061] With reference to [Fig. 8], the through-hole 10 comprises an opening diameter D10 preferably between 26 mm and 33 mm. This is particularly suitable for soldering components with diameters of 12.7 mm, 19.07 mm and 25.4 mm.

[0062] According to another aspect, the through-through opening 10 includes an opening diameter D10 preferably between 51mm and 58mm. This is particularly suitable for soldering components with diameters of 50.8mm.

[0063] Preferably, the opening diameter D10 is determined to form a radial clearance with the component to be soldered, which is between 0.1 mm and 15 mm. This allows for play in introducing the component into the through-through opening 10 while having homogeneous coverage of the laser beams.

[0064] The through-hole 10 defines an inner face lOi defined with respect to the X-axis. Preferably, the opening diameter D10 allows the thermoplastic components A, B to be inserted without them coming into contact with the inner face lOi. This prevents damage to them during insertion and welding. The through-hole 10 accommodates a wide range of diameters of thermoplastic components A, B, and allows pipes of different diameters to be welded consecutively without any special adjustments. This simplifies laser welding while increasing its throughput.

[0065] In this example, with reference to [Fig. 3] and [Fig. 6], the welding collector 1 comprises two articulated IC bodies. Preferably, these articulated IC bodies are mechanically connected by a connecting member 14, such as a hinge. It is understood that the connecting member 14 could be in another form, for example, an articulated arm allowing one of the IC bodies to be offset. Preferably, as illustrated in [Fig. 6], each IC body forms approximately half of a welding collector 1.

[0066] Thanks to these IC bodies, the weld manifold 1 can open and close around the thermoplastic components A, B, facilitating their positioning in a waffle-like fashion. It is understood that the weld manifold 1 could have a single IC body. It is also understood that the weld manifold 1 could have a different number of IC bodies, for example three, in order to facilitate the insertion of specific parts. This also allows the shape of the weld manifold 1 to be adapted to the environment in order to optimize its footprint.

[0067] With reference to [Fig. 4], the weld collector 1 gathers the laser beams from the laser sources 2 and directs them to its through-hole 10 via its internal channel 11 so as to weld the desired peripheral weld zone ZS. In this example, each laser source 2 is in the form of an optical fiber powered by a laser generator. In this example, the laser sources 2 are housed at the periphery of the weld collector 1, so as to facilitate the routing of the laser beams to the peripheral weld zone ZS.

[0068] Preferably, the welding collector 1 is made of a material that is not transparent to laser radiation. In one aspect, the welding collector 1 has internal reflective walls so as to guide the laser beams and thus provide uniform heating at the output 13. The inclination of the walls, their diameter, and the position of the laser sources 2 also contribute to uniform heating.

[0069] Preferably, with reference to [Fig.8], the welding manifold 1 includes a gas evacuation device 7, in order to evacuate the vapors created during welding. The gas venting device 7 may be in the form of a ventilation system such as a blower, but it is understood that it could be in another form. Preferably, the gas venting device 7 is located in the through opening 10, so as to evacuate the gases quickly and efficiently as soon as they are formed.

[0070] In order to route the lasers from the laser sources 2 to the peripheral welding zone ZS, the welding collector 1 includes an internal channel 11 having several inlets 12 and an output of peripheral shape 13, for example, circular or hexagonal.

[0071] With reference to [Fig. 5], the inlets 12 are positioned at the periphery of the welding collector 1 and accommodate the laser sources 2. Preferably, each inlet 12 has a diameter D12, shown in [Fig. 10], of between 5 and 10 mm. Each inlet 12 extends between a front end P12A and a rear end P12B along the X-axis.

[0072] Preferably, each input 12 accommodates a laser source 2. Preferably, the laser sources 2 are diode laser sources, preferably with a power of 30 Watts. Preferably, the laser sources 2 are controllable so as to adjust the power of the laser radiation.

[0073] In this example, the weld manifold 1 comprises six inlets so as to allow homogeneous coverage of the peripheral weld zone ZS, as shown in [Fig. 7]. The weld manifold 1 could comprise a different number of inlets 12, preferably three or more. Preferably, the inlets 12 are distributed uniformly at an angle around the longitudinal axis X.

[0074] According to a preferred embodiment, as in this example, each inlet 12 is oriented towards the through-passage opening 10 in which the outlet 13 is formed.

[0075] Preferably, each inlet 12 includes a locking adapter (not shown) into which the laser source 2 is inserted and locked. This ensures the stability and orientation of the laser sources 2, in order to optimally cover the peripheral welding area ZS.

