Laser Weld Beam Layout for Smoother Molten Ends
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Solution Overview
Problem
Laser welding techniques often result in sharp edges and undercuts at the ends of molten portions, leading to reduced surface quality and welding strength due to inadequate reheating of these areas.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating an end beam with a lower power density, emitted orthogonal to the traveling direction and outside the rear region, to reheate and smooth the molten portion, thereby preventing sharp edges and undercuts and ensuring adequate throat thickness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a laser beam including main beam, sub beam, and rear beam is emitted onto the workpiece surface, then the molten portion surface is smoothed, but sharp edges and undercuts are formed at the end of the molten portion
Solution Approach 1:
The laser beam is segmented into four distinct beams (main beam, sub beam, rear beam, and end beam) with different functions and power densities. The end beam is specifically added to address the sharp edge and undercut problem at the molten portion end, while the other beams handle the main melting and smoothing tasks.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the workpiece receive laser beams with different power densities and functions. The end beam is emitted at lower power density specifically at the end region to prevent sharp edges and undercuts, while the main beam and sub beam use higher power densities for efficient melting and smoothing in their respective regions.
2Productivity
If the laser beam travels through the molten portion, then the molten portion is formed, but the throat thickness at the end is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The end beam is emitted in advance at the end region before the main beam reaches that area, pre-heating the material and preparing it for melting. This preliminary action ensures that when the main beam passes through, the material is already at optimal temperature, preventing throat thickness reduction and ensuring adequate welding strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The end beam acts as an intermediary that bridges the gap between the rear beam and the main beam at the end region. It provides the necessary heat input to maintain material temperature and prevent excessive cooling that would lead to reduced throat thickness, thereby ensuring adequate welding strength.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The end beam effectively rounds sharp edges and undercuts, improving surface quality and maintaining or increasing the throat thickness, thus enhancing the welding strength between workpieces.
Implementation Method 1
a laser beam is emitted onto a surface of a stack of a plurality of workpieces to thereby melt the plurality of workpieces
Implementation Method 2
the rear beam reheats a molten portion of workpieces that has been melted by the main beam and smooths the surface of the molten portion
Implementation Method 3
the end beam can reheat the sharp edge and the undercut. This reheating rounds the sharp edge and the undercut
Data Source
AI summary
The purpose is to smooth a surface of a molten portion, to suppress formation of a sharp edge and an undercut at an end of the molten portion and in the vicinity of the end. A laser welding method includes emitting a laser beam onto a surface of a stack of a plurality of workpieces, and moving the laser beam in a predetermined traveling direction, thereby welding the plurality of workpieces to each other. The laser beam includes a main beam, a sub beam, a rear beam, and an end beam. The main beam is emitted onto a main region. The sub beam is emitted onto a sub region surrounding the main region. The rear beam is emitted onto a rear region located rearward of the main region. The end beam is emitted onto an end region located rearward of the rear region and outside of the sub region.