With the ever increasing power and performance of fiber lasers, autogenous laser welding is becoming more practical for thick-section welding applications. High-power, high beam quality lasers can produce high aspect ratio welds at productive travel speeds with minimal distortion. However, autogenous laser welding can produce undercutting or other geometric stress concentrations at the weld toes. Through the design of custom optics, the laser beam can be directed to produce custom power distributions at the work, which can allow the fusion profile of the weld to be optimized for particular applications. By deflecting a portion of the laser power to trail the weld pool, the weld toes can be remelted to smooth stress concentrators and improve fatigue performance. This paper discusses the design and testing of custom zinc sulphide beam shaping optics coupled with a 10-kW IPG fiber laser.
Skip Nav Destination
ICALEO 2008: 27th International Congress on Laser Materials Processing, Laser Microprocessing and Nanomanufacturing
October 20–23, 2008
Temecula, California, USA
ISBN:
978-0-912035-12-3
PROCEEDINGS PAPER
Custom beam shaping for high-power fiber laser welding
Brian Victor;
Brian Victor
1
Edison Welding Institute
, 1250 Arthur E Adams Drive, Columbus, OH 43221, USA
Search for other works by this author on:
Stan Ream;
Stan Ream
1
Edison Welding Institute
, 1250 Arthur E Adams Drive, Columbus, OH 43221, USA
Search for other works by this author on:
Craig T. Walters
Craig T. Walters
2
Craig Walters Associates
, 400 Fox Run, Powell, OH 43065, USA
Search for other works by this author on:
Published Online:
October 01 2008
Citation
Brian Victor, Stan Ream, Craig T. Walters; October 20–23, 2008. "Custom beam shaping for high-power fiber laser welding." Proceedings of the ICALEO 2008: 27th International Congress on Laser Materials Processing, Laser Microprocessing and Nanomanufacturing. ICALEO 2008: 27th International Congress on Laser Materials Processing, Laser Microprocessing and Nanomanufacturing. Temecula, California, USA. (pp. 1301). ASME. https://doi.org/10.2351/1.5061241
Download citation file:
Sign In
You could not be signed in. Please check your credentials and make sure you have an active account and try again.