article will run over multiple issues of Bench Magazine, 1 plan to start with the basies of welding and ‘write about the characteristics of the beam and how we use those characteristics to weld. It is important to understand how the beam is focused. Equally important is how the viewing system is focused in relation to the focus of the beam. 1 will have specific examples of jewelry related jobs that demonstrate the energy characteristics ofthe beam, as ‘well as techniques and technologies (some that are rather new), that help overcome challenges that we, as jewelers, have faced over the past 10 years of laser welding When learning laser welding the jeweler should under- stand some basic principles of welding vs. the soldering technique most jewelers are familiar with, Anyone who has an understanding of welding principles need only learn how the lasers adjustable energy characteristics can be used to accomplish welding, and then gain a small amount of, eye/hand coordination to work through magnification, using the characteristics of the beam, with some simple techniques to accomplish welding. Welding is different from soldering, Solder melts at a lower temperature and flows into a seam within metal of different alloy content, thal is not molten during the soldering process, An excel- Jent article on soldering principles, is in Bench Magazine: Winter 2003, Volume 2, Issue 3 titled: The Secret Life of Solder, by: William Pellegrini, Welding is a different process from soldering mainly because when welding, the material being welded is also being melted, When melting the base material during weld- ing itis important to penetrate into the seam with the eor- rect energy and energy distribution to join the two pieces together ina way that produces an adequately joined area ‘The lasers that are being used for welding in our industry have similaradjustable features that control various aspects of total laser enengy and the way that energy is delivered. The first thing thatthe laser must accomplish is physical penetration into the welding seam. The laser beam has to Join two pieces of metal together. This may require various charactenstics of energy, For example, a 3mm platinum ring shank would require different energy than an 18k yellow gold earring post. The delivery of the beam into a welding seam is called penetration, Penetration is gained by control- ling the physical force of the laser beam that most lasers 698 the market control through a variable parameter called Laser Welding Basics Key to Iilistrations Weld Motal, Cross Sectional View we = = voltage. This parameter is usually expressed as voltage as well. Voliage controls the physical force of photons (matter) in the light beam. Figure I shows examples of weld spot ross sections using various voltage settings. The figures are not to scale, and the listed parameters are not exact; they are only intended to show basie principles. Notice that when the voltage setting alone is increased greater physi- cal penetration is achieved. The voltage parameter is one characteristic of the laser beam energy output, The laser ‘must have enough energy to transport itself to the job site, meaning that it must overcome resistance of metal around the weld scam, and penetrate through the resisting metal so that it can access the inner faces of the seam, Physical Penetrating Effect; Empty Space Melting Etec Once the laser beam has penetrated to the job site it ‘must have enough energy left in itto do the work (melt the surrounding metal). Notice in Figure | how increased volt- aage alone creates an empty hole with little melting effect Changing Voltage 200V/3MS/Dia.0 300V/3MS/Die.0 400¥/3NS/ Diao Increase in Voltage: Resulting in deeper penetration with less melting throughout spot Figure | Another controllable energy characteristic is the duration that that the beam stays exposed in the metal aver a single laser pulse, (“pulse duration”). Some correctly refer to this ‘as “beam width”. I think “pulse duration” better deseribes ‘what is happening, Pulse duration is controllable on most machines in increments measured and expressed in milli- seconds (thousandths of a second), Leaving the laser en- ergy exposed in the metal for longer heats the surrounding ‘metal to its melting point and collapses the metal upon 7itself, thus fusing it together in a way that seamlessly joins the metal, Notice in Figure 3 that longer pulse dura- tions melt spor that is wider and deeper. Pulse duration can bbe used to gain penetration through melting rather than the forceful physical penetration that is the resull of voltage, However, longer pulse durations ean burn certain metals leaving pits and brittleness. Changing Pulse Duration 200\Vi9 MS Da.0 200/28 MS//Dis 0 200) 50 MS / Dis. 0 Increase in Pulse Duration; Resulting in deeper ‘and wider melting Figure 2 The laser beam requires different aspects of energy it order to penetrate than the energy required 10 melt, Voltage cand pulse duration are direetly related to the amount of en- centy (measured in joules) that isin the laser beam, Without discussing formulas of laser relationship between “voltage nergy”. A direct relationship means that increased voltage ‘orpulse duration equals more energy (joules) output in the beam, and a decrease in either two of those parameters equals less total energy in the beam, It is important not to forget that voliage and pulse duration are related to the nergy directly, but the two individual parameters create different results, Voltage is. physical pressure that requires energy. and results in physical forceful penetration, Pulse duration is beam exposure time, that also requires energy, and results in melting, Many machines have a display rea ing that shows a calculated total energy in joules, based sls) 4 (fee “ 1S. now stocks Foredom® TX motors with foot pedals, in 3 different setups. Hemptors are also availabe, The setup has a foot pedal. The #44 dedicated handpiece is sold separately. FOR DETAILS ‘Tel: 1-505-722-4451 -or- 1-800-315-6540 Fax: 1-505-722-4172 -or- 1-888-722-4172 + wwiuijsine.com *P.O. Box 1774, Gallup, NM 87301 ‘Visit the Gallup or srque stores! 18 on the selected voltage and pulse duration, 1 find that hay ing a total energy reading on the display is not necessary, but very helpful in understanding the characteristics and relationship of voltage and pulse duration. | commonly refer to voltage and pulse duration as the “energy settings” Often, when figuring out the best welding parameters for a particular job, | will note that energy must be increased, or ‘decreased, One must then go one step further and ask what specific result of the energy should be different (penetra- tion, melting, or both?) Changing Voltage and Pulse Duration 200 /3MS/Dia.0 300 /25MS/Dia.0 400V/5OMS (Di. 0 Increase in Voltage and Pulse Duration: Resulting in deeper physical penetration, wider and deeper melting, Figure 3 “The area in which the total énergy is spread is a func- tion of controlling the “beam diameter", Some correctly refer to this parameter as “focus”, [like (0 call it “beam diameter” because a change in “beam diameter" at the view= ing system focal plane is the effect that it has on the laser beam, as it applies to the current application for jewelry. It is important to understand the difference between the laser beam focus and the viewing system focus and how they relate to the parameters that | am discussing here. In fact, understanding the enetgy characteristies of the beam at the ‘operators viewing system focal plain, goes hand-in-hand with leaning the effect of the individual parameters. I will discuss this in detail in the next article, For now, I'll just ‘mention what effect changing the beam diameter has ai the ‘weld spot when the item being welded is held correctly and consistently in correct focus of the operator in the view- ing system, Changing beam diameter changes the size of space that the laser’s total energy is focused into. As seen in Figure 4, a given energy (vollage & milli-seconds) in narrow space or beam diameter will have a deeper effect in that small area than the same energy that is spread over a larger diameter. Changing beam diameter changes the Joules per square area, Some machines display a calculated Joule per sq. em. based on the selected energy at a given ‘beam diameter. | find that helpful in understanding the relationship between total energy and beam diameter. Cer CR ALAS casa)Changing Beam Diameter 2009S /Dia@ 200V/3 NS Dla, 20 20/3 MS! Dia40 Increase in Beam Diameter: Resulting in Shallow, soft panetration and wide, but sof meting. Figured Figures 1, 2, and 4 show results from the three primary idjustable parameters: Voltage, pulse duration, and beam diameter, while they are being adjusted individually in an ‘extreme manner, Figures 3 & 5 show results of adjusting two or mote of these parameters simultaneously. All of these examples are not to any specific scale and are only intended to help explain basic principles. Changing Voltage, Pulse Duration, and Beam Diameter 200¥/3MS/Dia0 300/25 MS /Dia 20 400.V/ 50 MS / Dia 40 Figure Ieonsider voltage, pulse duration, and beam diameter to be the primary controllable parameters. Secondary to these three parameters is pulse frequency, A single laser pulse is initiated by depressing a foot pedal one time. Selecting a faster pulse frequency allows the operator to keep the foot pedal depressed and continue making laser pulses. Pulse Frequency is usually measured and expressed in hertz (Hz), “He” in this case, is the measurement of how frequently the laser pulses in one second. Machines that are ayailable ‘on the market currently range in Hz capability from 3 Hlz maximumn up to 20 Hz maximum. Inereasing Hz delivers the pre-selected primary parameters at a fister rate per second. The results of a faster frequency will tend to be ‘more aggressive than the same set of parameters in a single pulse, because the weld metal has less time to conduet the Taser energy away from the weld joint between pulses. These are the basics that can