[0076] With reference to [Fig.5] and [Fig.8], the welding collector 1 includes a circumferential outlet 13 formed in the inner face lOi of the through passage opening 10. The outlet 13 is preferably in the form of an annular slot.

[0077] In general, the output 13 belongs to the plane in which the inputs 12 extend. In other words, as illustrated in [Fig. 13], the inputs 12 are centered with respect to the output 13.

[0078] In order to take into account the constraints of size and / or nesting, the outlet 13 is offset forward with respect to the plane in which the inlets 12 extend in figures 8 to 12.

[0079] With reference to [Fig. 10], the output 13 extends along the longitudinal axis X over an output length L13 preferably between 1 mm and 20 mm, and more preferably between 1 mm and 5 mm, between a front end PI3A and a rear end P13B along the X axis. Preferably, the output length L13 is greater than the inlet diameter D12 in order to obtain a long weld zone ZS. This allows for divergence of the laser beams to homogenize the weld zone ZS.

[0080] The output 13 extends over the entire circumference of the through opening 10, and thus makes it possible to illuminate the entire periphery of the thermoplastic components A, B. Thanks to this, the welding system S can advantageously weld simultaneously the entire peripheral welding area ZS.

[0081] With further reference to [Fig. 10], the outlet 13 is separated from the front face ISA by a separation length L8, preferably greater than 1 mm. Such a separation length L8 makes it possible to perform laser welding in confined areas, such as for example near a T-junction of a connection fitting as shown in [Fig. 4].

[0082] As mentioned previously, the laser radiation from the laser sources 2 is routed and guided from the inputs 12 to the output 13 by an internal channel 11.

[0083] With reference to figures 9 to 10, the internal channel 11 extends into the thickness of the welding collector 1. The internal channel 11 has a front guide wall 31 and a rear guide wall 32 inside the welding collector 1 defined along the X axis on which the laser radiation from the laser source 2 will be reflected so as to cover the entire output 13.

[0084] According to a preferred embodiment, the internal channel 11 is in the form of a single circumferential channel connecting the inputs 12 and the output 13 to each other.

[0085] In this example, and preferably with reference to [Fig. 10], each laser source 2 is oriented along an axis Q2, in the (X, Z) plane, which forms a projection angle α with the longitudinal axis X. Preferably, the projection angle α is between 0 and 80°. This optimizes the position of the coverage of the peripheral welding zone ZS while allowing it to be positioned closer to a T-junction of a connection fitting.

[0086] Preferably, the guide walls 31, 32 are polished to optimize the reflection of laser radiation while retaining its energy, thereby optimizing the energy consumption of the welding process. Preferably, the guide walls 31, 32 are made of a metallic material, for example, copper.

[0087] According to a preferred aspect, the front guide walls 31 and rear guide walls 32 flare outwards from the inlets 12 towards the outlet 13, so as to increase the size of the welding zone ZS relative to the emission aperture of the laser sources 2. To this end, preferably, with reference to [Fig. 10], the front guide wall 31 has a first angle of inclination

[31] with the plane (Y, Z) orthogonal to the longitudinal axis X, preferably between 0 and 30°. This first angle of inclination

[31] optimizes the reduction of the separation length L8 while maintaining sufficient mass on the periphery of the welding collector 1 to guarantee its structural integrity and resistance to stress.

[0088] Similarly, the rear guide wall 32 has a second angle of inclination

[32] with the plane (Y, Z) orthogonal to the longitudinal axis X, preferably between 0 and 30°. The second angle of inclination

[32] makes it easy to increase the longitudinal length of the outlet 13, in order to increase the size of the welding zone ZS.

[0089] Preferably, as shown in [Fig. 10], the front guide walls 31 and rear guide walls 32 begin to flare out from a straight distance L9 from the periphery of the welding collector 1, more precisely from the base of the laser source 2. This allows compliance with the geometric constraints related to the reflective walls.

[0090] To accommodate space constraints and / or fit requirements, the output 13 is offset forward relative to the plane in which the inlets 12 extend. To this end, the front end P13A of the output 13 is offset forward along the longitudinal axis X relative to the front end P12A of each inlet 12 by an initial offset Al, which is a function of the space constraints. This initial offset Al allows the output 13 to be moved forward, thus enabling welding of areas that are more difficult to access, particularly on the T-connectors. It also ensures sufficient mass around the periphery of the connector 1 to guarantee its structural integrity and resistance to stress, as well as the proper functioning of the laser sources 2.

[0091] Similarly, the rear end P13B of the output 13 is offset forward along the longitudinal axis X relative to the rear end P12B of each input 12 by a second offset A2 which is a function of the space constraints.

