Welding with a Laser

Using an intense energy beam of light as its heat source, the laser welding process operates at very high speeds with low heat generation and little or no distortion. Since it requires no filler material, laser welding also reduces costs and naturally lends itself to automation for a stable, repeatable weld process.

With their well-defined beams, lasers are excellent tools for welding thin materials, performing hermetic welds, or operating in close proximity to heat-sensitive components. Even hard-to-reach areas can be laser welded if a line of sight exists.

Applications

Ship Building
Medical Devices
Powertrain
HVAC

Highway Transportation
Fuel Cells
Solar Power
Wind Turbines

High-quality welding.

Preco provides laser welding processes including robotics, tooling and material handling. The process can be used with just about any materials that are commonly welded using conventional welding equipment. However, lasers can also join difficult to bond materials such as high carbon stainless steels and titanium as well as for welding dissimilar materials that otherwise may not be compatible.

Hybrid laser welding combines a laser with other heat sources, such as arc welding or induction. Typically, hybrid welding refers to combining the laser with gas metal arc welding (GMAW, sometimes referred to as MIG or MAG). The intense energy supplied by the laser in combination with the efficient melting of wire by GMAW results in high welding speeds that can bridge significant gaps between joining surfaces.

MATERIALS

Steels
High Carbon
Alloy Steels
Cast Irons
Aluminum Alloys
Nickel-Based Alloys
Titanium
Dissimilar Metals

MATERIALS

Steels
High Carbon Alloy Steels
Cast Irons
Aluminum Alloys
Nickel-Based Alloys
Titanium
Dissimilar Metals

INDUSTRIES

Automotive
Aerospace
Defense
Marine
Medical
Electronics
Oil and Gas
Nuclear

Advantages

There are many advantages to using our automated laser welding equipment and laser welding process solutions, including:

Preco's experienced applications engineering staff can assist improper material selection and joint design. Preco also has the capability to perform metallurgical evaluations and our staff is experienced in destructive and non-destructive techniques (e.g. ultrasound, x-ray, helium leak detection) for assessing weld quality.

Minimal heat input, therefore small heat-affected zone (HAZ)
Fine-grain structure with excellent weld quality
High energy density and high weld speeds
Oftentimes no filler material necessary
Line of sight access for hard to reach areas

Preco has experience in hybrid and induction-assisted laser welding as well as cold wire feed welding, sometimes necessary if the weld chemistry requires an alteration in order to meet design requirements. More info is available on our laser welding systems, including the SL Series, ST Series, and RT Series. Contact us today to find out if laser welding is an ideal option for your material processing needs.