be learned through a small amount of expetience working with a Laser machine, Knowing the relationship of the beam focus and viewing system focal plain, gaining eye-hand coordination, and Jearning how to make a continuous weld with and without filler met, wil be discussed in the next article, David Brown and his wife Mirjam, of Mirjam Butz & Brown Jewelers, have operated a Jewelry Workshop and Design Studio in San Diego for the past 15 years, and invested in Laser Weiding for their business four years ‘ago. David has a prior technical background as an Aircraft Mechanic and Electronics Technician. His experience at the jewelers bench, technical background, and connec- tions in Germany through his German wite, opened doors of opportunity for him to get further involved with lasers, Currently David is working with Rofin-Baasel, (German Laser Manufacturer) to provide sales, and technical ser- Vice in the Western United States, Canada, and Mexico, Mitjam and David also use their laser welder to provide laser welding test applications for Jewelers, and other industries. David can be contacted at 619-239-5842 or lasers@mantech info B & D Sales Corp Technology for the Jeweler For Information Contact: B&D Sales 19 Fifth Avenue Cranston, Ri 02910 www.bdsales.com/sales@bdsales.com (401) 781-4810 Fax(401) 781-5580 Regional Distributors For B&D Laser-Welders Los Angeles Progress Machine and Too! (213) 489-7262 ‘Miami Rosenthal Jewelers Supply (800) 327-5784 Detroit C.R. Hill (248) 543-1555 Albuquerque Rio Grande (800) 545-6566 Laser-Welders ‘Seven Models to Chose From “Demand the Best .. ‘aud you get it with B& D” “First in service, customer support, and satisfaction.” Model Making SystemsKeep your laser welder clean, especially the protective Jens inside the laser chamber where the beam comes out. Check the cross-hair alignment regularly, Never program your settings with the laser in a multi- pulse mode, Always wipe “soot” off the item you are welding. Ifyou are practicing a new technique or experimenting with laser welding, be sure to use a scrap item or something of your own before trying iton a customer's piece. Like the old adage, “if you're going to learn to cook, you've got to break some eges.” Best if the eggs come from your own chicken. ‘Try to keep objects away from the “background” of what you are welding, Remember: the laser pulse is a “Tight bullet,” it can ricochet. A good rule of thumb for changing laser settings to enhance performance is to increase/decrease the mil- liseconds (duration of the beam) first, and then the beam size, and the voltage last, Think of laser welding settings like water coming from a garden hose, Turning on the water (whether all the ‘way or partially) is the voltage. The nozzle is the beam diameter. How long you hold the water in one place is the equivalent of the millisecond setting Sterling silver ean be welded easily if you use sterling silver solder instead of sterling wire. Laser Welding Tips ‘Some things that might make your life as a laser welder a bit easier You can pulse the laser at the weld zone at different angles to achieve various results, You don't have to hit a weld zone with the whole beam, Sometimes hit- ting it with 4 a beam will produce good re~ sults, (Note that only half of the red circle, representing the laser pulse, actually hits the ‘worn jump ring on top of this enameled piece.) ‘You can do most welding with 30-gauge fill material, Ifyou need a larger piece of weld ‘material, shoot the end of the 30 gauge wire 1o make it ball up to a larger diameter piece, then weld. a ag Use “floss bobbins" for wire storage and case of use. White gold scems to weld better and with less miero- porosity if you use a palladium alloy with white gold, E.g, 14k palladium white 30-gauge wire.Be sure to cut a groove in the weld zone of a thicker piece. Then “landslide” the side walls of the host ‘metal into the bottom of the trough you created. Fill to the top with similar filler metal. aciBee RediProng tips are convenient, great shapes, come with’ without solder, and have good welding properties. ‘Sometimes it IS better to remove stones prior to laser welding, and then reset them. each ceUMcm etc) se fea (eects the tolumnple of high achieuement: aud who, at worst, fail while daring Wc ca an fh abet ho wth Blt coed and timid souls who huow Bh Bees etary ae depent | Theodore Roosevelt 10 f — ———— Ifyou have the capability, photo document your work, Experiment & Document. Use a highly polished sterling silver protective tem- plate to shield sensitive areas when laser weld- ing Plasti-tak can also be used (o protect stones and finishes. You ean find it in your office supply or hobby shop. Precision Laser Welding Laser Welding Service to the Trade Welding Platinum, Gold, Antique & Estate Jewelry, Pure Titanium Enamel & Gold Dragonfly Before and After Specializing in “can't be done” repairs Laser Welding P.O. Box 2103 Cartersville, GA 30120 Toll free 877.535.9938 or metro Atlanta 770.382.8268 Quality Work Professional Insured 469 East Main StreetRemember: Laser welding is as much an Art form as it is a Science. Create you own style, experiment, adapt, and learn from you successes. as well as your failures-and build upon them. perience is an asset, but experience is something you don’t get until afier you need it! Bob Staley has been a goldsmith for more than 25 years and has been laser welding for the trade for over 5 years with more than 3100 hours laser welding experience. If you have questions concerning lasers or laser welding, or if you need his services, you can contact him at bstaley2@bellsouth.net or toll free 877-535-9938, Bob Staley will demonstrate Laser Welding at Bench Jewelers Conference & ‘Expo See Pages 15 - 16 for Details www.gesswein.com Gesswein is the on-line leader. for ordering ease, wide product selection, knowledgeable customer service and consistently low prices, nobody comes close to wuw.gesswein,com. Order “The Right Tools” on-line 24/7! Search over 15,000 items, and take advantage of sales and special offers available nowhere else! B & D Sales Corp ‘Technology for the Jeweler Fer information Contact. B&D Sales 19 Fifth Avenue Cranston, RI 02910 www.bdsales.comisales@bdsales.com (401) 781-4810 Fax(401) 781-5580 Los Angeles Progress Machine and Tool (213) 489-7262 Miami Rosenthal Jewelers Supply (800) 327-5784 Detroit C.R.Hill (248) 543-1555 Albuquerque Rio Grande (800) 545-6566 ‘and you ger it with B&D” “First in service, customer support, and satisfaction,” Laser-Welders ‘Seven Modets to Chose From Model Making SystemsIn my last article 1 wrote about the various adjustable parameters, and the effects of changing those parameters. In this article I hope 10 explain, in better detail, how the energy of the laser beam is focused. I will likely be {erring 19 some terms that may be better understood. by reading my previous article. The focus of the beam is expressed by the diameter of the beam, The diameter is the circular area of the beam that the selected energy is concentrated into, The concen tration of the beam’s selected energy plays one of the most ‘major roles in selecting the correct parameters to complete particular welding job. If you recall, voltage and pulse duration are the two adjustable parameters that determine how much total energy is delivered in one laser pulse. For the selection of the correct welding parameters for a par= ticular job, | will often determine an adequate total enery; ata given diameter, by a short trial and error method of fire tuning the voltage and pulse duration, (always making the error on the side of caution by starting low and adjusting up). Once the total energy shows adequate penetration and melting, I can usually complete all remaining phases ‘ofthe job by changing only the beam diameter to achieve the correct results for each particular phase of that job, The effect that adjustable beam diameter plays in choosing the correct parameters and completing a welding job cannot be overstated, The machine operator (the person doing the welding) should know the physical outline of the beam and what the basic energy distribution is ike at various plains, or (beam diameters) in the beam’s path. ‘The attached illustration shows a non-scale drawing of what the beam looks like as itis being focused into the working compartment by the objective lens. The main point of reference for our dis- cussion is the “focal plain”. The focal plain is an invisible plain that runs perpendicular to the vertical center of the beam: originating at a place where the beam is focused (0 its narrowest diameter when the smallest beam diameter has been selected, and extending to all points outward on that plain. Different makers of laser welders may refer- ence their beam diameter differently. The beam diameter Laser Welding Basics OO MIT Part 2 in Figure 1 is referenced according to the Rofin-Baasel machine, as that is what 1am most familiar with, The attached illustration shows an adjustable beam diameter with a range between 0.2 mm, (smallest), up to 2.0 mm, (largest). The selected beam diameter is expressed as a- bitrary numbers that range from 0-42 hecause there are 42 individual. adjustable, increments that correspond to the pictured beam diameter. Since beam diameter plays such a large role in selecting the correct parameters to complete a job, then it should make sense fo the reader that the larger the range of diameter (from smallest to largest), and the more sclectable increments within that range, gives the ‘operator more control over how the energy is concentrated and delivered. The focal plain has its name for two reasons. The first reason is: When the beam diameter is adjusted to 0, the smallest diameter of the beam is located on the focal plain, Therefore, the beams focus, (or diameter), is referenced at the focal plain, As the beam diameter is increased from 0 to a larger diameter the smallest diameter of the beam moves below the focal plain leaving a larger selected beam diameter atthe focal plain, Therefore, the focal plain is