[0092] A method of using the welding system S will now be described, in order to weld two thermoplastic components A, B so as to make a pipe AB.

[0093] As mentioned previously, in this example, an operator handles and implements the process of using the welding system S. The welding system S could also be implemented in an automated manner in order to eliminate the need for operator intervention.

[0094] With reference to [Fig. 11], in a first step E1, the operator inserts the second thermoplastic component B into the rear retaining member 5, and closes the rear retaining member 5 so as to hold it precisely. The operator inserts the first thermoplastic component A into the welding manifold 1 and the front retaining member 4, and closes the front retaining member 4 so as to hold it precisely.

[0095] With further reference to [Fig. 1 1], in a second step E2, the operator aligns the two thermoplastic components A and B, and inserts the second thermoplastic component B into the first thermoplastic component A along the longitudinal axis X, so as to create an overlap portion PR. Preferably, the movable support structure S1 automatically moves towards the fixed support structure S2 to ensure optimal interlocking and precise positioning. Preferably, the weld collector 1 is closed around the overlap portion PR without coming into contact with it. The outlet 13 then extends circumferentially around the overlap portion PR.

[0096] With reference to [Fig. 12], the operator, in a third step E3, then activates the laser sources 2 in order to perform laser welding on the peripheral welding zone ZS. The wavelength of the laser sources 2 is determined to ensure optimal welding. Preferably, the wavelength is close to the infrared.

[0097] The laser beams from the laser sources 2 travel through the internal channel 11 until they reach the circumferential outlet 13. Preferably, the laser radiation emitted by the laser sources 2 heats the thermoplastic components A, B for a period of 5 to 15 seconds. Preferably, the laser radiation emitted by the laser sources 2 heats the thermoplastic components A, B with a power of between 10 and 30 W. The thermoplastic components A, B fuse locally at the weld zone ZS and form a channel AB. The heating is advantageously uniform.

[0098] The welding process allows thermoplastic components A, B of different diameters to be welded with varying space constraints (T-junction, protruding portion, etc.) while limiting the risk of defects. The pipe AB can then be extracted from the welding system S.

Claims

Demands

1. A laser welding system (S) configured to weld together two thermoplastic components (A, B) fitted together along a longitudinal axis (X) extending from back to front, the two thermoplastic components (A, B) having an overlap portion (PR), the laser welding system (S) being configured to perform welding of the overlap portion (PR) along a peripheral welding zone (ZS) defined in a welding plane orthogonal to the longitudinal axis (X), the welding system (S) comprising: • a welding collector (1) comprising: • a through-through opening (10) extending along the longitudinal axis (X) configured to allow positioning of the overlap portion (PR) of the thermoplastic components (A, B), the through-through opening (10) defining an inner face (10i), • at least one internal channel (11) for guiding a laser beam,the internal channel (11) comprising a plurality of inlets (12) distributed angularly around the longitudinal axis (X), configured to receive laser sources (2), and a single circumferential outlet (13) formed in the inner face (lOi) of the through-through opening (10) so as to weld the peripheral welding zone (ZS).

2. Laser welding system (S) according to claim 1, the welding collector (1) comprising an outer periphery, the plurality of inlets (12) is positioned at the outer periphery.

3. Laser welding system (S) according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the welding manifold (1) comprises at least two bodies (IC), preferably articulated, each body (IC) comprising at least one inlet (12).

4. Laser welding system (S) according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the through-through opening (10) is centered in the welding collector (1).

5. Laser welding system (S) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising laser sources (2) mounted in the inlets (12).

6. Laser welding system (S) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, each inlet (12) having an inlet diameter (D12), the outlet (13) extending along the longitudinal axis (X) over an outlet length (L13), the outlet length (L13) being greater than the inlet diameter (D12), preferably three times greater.

7. Laser welding system (S) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, each input (12) is centered with respect to the output (13) along the longitudinal axis (X).

8. Laser welding system (S) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, each input (12) is longitudinally offset relative to the output (13) along the longitudinal axis (X).

9. Laser welding system (S) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the through-through opening (10) has an opening diameter (D10) between 26mm and 33mm.

10. A welding method for two thermoplastic components (A, B) fitted together along a longitudinal axis (X) to form a channel (AB) by means of a welding system (S) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, the two thermoplastic components (A, B) having an overlap portion (PR), laser sources (2) being mounted in the inlets (12), the method comprising steps of: • Positioning the overlap portion (PR) in the through-passage opening (10) of the collector (1) and • Activating the laser sources (2) to weld the peripheral welding zone (ZS).

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