Laser beam welding (LBW) is a relatively new welding process that has only been around for a couple of decades. As the name implies, it works by shooting a laser beam at the material to be welded. The heat from the laser beam in turn causes the metal to melt and fuse together.

There is a couple of advantages when using the laser beam welding process. The first is that it typically doesn’t require a shielding gas. This can provide a substantial cost savings verses shielded welding procedures. The second advantage is that there isn’t any need to apply pressure to the materials being welded. This too can provide a significant cost savings, especially when dealing with laser welded parts with complex geometries that are difficult to clamp.

There are two different basic types of lasers that are used for laser beam welding. These two types are solid state lasers and gas lasers. For thinner metals, lower powered, pulsed solid state lasers are normally used. If the part to be welded is thicker and requires a higher power input, gas lasers like the CO2 laser are used.

Probably the most popular type of solid state laser is what’s known as the neodymium doped yttrium aluminum garnet laser – (Nd:YAG). While it’s possible to operate them in continuous mode, they’re usually used in pulse mode. Solid state laser beam welders do have one distinct disadvantage though, and that’s the fact that they operate at wavelengths that can damage the operators eyes. Because of this, the operator must use some type of eye protection to shield their eyes from harm.

The more common gas type laser is the CO2 laser. These lasers are powered with a high voltage and low current, and can have power outputs that are over 25 kilowatts. These laser beam welders are normally used in continuous mode, although they’re capable of pulsed mode too. The obvious advantage to the higher power output provided by a gas laser is that it’s capable of welding materials that are much thicker than a solid state laser can weld. Another one of the benefits of a gas type laser is that it operates at a longer wavelength than solid state lasers, thus the potential for retina damage is eliminated.

Laser beam welding has had an extremely positive impact on the manufacturing sector. Materials that were once considered too exotic, or were possibly too complex can often be cost effectively welded by this method with excellent results. Accuracy, repeatability, quality, and automation are all readily achievable with the laser welding process.