the constant reference that the operator must be using to hold the piece being welded. ‘That leads to the second reason for the term focal plain: the focus of the operators view- ing system must be adjusted for each individual operator's eyesight. Since the focal plain is the reference point for setting the beam diameter, itis important for the operator to view the focal plain in maximum focus according to his oor her individual eye sight. Fthe operator has adjusted the ‘machines viewing system correctly forhis or her eyes, then the piece being welded will always be in focus and held on the focal plain, By referring to my previous article you will see that ad- Justment of beam diameter does not effect the total energy being delivered, but does effect how the total selected en- ergy is concentrated. The consistent effects ofthe selected energy greatly depend! upon the operator's ability to sce, and hold the work at the focal plain. By doing so, a consistent nergy concentration, from pulse to pulse, is used. Iftheviewing system focus is adjusted diffe ently for a given operator, every time the machine is used by that operator, then that operator will not have a con- sistent reference of what results from 1a specific parameter setting, because a different energy concentration is being ised. Thisis because the operator is not holding the piece at a consistent point in space, (namely the focal plain), and the operator is, mistakenly, using vari- ous beam diameters. In order to have consistent results that lead to learning the correct and consistent parameter effets, one must learn how to adjust the viewing system to correctly focus the focal plain to his or her individual ‘and below the focal plain will deliver ‘consistent results within this area that is known as the “sweet spot”. By unclerstancling the physical out- line of the beam, and how it relates to energy concentration at the focal plain the operator can gain a better under- standing of how all of the machines’ adjustable parameters inter-relate, al- lowing the operator to accomplish more with the machine. David Brown and his wife Mirjam, of Mirjam Butz & Brown Jewelers, have operated a Jewelry Workshop ‘and Design Studio in San Diego for the past 15 years, and invested eyes. One must also hold the piece in focus, on the Focal Plain while welding. ‘When choosing a viewing system for ‘your machine, it is extremely impor tant to choose a system that allows the operator to adjust the viewing system focus for each operator's individual eyesight, Otherwise, the relationship of all parameters will be difficult for each operator to lear because they are not being referenced consistently and cor- recily atthe focal plain, In addition, the full effect of energy distribution within the beam may not be available to the ‘operator if the viewing system is not focused correctly. The illustration shows a laser beam that keeps its diameter for a nominal distance above and below the focal plain. This is known as the “sweet spot”. This feature has many advan- tages that 1 could talk about forever, but the one advantage that relates to this discussion is that the energy con- centration within the sweet spot stays consistent above and below the focal plain, The sweet spot feature allows the ‘operator some space to work above and below the focal plain without chang- ing the energy concentration, or beam diameter, Because of most jewelry's ‘design features and curves it needs to be moved into different angles while weld- ing, making italmost al to hold jewelry in the hands whi ing. Since human hands and human eyes are subject to error while focus- ing, the constant beam diameter above 2 in Laser Welding for their business four years ago, David has a prior technical background as an Aircraft Mechanic and Electronics Technician. His experience at the jeweler's bench, technical background, and connections in Germany through his German wife, opened doors of ‘opportunity for him to get further involved with lasers. Currently David is working with Rofin-Baasel, (Ger- man Laser Manufacturer), to provide sales, and technical service in the Western United States, Canada, and Mexico, Mirjam and David also use their laser welder to provide laser ‘welding test applications for Jewel- ‘ers, and other industries. David can be contacted at 619-239-5842 or lasers@mantech info. Conca) a sng. Tachawlegces Linz fraaseBack when I was going to school, if | had known I would be writing an article about laser ‘welding geometry, | would have paid more attention in all my math classes, not to mention my English composition classes. We aren't going to be figuring any geometric theorems in this article. In fact, all of this geometry is so simple that it will be common sense when I'm finished. Of course, thats, only if ccan write it in proper English for you. My best grades were in metal shop and Physical Education, ‘On the machinery sales side of my business, we boast about how short the learning curve is with a laser welder, To become productive and get a retum ‘on investment from a laser welder in our industry, the learning curve is short, However, I have been work- ing with the laser for almost 5 years and | am still learning. The laser welding machine isa very simple device in it’s function, but as with all machines and tools, it can accomplish much more with an opera- tor who has an intuitive instinct to learn, combined with the will to put that learning into practice. 1 say ‘that because much of what Iam writing about in this article requires certain hand-eye coordination that, after laser welding for 5 years, I find | am still finding ways to improve. I chose “Welding with Lower Energy” for this article because of my own experience with laser welding. Lower energy laser welding is not really relevant unless, like me, you have been welding with too much energy. In my experience, | have found that as I leam more about what a quality weld looks like, and how to better accomplish those results, my ‘energy parameters started decreasing. The same work is being accomplished, with lower total energy. The highest quality weld that ean be achieved is a joint that has been welded to achieve adequate penetra- tion, fusion that is uniform and free from voids, and ra Daud Brown The Basics of Laser Welding Part 3 Geometry of Laser Welding with Lower Energy accomplished at the lowest amount of energy that will get the job done right. You may recall from my previous articles, total energy is determined by a com- bination of the adjustable Voltage and Pulse Duration Parameters, whereas the adjustable Beam Diameter is the physical area that the total energy is concentrated into. Welding with lower energy, or pethaps better said: “welding with the correct energy”, is important and advantageous to the operator for many reasons, A single weld spot from one laser pulse on a piece ‘of metal, although on asmaller scale, can be compared to melting alloy in a crucible. Anyone who casts, makes their own alloy, or simply melts pieces down to re-mill, knows that melting for too long with too high heat will start burning metals out of the alloy, ‘The initial appearance when welding with too much ‘energy, to the inexperienced eye, can be as deceiving in welding as over heating can be in casting, Higher heat in casting, up to a point, can result in better form filling in the investment. However, micro sponge-like porosity is often the result from metal that burnt and vaporized out of the alloy because of too much heat. ‘Too much energy when welding can cause the metal to flow with ease, but you may then find the same micro porosity through the weld seam that is often the same result as casting with too much heat, There are many variables when selecting energy parameters for welding specific metals and their alloys that I intend to address more specifically in later articles. Low energy welding is a great benefit when weld- ing close to heat sensitive items such as gemstones, small spring tempered findings, fine filigree, engrav- ing, hollow or thin items. For these kinds of welding jobs there are a host of techniques and innovative products that continue to increase the productivity that laser welding has to offer in our industryBy the way, the micro laser welding techniques that we are using on jewelry are nothing new in regards to the subject of welding itself. We are not re-inventing the wheel. Ifyou ever have a chance to pick up a welding journal, or trade publication dedi- cated specifically to welding, you will find them full of the exact kind of information | am writing about here, only specific to a particular industry or type of welding. Welding is welding, and understanding the basics allows us to go further and get more spe~ cific about both the type of welding materials being welded, and techniques related each Before we go further, ff. 7 3ey gpa lets take a quick look at a basic function of welding known as draw- ing a bead. In welding terminology, a continu- ous weld seem is known as a ‘bead’, Making a continuous weld seam is bead. Pulsed Yag welding lasers like the ones being used in the jewelry industry, simplify drawing a bead by allowing the operator to adjust pulse frequency This feature allows the operator to hold down the foot pedal while the lasers preset parameters continue to pulse at a timed rate set by the operator, When drawing a bead, it is important that the operator controls movement of the piece through the focal point of the laser beam, at a coordinated pace with the set pulse frequeney so that the individual ‘ ~ www», Example C weld spec ovelpping referred to as drawing a From Start eh: And ieaite In between... mee ‘e 2. To Finish Call, fax or e-mail for your Sister Pi copy of our current catalogs and price lists. Phone: 1 *800*282*8285 Fax: 1+888¢282*8285 E-Mail: namano@bellsouth.netweld spots are correctly overlapping. A combination ‘ofthe uniform overlapping of weld spots, correct en- ergy parameters, and as we will discuss in a moment, correct angle, will ensure that important areas