The welding performance of multikilowatt lasers is strongly affected by laser cavity and workpiece processing optics. Some of these effects for multikilowatt lasers to 25 kW are compared for several unstable resonator cavity optic magnifications and various focus head configurations. Weld penetrations to two inches and performance to 125 inches per minute per kilowatt are considered. Specifically, laser welding performance as a function of depth of penetration for various parameters are shown and weld bead characteristics are illustrated. A comparison of results with magnifications ranging from two to four shows that, for constant power and speed, performance improves with increased magnification. The advantages, disadvantages and other pertinent processing characteristics of various focusing optical configurations are discussed.

Topics
Laser resonators, Laser optics, Welding
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© 1989 Laser Institute of America.
1989
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