As a modern high-end welding technology, laser welding has been widely used in many industries due to its advantages of high power density, precise control and non-contact operation. Compared with traditional welding methods, laser welding not only has the characteristics of deep penetration, fast welding speed, small heat-affected zone and less deformation, but also performs particularly well in handling high-precision and high-complexity welding tasks. It is widely used in high-end manufacturing fields such as automobiles, ships, aerospace, electronics, and energy, and has become one of the indispensable technologies in modern manufacturing.

With the rapid development of the global manufacturing industry, the application scenarios of welding technology are becoming increasingly rich, and the welding requirements are becoming higher and higher. Laser welding technology has gradually replaced traditional welding methods in many fields due to its high precision, high efficiency, low pollution and applicability to a variety of materials. Below, we will take a deep look at several common laser welding process forms and their applications.

1. Laser spot welding

Laser spot welding is a welding method that uses a high-energy laser beam to quickly heat the contact points of two workpieces to form a weld. Laser spot welding is mainly divided into two forms: pulsed laser spot welding and continuous laser spot welding.

(1) Pulse laser spot welding: In pulse laser spot welding, the peak energy of the laser beam is high, but the action time is extremely short, which is suitable for welding light metals such as magnesium alloys and aluminum alloys. Its advantage is that it can quickly heat and form a local molten pool, prevent excessive heat input, reduce deformation, and is suitable for precision welding.

(2) Continuous laser spot welding: Unlike pulse laser spot welding, continuous laser spot welding has a higher average power and a longer laser action time, and is usually used for welding steel and other metals. Because it can provide continuous heat input, it is suitable for welding tasks that require greater joint strength.

In the automotive industry, laser spot welding is widely used in car body welding, especially in the connection between aluminum alloys and steel that requires high-quality welding. Due to its non-contact characteristics, laser spot welding can avoid the electrode wear problem caused by traditional resistance spot welding, and the welding trajectory can be flexibly designed according to needs to meet the high-quality welding requirements of automobile body materials under different overlap gaps.

2. Laser vertical welding

Laser vertical welding is a process for placing two parallel workpieces vertically and welding them along the contact line using a laser beam. During the welding process, the laser beam forms a vertical seam by irradiating the workpiece perpendicularly. Vertical laser welding is particularly suitable for butt or overlap connection of thicker plates or pipes.

Common applications include steel structures, bridges, ships and other fields. In these fields, the thickness and strength of the welded joints are required to be high. Traditional welding methods may cause large heat-affected zones and welding deformation, while the high-energy beam of vertical laser welding can achieve more precise heat input, reduce deformation, and improve welding efficiency.

3. Laser welding

Laser welding refers to the butt jointing of multiple workpieces in a certain arrangement, usually edge butt jointing or edge overlap, and then scanning or spot welding along the edge with a laser beam to form a seam parallel to the surface of the workpiece.

This process is suitable for connecting thin plates or films of the same or different materials, and is widely used in electronic products, circuit boards, solar cells, display screens and other fields.

For example, in the manufacturing process of solar cells, laser welding can accurately connect multiple cells to avoid material damage or poor contact problems that may occur in traditional welding. At the same time, welding can also ensure high welding speed and joint strength to meet the needs of large-scale production.

4. Laser stitch welding

Laser stitch welding refers to stacking multiple workpieces on the same plane in a certain order, and welding along the overlapping area with a laser beam to form a seam parallel to the surface of the workpiece. Stitch welding is usually used to connect thicker materials, such as automotive parts, aircraft structural parts, chemical equipment, etc.

The advantage of laser stitch welding is that its efficient and precise welding method can tightly connect different materials or materials of different thicknesses to form high-strength joints. Due to the high power density of the laser, it can effectively reduce heat input, control the heat-affected zone, and avoid excessive deformation and cracks in the traditional welding process. For high-demand parts and structural parts, laser stitch welding provides a more precise and reliable welding solution.

Application prospects of laser welding

With the continuous development and progress of laser technology, the application prospects of laser welding are broader, especially in the fields of lithium battery manufacturing, rail transportation, automobile manufacturing, shipbuilding, etc. Laser welding has become one of the indispensable core technologies in these industries.

1.In lithium battery manufacturing, laser welding can accurately connect battery modules to ensure high efficiency and high safety.

2.In the rail transit industry, laser welding is widely used in the connection of rails and the welding of car body structures, which can effectively improve production efficiency and ensure the quality of connection.

3.In automobile manufacturing, laser welding not only improves production speed, but also realizes the precise connection of different materials, effectively reducing the quality of vehicles.

4. In shipbuilding, laser welding technology can ensure the welding quality of hull structures and reduce deformation and residual stress generated during welding.

In short, laser welding technology is gaining more and more widespread applications in all walks of life due to its advantages in precision, speed, energy saving and environmental protection, and with the continuous innovation and development of technology, laser welding will continue to contribute to the intelligent and precise development of the manufacturing industry.