within the seam are fused. Figure one shows three examples ‘of weld seams, with top views and cross sectional side views of the individual weld spots over the length of the seam, and how the spots come together to form a bead, Example A cannot really be called a bead, because the spots do not overlap. Rather, Example ‘Aisa series of individual spot welds that are placed side by side on the weld seam, From the top view of Example A, the operator may think that the seam is being adequately fused because the line of the seam will disappear from the top, providing that the weld spots fuse together at the top of their circumference. From the cross sectional side view of Example A, inside the seam, one can see that the slightest bit of filing, sanding, or finishing from the top of the seam will expose un-fused portions of the seam. Example B, of Figure One, shows some overlapping of the spots in the bead, but weak, un-fused areas will still exist because the overlapping is not as sufficient as it could be if the weld spots were overlapped as shown in Example C. The overlapping of the weld spots to form a bead is accomplished by controlling the rela- tionship between the rate that the weld seam moves through the focal point of the beam and the pulse frequency of the laser. Thisis a very basic adjustment tomake. But, because jewelry is almost always being held by hand when welding, this adjustment requires the operators hand-eye coordination combined with his or her knowledge of a quality bead. Because jewelry has numerousangles, curves, and design features it is usually necessary to hold a piece by hand when welding. Weld- ing angle is as important as selecting the correct laser parameters to complete a job. In my experience with laser welding, as well as in my experience training people how to laser weld, I have noticed that it is difficult to use the optimum weld- ing angle based on simple knowledge. Rather, I have noticed that angle adjustment becomes an intuitive instinct of the operator who has some practice. In most other industries that use laser welding, it is easier to demonstrate optimum weld angle because many industries are setting up their weld jobs on an automated system where it is only a matter of pre- positioning the holding device to achieve the best angle. With the geometric features and complexity of jewelry design, automated handling of the piece during welding is rarely ever possible, Because of the agility that jewelers gain through their experience in welding by hand at various angles, combined with the knowledge of the machines adjustable parameters that results from welding so many different types of alloys and metals from thick ring shanks to fine prong tipping, jewelers are among the very best operators of this technology that I have seen. As ones’ hand/eye coordination becomes accustomed to the machine, and the knowledge and experience regarding quality welding grow, an operator can achieve results on a given piece with a lower energy, simply by using dif- ferent angles. There are as many examples of angle manipulation as there are jewelry designs. Perhaps ‘one of the best ways to demonstrate angle and energy requirements is in relationship to drawing a bead with filler wire, When drawing a bead with filler wire lower energies can be used with altered angles. Altering the angle to optimum is not always possible, depend- ing on design features of the piece and where on the piece, the welding is being performed. Figure 2, Example A shows the welding wire at an acute Example C: Optimum angle, when posible requiring least amount of ‘ney, Figure 2: Filler Wire Welding Anglesangle to the concentrating beam. An angle like this requires enough energy to melt through a larger ss of wire and into the piece, The amount of wire being exposed to the beam is referred to as, “Wire Feed Rate”, and, in our ease as jewelers, is usually controlled by the operator, who is holding the piece and the wire by hand. With te angle, the feed rate is much more difficult to control, resulting in larger volumes, as well as inconsistent volumes, of wire being subjected to the beam, The acute angle of Example A’s wire also has. tendency to reflect the Jaser away from the intended weld spot. Example B's wire angle makes the wire féed rate easier to control. B allows the smallest bits of wire volume, as well as consistent lengths of wire, to be nibbled off by the beam at the operators will. However, even if B's feed rate is controlled to melt only a fractional length of re, B still requires the laser energy to melt through the wires entire diameter before fusing into the piece. B’s wire angle, although not as extreme as A’s, can also have a tendency to reflect the laser light away from the weld spot. The optimum angle is shown in Example C because, just like B, the feed rate is easy to control, and the focal point of the laser beam is able to nibble off a very small piece of the wires’ face rather than having to pass through the entire girth of the wires” diameter, A laser is a beam of light. The machine amplifies that light, and it puts all of the beams’ light into the same waye length making the light very predict- able, comfortable, focusable, and suitable to use for welding. However, various physical ciroumstances such as metals with different heat conductivities, and the reflective, polished, or shiny natures of different typesofmet- | al, at altered angles to the beam when welding, can create resis- tance to the light beam. This res tance acts much like a mirror when pointing the beam of a flashlight into it. The beam of light reflects. After reflecting, the light becomes scattered and as it dissipates it loses its effectiveness for weld- ing, not to mention that it is now traveling in the ‘wrong direction, away from the weld spot. Increasing total energy, or increasing the energies concentration into a smaller beam diameter, are ways to overcome reflectivity by changing the machines adjustable parameters, There are other techniques for overcom- ing reflectivity that | will write about in up-coming articles. However, if the machines parameters are close to being correct for the job at hand, altering, weld angle is one of the most convenient techniques to overcome reflectivity. Standard Focus at Extended Focasat | Focal Plane Focal Plane w/ Sweet Spot Technologies | ‘There are also products available on the market that are enabling lower energy welding. The reason why can all be explained with very simple geometry. WIRE DIAMETERS CONVERSION CHART ee = ae Spo} Heavy Medium - ~ Fine = 080 Cu. mm 050 Cu. pee (GED | 200 CEERI somn_ 111000 of one second 1 millisecond End of One Second — << — Palse Duration a —> Interval Between Pulses Fig. 1: One Second Series of Laser Pulses at 5 Pulses Per Second, 4 milliseconds in Duration. As faras the owelry industry is concerned, true metallurgical testing has not been accomplished on the noble metals and alloys we are working with wo determine the optimum pulse shapes to achieve various physical properties within the weld. There are many people out there who sill swear by certain shapes, myself included, but testing to prove optimum shapes is expensive. ‘The jewelry industry does noe offer great returns on this type of research. With technology like this 1 am afraid that jewelees are left to become something like n scientists. However, int that usually the case with most of the tools and machines chat find their way inco our jewelry shops? [As you may recall from prior articles within this series, total energy is determined by a combination of Volts and Pulse Duiration, ‘These are both adjustable parameters. Total energy for pulse shaping purposes is expressed as a percentage on the Y axis ofa graph, as shown in the expanded view of a standard pulse shape in figure 1. In the expanded view of figure 1, om che ¥ axis ofthe graph, the energy within the laser pulse is going from 0 to 100% of whatever energy was selected by the opera- tor through Volts and Duration. Ie is valuable to have an energy meter built inco the machines displys so that the operator knows the exact amount af energy that is chosen., The standard pulse shape shown in figure 1 delivers 100% of the selected 6‘Figue 2 Coiom Pave Shape, SowerHeting Rapa Cooing energy ro the weld joint immediately upon actuating a laser pulse. 10096 of the selected enengy (in figure 1) stays exposed to the weld joint for a period of time that is also determined by the operaror through Pulse Duration, and is expressed as 4 percentage, on the X axis of figure 1's expanded view, The standard pulse shape in figurels expanded view, accomplishes relatively rapid heating and rapid cooling to the weld spot because 10096 ofthe selected energy stays consistent from the immediate beginning of the pulse until ic immediately drops 100 a¢ the end of the pulse. Figuze 1 is what I refer co as the default pulse shape, and is the shape that delivers the maxi- ‘mum amount of energy, as seen in the attached Comparable Energy Ourpur Table thar { prepared to compare energy output bbeqween all the pulse shapes thar we will be looking at. Figure 1 shows one full second divided into 1000 parts swith 5 laser pulses being delivered at a duration of 4 mil- liscconds, (4/ 1000ths.), each, The expanded view of figure 1 breaks the millisecond pulses down into fractional amounts of time within the individual pulse, and is illusteated by the teference points with arrows. The arrows indicate that these reference points can be moved over the X axis, as well asthe is, to ereate a customized shape on the geaph that will Figur 3: Custom Pls Shape, Raid Heating @ Slower Coating determine a percentage of the selected energy to be delivered “within factional amounts ofthe selected tora pulse duration, ‘When we start dividing the time of one second into such small incrememsas 1/1000ths, as well as dividing single pulscs into fractions of the total duration, it can seem like things are being, pur ona pretty small scale. Due co the incredible short incre= ‘ments of time