Laser Swing Welding Path Control to Prevent Undercutting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Laser swing welding operations face challenges with increased welding speed, leading to undercutting issues that reduce structural strength and require time-consuming remedial methods like remelting or refilling, limiting processing speed.
Innovation Solution
The method involves defining a swing path for the laser welding head with deceleration and acceleration zones, reducing the relative swing speed in the acceleration zone to prevent undercutting, allowing the laser welding head to move at different speeds along the path, thus avoiding defects without needing conventional remedial methods.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the welding speed is increased to more than 30 mm/s, then the productivity is improved, but the manufacturing precision deteriorates due to undercutting
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the swing speed variable rather than constant. The swing speed is dynamically adjusted based on the position along the welding path: reduced in acceleration and deceleration zones to prevent undercutting, and maintained at higher speeds in steady-state zones to improve productivity. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between high welding speed and welding quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The welding path is segmented into different zones (acceleration zone, deceleration zone, and steady-state zones) with different swing speed requirements. By dividing the continuous welding process into discrete segments with optimized parameters for each segment, the patent achieves both high overall speed and local quality control to prevent undercutting.
2Productivity
If the welding speed is increased, then the productivity is improved, but the reliability deteriorates due to structural strength reduction from undercutting
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses dynamic swing speed adjustment to maintain weld integrity (reliability) while achieving high productivity. By reducing swing speed in acceleration and deceleration zones where undercutting is most likely to occur, the structural strength is preserved even during high-speed welding operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary anti-action by proactively reducing swing speed in the acceleration and deceleration zones before undercutting can occur. This preventive speed reduction eliminates the root cause of structural weakness before it manifests, ensuring weld reliability without requiring post-processing repairs.
3Productivity
If the welding speed is increased, then the productivity is improved, but the loss of time increases due to required remelting and refilling operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the need for remedial operations by dynamically adjusting swing speed to prevent undercutting in the first place. This prevents the formation of defects that would require time-consuming remelting or refilling, thereby maintaining both high welding speed and high overall productivity without additional remedial time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the potentially harmful effect of high-speed welding (which causes undercutting) into a benefit by using the speed variation itself as a control mechanism. The deliberate slowing in acceleration/deceleration zones prevents defects, turning what would be a harmful side effect into a quality-assuring feature that eliminates the need for remedial operations.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides a welding method, which comprise the following steps: setting up a laser welding head of a laser welding machine to perform a welding operation in a manner of swing or rotating, so that a swing path of the laser welding head relative to a processing direction of the laser welding head is defined with a deceleration zone and an acceleration zone, such that the laser welding head reduces a relative swing speed or feeding speed in the acceleration zone to avoid an undercutting occurred in a welding path of the welding process.