SPIE - Education Laser Welding and Drilling - Fundamentals & Practices SC1151

The two most demanding applications of industrial lasers are laser welding and laser drilling. The process of bonding materials, such as the welding of metals with lasers, has been demonstrated and practiced since the early 1970s. In the mid-1970s precision drilling of cooling holes in jet engine blades and combustors was developed and introduced in to the manufacturing world. Over the past five decade a lot of knowledge has been gained in these applications. This course reviews the key topics of of these two technologies in simplified terms. The common denominator in laser drilling and laser welding is the power density of the laser as it is focused on the surface of the material. This short course reviews the main parameters that control the power density and the tools used to measure the power density (laser beam metrology). The second common denominator is the behavior of the material when exposed to the high power density of the laser beam. Surface and bulk effects are discussed. The extent and the characteristics of the heat affected zones in both laser welding and laser drilling are considered. We discuss the aspect ratio of laser drilled holes and weld nuggets. We consider four alloying systems and review some of the metals that are members of these systems. The new generation of solid state lasers (Fiber, Disc and Direct Diode lasers) offer opportunities to control welding and drilling processes to produce repeatable high quality products. To assure good quality, real time process monitoring is being installed in some equipment. The benefits and the cost of real time process monitoring will conclude the course. The instructor will be available after the course for short discussions.