that we are looking at here, there are a couple {mporrant feacures within the machine thar shoul! beavailable forpulse shaping to have a greater range of effectiveness. One must have the ability to either repeat the pulses ara fast rate, such as the 0-20 pulses per second of one must havea wide range of rime within the pulse duration ro select from, sch as the 0.5-50 milliseconds. Using faster pulse frequencies allows the operator to keep the custom shaped energy exposed within the weld seam. In this case the operator can use lower energies and shorier dus tations, In this scenario the prior weld spot would noc have a chance to recover, solidify, or freeze, oF the recovery time of the prior spot would be limited to some extent, before the next custom shaped pulse comes right in ovetlapping the prior TITT TTT J rice Duntcn a Figu 4 Custom Poles Shape, Slower Hewing Stowe Cooling spot, In this ease it becomes more ofa consistent customized energy shape that is delivered to the total weld seam rather than a single spot weld. Also, in the case of faster pulse Fre- quencies, it becomes a balancing act between the particular customized shape of energy and the selected pulse frequency. ‘This balancing act is one more variable chat must be tested to determine the physical properties thar are desised within the metallurgy of the piece being joined. Remember thar the ‘original purpose of pulse shaping is to effect the merallurgical properties through the rite of heating and cooling that can be controlled through the delivery of custom shaped energy, anc! in this case, at given pulse frequencies. Slower pulse frequencies, or even single pulse modes thar allow the previous spot to fully recover, usually require lor ‘get pulse durations to have much of an effect through pulse shaping. When you sce the illustration in fig. 1, of one second divided into 1/1000ths, hopefully you get an idx of just how shorea duration of 1-20msis, for example,and even how much shorter the fractional adjustments within the pulse sh raph are. This ilustraces why longer durations are generally Comparable Fig 3 Stower Coolrofin ROFIN-BAASEL INC ‘Diego is wel suites to offer Laser Sales, raining, and Tech Suppor to the ‘ewelty Tae Your Shop, or Ours Fete Teinng in San Diego for ‘© Highest quality instruction, on superior machine, in jewelers ‘shop by experienced jeweler and laser technician. Reasons to come to San Diego: © Located inthe heart of San Diego's Gas Lamp and Ball Park Distt ( Good Fun, Gaod Food, Night) + Ifyou are a sports fan, we wil treat you 1 s ball game, + Excellet Pace for a working vacation with Beach, Sun, Fishy ing, Cruises, and much more Fox more information please ‘call our Western 619-239-5842 necessary to havea metallurgical effect through pulse shaping, Using longer pulse durations results in higher enesgy pulses and requires the operator to use slower pulse frequencies (or ven deliversingle pulses ata time) but till have grearer control of heating and cooling rates through custom shaping of che energy. When slower pulse frequencies or a single pulse mode is used wn encrgy meter is necessary because by referencing, hav much energy was required to gain adequate penetration and melting with a standard shaped pulse, the operator can, then customize the pulse shape and use the energy value from the previous standard shaped pulse. asa fixed reference in proportioning the Voles and Duration, (Fnergy Settings), \within the custom shaped pulse, Without having che ability to compare energy output between the various pulse shapes leaves no fixed reference to use when researching the desired effect within the weld. ‘When comparing Figures 1. 2, 3, and 4's pulse shape ar given volts and daracion, you will notice in the attached Comparable Energy Ourput Chart that shaping the pale reduces the toral energy output. Figute 1, exp. View, is the standard pulse shape that will always deliver the max total energy . Ifthe coral energy of figure 1 was proportioned foradequate penetration and melting, but resulted in undesir- able metallurgical properties within the weld. the shape cart be 8 Manutactureg Produets and Services Toctologes Supporting Laser Welding Processes 619-239-5842 Standard and Specialty Laser Welding Wires + 30.Gage ond Smoller Diamatars: 19, 14k Y, Pay, 10% Beam W, end peciny sae: Blow + Eve Gloss Frome Repair Wires: Alloy sable for welding Tonio Alloyed Eye Glas Fromat ond Mot Junk Matel Frames 30 g0ze and smal + Silver Wlelding.Brazing Wires: For Petes rusts welding ‘eng and fie tives. 30 gape ond smal. © Antique Repair Wires: For joining Bron, Bronte, & mort Junk ‘Metab 30 goge ond smaller Used By Professionals Kevin Denney: tye Glos rome Repow Specalt Steve Solow lover Welding Trade Services Gary Stith: Estate Jwalty, Asta Restornen Denny Ponictowsli: Leer WaldngTrode Semicet customized in innumerable ways to control heating, cooling cor both, Customizing the shape will reduce energy ourput, so the energy settings (Volts 8 Duration) can be re-propear- tioned after shaping to bring the energy back up toa level chat will give adequate penetration and melting: ‘Therefore, when ‘customizing the pulse shapes inthis fashion, itis necessary to reference the initial energy ouput used with the initial pulse shape (usually the standand shape) and use that value asa loose point of reference during che trial and error period of finding the correct proportion of energy through Volts and Duration alter customizing the shape. It isalso necessary to have a large ‘ange of pulse duration available in order to have much of an effect hecween the factional, and adjustable, points of time (X axis) within che pulse, Using pulse shaping in this way initially reduces the toral energy (during trial and error) on the graph, but will require the energy to be brought back up and re-proportioned for the proper penetration and melting Based on my’ own experience I have found that 1 prefer co bring the energy back up, after shaping, by primarily inereas- duration. 1 will bring. the voles up to some extent, but 1 have been primarily playing with bringing up duration. Iwill re-proportion the energy after shaping until ic is gerting the ‘correct results of penetration and melting (as I have discussed in my last article),Proportioning che energy in this ‘way will bring the eral energy back up to the same, of sometimes even higher, than with the original shaped pulse. ‘The only variation is thar the energy is being distributed differently over the total time of the pulse, in that the heating rate, cooling rate, or both are manipulated. Oras inthe case of faster frequencicsand shorter durations, the energy is being manipulated over the total sequential time of the laser being exposed to the entire weld seam through many pulses at higher pulse frequencies. One application thar I am most curious about, and currently cesting the effects of Pulse Shaping is in the welding of Nickel White Gold, (Ni WG), Ni WG has a tendeney to be- come brittle and porous when welding with higher energy than is required to weld through a relatively thicker piece, such as che 2.5 mm, or thicker, ring shank that I discussed jn my last article, regarding the effects of proportioning energy parameters ‘when welding 2.5mm thick 18k YG ring shank. For that reason, there are various techniques that are extremely helpful. These techniques include but are not limited so Pulse Shaping. 1 plan con writing about techniques of welding of Ni WG in my next article. In doing so, 1 will add my thoughts on Pulse Shaping as it applies to that appl Until then 1 wish you happy and prosperous welding, ae Worth ree ication. Because Your Time Is Money| @ & You need an EASY CAD! CAD software doesn’t have to be difficult, frustrating or intimidating. We have an "EASY to LEARN and USE" Parma based system for jewelers. €) WWW.EASYCAD.NE. Or call Ernie 770-262-4- Enos goa on oka nil hac, you'll get run over % you jurt vit there. Wilk Rogers From Start er And fae In between... i é 8S To Finish SWAMANO inc." Call, fax or e-mail for your free copy of our current catalogs and price lists. Phone: 1°800¢2828285 Fax: | +888¢ 28268285 E-M; manofibellsouth.netor A In this article I will be referring to terms that I have defined in previous articles. IF you wish to read those articles in the order that they are meant to be read, contact me at lasers@mantech. info, or 619-239-5842, Nickel White Gold, (Ni WG), laser welds nicely if some simple steps are taken to overcome challenges that can present themselves for various reasons, What L intend to do, in this article, is identify some problems that can occur and demonstrate some solutions. We have no choice but to accept some chal- lenges to laser welding jewelry alloys, because we have no contro! of how the piece was previously made, repaired, worn, and treated, even ifthe piece was one’s own creation from start to finish. Characteristics of the alloy have advantages for some purposes and disad- vantages for others. Pre-existing conditions (before laser welding, mistaken or deliberate) within the alloy may require us to take some extra precautions before and during laser welding, A couple of these conditions include the tempered state of the piece, and the actual content of the alloy (depleted or contaminated). Some examples of this are that rapid heating and cooling of the laser weld spot generally result in harder, and con- sequently more brittle, metal after welding than before welding. Therefore, metal previously hardened from heat treating or work hardening, greatly increases the ‘welds’ hardness and brittleness. Hard and brittle welds become evident in the metal as. crack appearing like a fault line, forming down the center of the seam and pulling away from the center of the weld spot (no! to be confused with a small inward dimple at the center of many weld spots). The micro-cracking appears to vary in extremity, depending on the hardness of the specific material, before and after welding, If the alloy is exposed to to0 much heat during casting, soldering / brazing, annealing, or laser welding, ingredients of the alloy can be vaporized, burnt, and depleted from of the intended mixture. Depletion first becomes evident with discoloration of the alloy while weld- ing. Many alloys of low karat YG will tum blue. The pictured overheated mixture of Ni WG, has reddish brown areas showing in the weld spot. Depending on the pre-existing conditions of the alloy, discolored areas may be unavoidable. However, when discolored areas in the weld spot become visible, precautions should be taken to minimize them. Further welding, without precautions, [ae —_ A can quickly lead to ‘Miro Poeosty fem depleted ay Cracks ville various degrees of micro-porosity. Less extreme micro-pours are often not noticed until the finishing, or polishing stages. In more extreme cases they can be noticed as areas on the weld spot that do not congeal together, forming a small cra- ter, Attempts to fill the crater, or melt it back together, are futile and only cause the problem to be- come worse. One of the most common types of “contamina tion’ encountered, when laser weld- ing jewelry, has to be from solder. The 8¥ soldering, or brazing, that we do with a toreh flame presents risk of overheating the solder, and in extreme cases, even the parent material being joined, causing depletion. However, even if'a soldered seam or arca is not depleted, laser welding could be the culprit to ‘cause, or worsen depletion, if attention is not given to noticing the signs, and the necessary precautions are not taken. Soldered areas have lower melting temperatures, and are softer, Comparing welding ‘on parent material without solder, to welding on the same material that is contaminated with solder will show that the laser will effect the soldered area much more aggressively. The alloy will splash and splatter easier, One can even hear, and sometimes feel the, “splatter”, and difference in the effect, Solders get their lower melting temperature characteristics from a higher zine, (Zn), content, Zn happens to be the metal that usually vaporizes first, [have nto formal training in metallurgy, but by observing the effects of alloys in various stages of depletion, before and after laser welding: it appears to me that Zn-acts like a glue or bonding agent within the mixture helping to hold the other elements together. When the Zn goes away. so does the intended alloy, Depending on the extremity of the depletion, and the desired result of the weld, depleted areas may require being replaced, if possible, with new alloy. Lately, few jewelers thar I have been work- wg with in regards to laser welding, have been using a Ni WG alloy that is very high in Ni content. The desirable effect of these alloys is the fact that they are so white. One laser welding draw back to these alloys is that they are so hard. Some alloys of Ni WG, high in Ni content, are difficult to weld without ex- periencing micro cracking and depletion. In the ease of Ni WG. it appears to me that harder alloys, higher in Ni content, exhibit easier tendencies of depletion as well as eracking. Perhaps these same alloys also have a high Zn content. 1 can’t know this for sure, because companies keep their allay recipes secret. Perhaps just the nature of having such a high Ni content causes easier depletion of other metals such fas Zn. In any case, | am curious and learning. Some alloys of palladium white gold, (Pd WG) also exhibit hardening and micro cracking tendencies. However, recently purchased a piece of newly milled Pd WG, 2.5mm thick x 4mm wide sizing stock. | ordered it to have a medium temper. ! was hoping to duplicate the same cracking results encountered with other Pd WG alloys. I was quite surprised that this particularalloy, at a medium temper, required comparatively a much higher energy from the laser to show signs of failure than other Pd WG alloys. Obviously, all alloysare not created equal, and there is room for more research. Everything has its advantages and disadvantages. ‘This is especially evident in Ni WG alloys. One big looming question, in my mind, is whether there are some custom pulse shapes that will allow us to adjust our energy distribution over the pulse duration, so as to give us better results with greater ease. I hope to learn more as I go along ‘The new Ni WG that | am working with for this article required quite a lot of laser energy in order to show you pictured effects of the failed alloy. Thisalloy has a lower Ni and Zn content. However. itis not as white as some would desire. Regardless of how this new metal reaets to the laser, I personally like to take extra precautions to weld with less energy, simply because | know that Ni WG is prone to problems if no precautions are taken, Taking precautions to weld with less energy will minimize negative conditions nthe seam during future welding. One method of | welding with less energy involves cutting a relief over the seam as shown in Figure 1. The purpose of such a relief is to remove resistance to the laser, allowing us to proportion a lower energy for proper penetration ‘and melting into a thinner section of parent material, Less material requires lower energy thus allowing us less risk of causing failure to the alloy. The extremity of pre-existing conditions would dictate how deep a relief one would consider cutting. Cutting a relief also permits us to replace old alloy that is full of un~ desirable traits for welding, and replace it with new alloy by deposit welding beads within the opening to fill the relief. For this kind of deposit welding itis important to proportion our energy (volts & duration), and energy spread (beam diameter), so as to fuse the new filler just into the surface of the old parent mate- rial. Aggressive penetration and melting, at this step, defeats the purpose of cutting a relief by possible fur- ther damage to the parent alloy and stress to the filler ‘material, For very extreme negative conditions in the parent material it can be beneficial to lightly coat the surface of the relief by deposit welding with smaller diameter wire. The smaller wire requires less energy. ‘The goal is to build up a layer of newer material that is not as problematic as the old parent pieces being joined, When a foundation of newer, less problematic,[isis [stn] [7.5ms [standaa| rose Sectional Site Pon material has been laid then quite likely one can graduate to a larger diameter wire. The larger wire will allow for faster fll- ing. One should take care not to use too large of a diameter of wire. | personally do not use larger than .010"{30 gage) wire: 1 feel that larger diameter wires risk failure because they have larger mass and require more energy to weld. Regarding the wire: | believe it is far more beneficial to use fully annealed wire than wire fresh out of the drawing die, Remember that th 12 conditions that one must contend with. We rarely have control of these conditions within the parent material being joined, but we do have control over those conditions within the wire we use. Drawing the beads for deposit welding can also be accom- plished with less energy if one is able to keep the welding angle at optimum, One: about optimum weld angles by reading the article titled, ‘Geometry of Laser Weld- ing’. When depositing welding beads itis beneficial to cause the least amount of stress to the surface being covered, This is accomplished by depositing filler evenly, with each laser pulse, over older parent material or previously deposited new material, The laser pulse frequency should be adjusted to the comfort and skill level of the operator, taking care not to over stress areas on the alloy by exposing them too frequently to the energy of the laser. terials hardness is one of those pre-exist learn mor 1 was recently working with Greg Morin, a jeweler from ‘Santa Barbara, CA. As Greg and I were discussing the welding of Ni WG, Greg suggested that was not looking at the whole equation when proportioning my energy with the energy spread, 1 previously lived by the rule that when welding Ni WG I would simply limit my energy by not exceeding 2.0ms of pulse duration, Remember that the pulse duration is the heating effect within the alloy. Too much heat vaporizes and burns low melt temperature metals such as Zn. Although I Figure 2; Initial Weld: No Filler Cross Sectional Figure 3: Initial Weld: No Filler L & THEBABY BENCH 87500 m3BT-WaTC [dln meaubratar sy net {rete anes rads Sa uous aot a Vitus aip #Abuqarau, Ney eso! ft Jewelers cat Ty Cross Sectional Gm,did not need to exceed 2.0ms on the pictured example for this article I likely could have by using the end of the (volts, duration, and beam diameter) formula that isa displayed value on the Rofin machine display as a reference (Rofin is the make of machine | am most familiar with). Greg's way of looking.at total energy and energy spread encompasses all parameters that effect the equation. My previous method only ac- counts for one part of the equation. The absolute end of the laser parameter equation is the way that the total energy is spread over a given area, and is expressed, (On the Rofin machine display), as Joules per square centimeter, (Jeni), a selected total energy distributed over a selected amount of area, The displayed J/em* can be used as a reference from one part of the weld- ing job to the next. For Example: As shown in Figures 1-5 and the cooresponding parameter chart; during initial welding without filler (Figure 2) I chose a beam diameter of § because of how the joint fit together, the size of the space I was working in, and the area | wanted to effect, | then proportioned the energy pa- rameters to give the correct penetrating and melting effect necessary for the thickness of material, at the selected beam diameter. Correct proportions of total energy for a given beam diameter involves a setting that does not splash, burn, or crack the weld spot. rofin ROFIN-BAASEL INC Our Western US. ofice located in San Dingo wel uted to ler Laser Sale, ining, and Tech Support to the Jewelry Trade, Your Shop, or Ours