Irregularities in the arc welding process are well detec-table from the recorded current and voltage signals of the arc. It is, therefore, obvious to research this possibility of analysis also for the hybrid process. Such being the case, following questions are of particular interest:
Does the laser beam via its plasma exert a positive influence onto the GMA process?
Which GMA power source modulation concepts are particularly suitable for hybrid welding?
Which weld defects/process trouble in hybrid welding are detectable through the electric arc signals?
Is it possible to quantify the laser power via the data from the GMA process?
This paper shall contribute towards the clarification of the above-mentioned questions. Process trouble are observed by means of high-speed recordings and assigned to the current/voltage signals. Based on these results it is possible to establish innovative control and quality monitoring concepts and to integrate these into available concepts.