Product Code: ICAL06_1704

An Experimental Investigation of Remote Welding with CO2 and Nd:YAG Laser-Based Systems
Authors:
George Tsoukantas, Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems & Automation\Univeristy of Patras; Rion, Patras Greece
Aristeidis Stournaras, Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems & Automation\Univeristy of Patras; Rion, Patras Greece
George Chryssolouris, Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems & Automation\Univeristy of Patras; Rion, Patras Greece
Presented at ICALEO 2006

Remote welding provides new possibilities for highly productive and qualitative joining of metal structures, especially in the automotive industry. This study presents an experimental investigation on the influence of the process parameters on welding performance. Focus is given on the behaviour of the geometrical characteristics of the resulting welds with respect to the variation of the incidence angle of the laser beam to the workpiece. Two remote welding systems (RWSs) are utilised: A large field RWS with a CO2 laser and a small field RWS with a Nd:YAG laser. The materials investigated are steels (non coated, zinc-coated and stainless steel) and an Aluminium alloy. Conclusions are drawn related to the behaviour of the process mechanism, under different conditions and the selection of process parameters for production reasons.