Free Training i San Diego for our Westem Otlice Customers ‘+ Highest quality instruction, on superior machine, in jewelers ‘shop by experienced jeweler and laser technician, Reasons to come to San Diego ‘+ Located in the heart of San Oiego's Gas Lamp and Ball Park Distnet (Good Fun, Good Food, Nightife) ‘+ Ifyou are a sports fan, wo wll treat you toa ball game + Excellent Pace for a working vacation with Beach, Sun, Fish- ing, Cruises, and much more. For more information please ‘call our Western fice 619-239-5842 More can be learned about proportioning total energy by reading a previous article titled ‘Proportions and Effects’. As wider areas of the relief need to be filled, (Figure 4 and 5), a wider beam is more convenient $0 as to draw one bead over a larger area, rather than multiple beads over the same area, However, our total energy (Joules) is proportioned to the lowest level to get the job done at a beam diameter of 5, Therefore, widening the beam requires that the total energy be increased by reporportioning volts and duration for a desired effect with the wider beam diameter. If | wish to effect approximately the same amount of metal with a wider beam as previously effected with a smaller beam, only spreading it in a wider area, then J/cm? can be used as a reference target ofa value not to exceed, while reproportioning the energy. It is imporiant to note that Figures 3-5 did not even come close to the same J/em* as Figures 1 & 2 because it was not necessary to adjust the energy higher to get the required results. The displayed J/cm is not a target that one must achieve, Rather it is only a refference to help us understand the proportional effects of the three primary welding parameters, volts, duration, and beam diameter. It also is effected with pulse shaping but | will talk more about that in future articles. On this particular project, | noticed that if | would have Manutactunng Technologies Produs and Services Suppoiting Leser Welding Processes 619-239-5842 Standard and Specialty Laser Welding Wires 18K 14K, Po 72 2 Mr W, ond specialty wiret Bolo Eye Glass Frome Repair Wire: Alloy: ible for welding Thowom Aloyed fe Glau Frama end Met unk Maa romet 30 990 ond smaller, Foe Bamar carat walang Hefling ond fine iver 30 goge end mall ‘Antique Repair Wires: For ong Bros Bronte, & mest Junk ‘Retake 30 99pe and malar Used By Professionals Kevin Denney: tye Goa Frome Repo Seals ‘Stevt SclOw lover Wing Tode Serer Gary Smith Eso Jeely, Aohave Restroom Deny POnctOWsk love Wading Yode Servicerused Figure 2 or 3°s Jem? as a target, rather than a reference, | would have gone too high in total enerzy and caused failure in the piece. When I teach and train people about laser welding, | try not to let them get too caught up in the displayed parameter numbers, It is much more important to let the desired welding ef- fect determine the numbers, than to let some targeted numbers dictate how the weld is achieved. Using the displayed total energy, (Joules), and displayed Jem? helps tremendously to better understand those relationships. Inert cover gas is very useful when welding Ni WG. Inert gus. (usually Argon), does not mix with other elements such as Oxygen. Most machines have a flexible nozzle and a fixed nozzle that are meant to deliver the gas right over the weld spot. The Argon gas pushes Oxygen away, pro- viding an Oxygen free envelope to weld in. [like to use both nozzles, adjusting the flexible nozzle at a slight different angle than the fixed nozzle. Flowing gas from a slightly different angle is especially useful when welding items to be held by hand, such as jewelry. If a design feature of the piece obstructs flow from one nozzle, cover gas will still be flowing from another nozzle. One should udjust the Argon gas flow so that when one’s finger is wet and put on the folae plane, in the crosshairs of the microscope, the finger feels cold, Flow rates that are too high will cause the gas flow to vortex and pull Oxygen back into the envelope... My last article was about pulse shaping. In that article { said that | would use pulse shaping for welding Ni WG, I'm going to make you wait again until the next article, Until then, best regards to all David Brown will be presenting at the Bench Jewelers Conference & Expo See Pages 17 — 22 for Details Laser - Welders 2 models to choose from B & D Sales Corporation 19 Fifth Avenue Cranston, RI 02910 www.bdsales.com/sales@bdsales.com (401) 781-4810 Fax(401) 781-5580,In my last article about welding nickel white gold (Ni WG), I said 1 would weld the same Ni WG shank by using pulse shaping, (PS), I have since realized that I need to write more about pulse shaping before I can agcurately describe what I'm doing to the Ni WG. ring shank. As with all of my articles so far, it will be helpful to read my previous articles before reading this one, The previous articles can be obtained by e-mailing me at lasers@mantech.info, orcalling 619-239-5842. 1 have written a previous article about pulse shaping titled “Energy over Time”. In that article 1 mentioned that the premise of PS follows the principles of heat treat- ing and annealing. 1 demonstrated a few PS graphs to show how PS allows us to vary the energy output over the duration of a single laser pulse. Using PS in this ‘way would theoretically allow us to control physical properties such us hardness, strength, ductility, tough- ness, malleability, elongation, etc, within the metal or alloy that we weld, I say theoretically because PS on ‘ur precious metal alloys is largely un-tested. ‘There are so many variables associated with PS, as \well as variables within metals and alloys being tested, that it is important to map out ways to keep certain variables constant during such testing, so that one can Parameters That Effect Displayed Energy Spread, (Sent): (Volts / Pulse Duration, (ms) / Pulse Shape / Beam Di Parameters That Effect Displayed Total Energy, (: ‘Volts / Pulse Duration, (ms) / Pulse Shape neter) ‘alts Fale Shane Adiustable Adjustable Displaved Total Beam Diameter End Effect Adjustable End Effect Kept Constant Standard Increases J | Kept Constant | Increases Jen Suberated | Kept Constant Standard Decreases! | Rept Constant | Decreases J/cm? Kept Constant Standard Tneseases J Increases Jem? Kept Constant Kept Constant Standard Kept Constant | Kept Constant Kept Constant | “Kept Constant Standard Decreases J | Kept Constant | Decreases Nem? Decreases Jicm? Standard Kept Constant Kept Constant Increases Jeisolate the variables in order to truly understand what is ‘causing the achieved result. In other words a scie method should be used. [am not claiming to be a scientist ‘ormetallurgist. I only wish to document what Ihave seen, ‘as well as my thoughts and ideas on the subject of PS and hhow those variables can be kept constant for further met- allurgical testing. 11am not trying to make laser welding ‘more complicated than it is. Pulse shaping is available, so] am writing what I know about it, in hope that this will be of some benefit to the reader who is interested in conducting their own research, “The makes and models of laser welding machines that are being used in today's marketplace offer either: 1.) only standard PS: 2.) standard, well asa fixed number of pre-programmed pulse shapes, or: 3.) standard, some pre-programmed PS, as well as the ability 10 customize ‘onesown PS, The models of Rofin that Lam most familiar with offerthe latter of these 3 options, The Rofin Lam us- ing, also includes: 1.) A calculated and displayed readout, showing the total selected energy output within the laser beam, (calculated, and shown in Joules, or J’), and:2.) A calculated and displayed readout showing how that total selected energy, (J), is being spread within the selected ‘beam diameter, (calculated, and expressed in Joules per square centimeter, or ‘Hicm?*). In the attached, Table A, T have fisted all the parameter change ef- fects upon and. Jicn, Whereas volts, dura- tion, and PS determine J,and all these param- >) \ rm || eters including beam EX | twiag Abitiy |] diameter, determine wi | ImBetwece Jiem?, note, in table =) / yj] A the highlighted PS showing that any vari- ation from the standard PS, by itself wll result in lower J, and aecord- ingly any decline in J by itself will result in lower Jiem®. To the best of my knowledge, metallur- gical testing for de~ sired physical proper- ties within laser welds ‘on our precious metal Figwe 1: Analogy offine sing eet. ned ough ier cement oat ‘Enea though Pulse Shaping alloys using PS has not been done, While many in our industry are using PS, [ would suggest that, within our industry, PS is being used in a way to not ‘knowingly’ aker the physical properties of the weld, butto rather alter the given effect that ean be achieved upon the piece by the fine tuning capability that PS allows. Perhaps, as an tun-proven side effect, the physical properties of the weld are varied. Although I have no way of proving altered physical properties, (as that requires expensive and time consuming testing), | tend to helieve that PS not only changes the visual effect, but alsoalters the physical prop- erties. PS permits us to fine tune our energy in incredibly small fractional increments in order to set up our J ancl thus, J/cm? for various desired effects upon the piece. Figure 1 is very simple analogy of hypothetical frac- tional differences in the effects that can be achieved by customized! fine tuning of our J through the use of PS in comparison to the use of only a standard PS and / or the use of pre-set pulse shapes that may come with a given machine. I have included some pictured examples of ‘welds made upon thin stainless steel, (SS), razor blades, 010" or 0.25mm, or 30 ga. in thickness), I used the thin SS because we can easily see the penetrating effect of the weld on the reverse side. 1 also conducted these welds without the use of an inert gas shield so that we can easily view, and compare, the heat effected area, (shown as a black ring around the weld). Each sample shows 5 individual laser pulses and a hand drawn bead. at the documented parameters in Figure 2 and 3, Note in Figure 2: The only difference in Samples 1, 2, and 3 is variations in their pulse shape, Sample 2 is drastically different from 1 and 3, and hope my pictures show the minute difference between | and 3. The difference be- tween | and 3 is definitely obvious to the operator, as th ‘operator is also able to hear, and feel the difference while welding. Figure 2, samples 1-3, is only to demonstrate the fine tuning incremental control that custom PS offers over ourJand J/cm, Thave a lot of ideas and theories about how PS could be used to conduct metallurgical testing, Most of them, if conducted in a true scientific way, would require great amounts of money and time. Quite frankly, 1 don’t think that this kind of research gets done, unless some large, well funded organization needs it for a purpose that can justify the large expenditures. As jewelers we usually benefit from such science as a side effect. In the meanwhile, however, inthe jewelry business you are the scientist who in the case of PS has an incredible amountDen Som ; Tome of variables, at your disposal, to conduct your own trial and error process in the most logical way you can. Figure 3. and samples 4, 5, and 6 documents some ideas I have fing the use of PS ina way that keeps our J and J/ cm? constant or, at least within a target range, so that we cca more accurately test the effect of changing only the PS. At this time T cannot show with definitive evidence, what kind of PS works best for any given application, 1 will say that I believe the most desired physical proper- Fig. 2, Sample 2 Reverse Side Front ‘Showing nothin Fig: 2, Sample 3 Reverse Side Front Penetration effect Reverse Side: Penetration effect le 6: Reverse Side Penetration effect ties within the vast majority of welds we perform, would be malleability, softness, and ductility. In all my travels and work with jewelers regarding laser welding, hardness and brittleness that often results in cracking, seem to be the major problems we are faced with, As stated in my lust article, these are generally problems that occur due to pre-existing conditions (hardness, depleted metals from thealloy.and contamination within the alloy). have also stated in previous.articles that these pre-existing conditions generally require us to use much lower J, and ultimately, 31to lower em to get the best results. As you hopefully see here PS gives us more variables in setting up our J, and Jen to help us achieve more adequate results. Sample 4 is the same as sample | in Fig. 2. 1am using sample 4 as the reference sample only because it uses the standard PS and that is what most of us are familiar with. However, ifone were (0 use the method 11am outlining here, the standard PS does not necessar- ily have to be the reference. The idea behind Fig. 3 is to conduct some trial and error testing on a given piece, by the use of any given PS in order to best proportion the volts and ms to a pre-determined beam diameter, (See former Bench Magazine article titled “Proportions and Effects"), When adequate penetrating and melting effects of the weld are reached through proportioning the volts and ms for the given diameter, the displayed Jand Jem? are noted as the reference that we will use ‘as a target. ‘Then various other PS can be customized for trial. We can then isolate the PS as the only variable parameter by re-proportioning our volts and ms so that the target J and J/cm are obtained. If you try this, you will find that if you re-proportion for the target J/cm? then the will also Fall right into range, You will also fine that even though the J and J/cny target has been met or evensfightly exceeded, thatthe lasers effect on the piece is not as aggressive as it was with the standard PS, ‘This is because the J und J/cm? is being delivered differently ‘over the duration of the pulse, as shown in each samples related graph, Here isa statement to ponder, Any given Jem? that is delivered in an altered, (from standard), PS, (even if re-proportioned to the referenced target), will never be as aggressive as the same J/en? delivered ina standard PS, Forthis reason, [like to go one step further and compare my altered PS graph to my reference PS sgruph and determine the percentage of the graph that I have increased or in Fig 3’s case where my reference is the standard PS, determine the percentage of the graph that Ihave changed, and use that perventage Value to add to my referenced target. I have not done that here but will go into more detail on that in the next article ‘As to whether there are any changes to the physi- cal properties in the weld look at the difference in the heat affected zones between Fig. 3's, samples 4, 5, and 6, Again (like Fig. 2°s sample 1 and 3) the difference between samples 4 and 6 is ever so slight because the difference in the graphical change is not extreme. ‘The J and J/cm? in Fig. 3’s samples are all consistent. Yet the heat affected zone is different. Ineach of these three 32 samples the only variable is the PS. In the welding fun- ddamentals that I have read and studied the claim is made that the weakest point of any good weld will be in the heat affected zone. We also know from our experience that our existing problematic jewelry welding applica- tions generally require lower energies for welding, My suggestion is that perhaps we can use higher energies iff they are delivered differently over the duration of the pulse, In any case, PS certainly offers us many more vari- ables than I have demonstrated here, in our fine tuning ability of the lasers energy. In the case of the particular ‘model of Rofin that 1 am using for this article all of the six reference points within the PS graph can be moved to ulmost any of the intersections of the X and Y lines on the graph, ‘Then one must consider that every different alloy or metal, as well as every different pre-existing condition within that alloy or metal, will react differently to the particular PS that is customized. I hope you can see the possibilities that are as yet un-determined. Quote Worth Re-Quoting | This to the beginning of, a weu day ta use as you will. | You can waste it on use it for tng a day of your life for ct. When tomorrow comes, thie day will be goue forever: ia ete place is something that you dave left behind ... let ct be something good,is one method of adjusting param- eters after altering the pulse shape. This article is not intended to promote pulse shaping asa means of weld- ing nickel! white gold, (Ni WG). More importantly, it is primarily intended as a report on the particular method of pulse shaping that was used here, to incor- porate pulse shaping into the welding of 14k Ni WG. The method could be used for welding other material as well. This project’s secondary intent is to test, by the best means available, if greater ductility can be achieved in 14k Ni WG by the use of a particular altered pulse shape. Also discussed are some details that have been helpful to the welding of Ni WG, with or without pulse shaping, A more comprehensive report on welding Ni WG, as well as basie principkes of pulse shaping, weld parameter schedules, instruc- tions, and charts is available, The report contains an informational video as well. For more details on how. to acquire this report, call 619-239-5842 or e-mail lasers@mantech.info. The reader will notice that the following results achieved, by the use of pulse shaping, appear to be in favor of the particular pulse shape (PS) and method used. Please note that the testing procedures used for these documented results are rather erude in comparison to what could be done in areal metallurgical lab. Pictures 1 and LA show a piece of 14k Ni WG, medium temper, which is 4mm wide by 2.5mm thick. The weld seam is a notched butt joint. The notch is to permit the welding of a thinner section with a lower energy. The reasoning behind having the notched joint is more adequately described in a previous ar- ticle, titled: “Ni WG Welding”. A reasonably tight fitting joint permits a small beam diameter adequate penetration (volts) and melting. (MS), with the least amount of energy. Energy must be balanced (between volts. and MS) for the selected beam diameter, so that a solid 60% penetration is achieved from both the top and the bottom of the joint. Pictures 2, 2A, and 2B show the initial weld. Weld 1 on The Weld Schedule Chart shows the chosen parameters. For more on de- termining adequate penetration and melting read the article titled: “Proportions and Effects”. Fifty percent penetration with a pulse rate of 0 Hz was settled with volts, pulse duration, and beam diameter. Further penetration is achieved with « faster pulse rate of 5 Hz. A faster frequency with balanced energy mini- mizes air pockets in the weld from inconsistencies in travel speed and welding angle that will occur when the piece being welded is held in the hand as the vast majority of jewelers must do. However, a faster fre- ‘queney requires caution that the piece be kept inasteady constant motion so that one area of the seam is not over- heated and over worked by too much melting. The initial weld that is shown in Pictures 2, 2A, and 2B was performed with a standard pulse shape, (PS). ‘The PS hay a direct relation. ship with total enerey (1), as well as energy spread (Sem). ‘Whereas any alteration of the PS from standard by itself‘will decrease J, and Jfem?, the standard PS allows maximum energy. whieh is ultimately determined by the balance of volts and duration (MS), Weld 1, Pictures 3, 34, & 3B: After the initial weld, the energy is sufficient to sim ply widen the beam diameter spreading the 1.551 into a wider area, (J/enP), $0 as to allow a shallower penetration ‘and melting, but wider filling ‘with 30 gauge, (.010"), 18k, Ni WG wire. More about Ni WG filling is discussed in the article titled: “Ni WG Weldi For this project the weld fill within the notch ‘vas fle flat, back to a dimension of 1 mm ie 4 Sller otc et int op of we 0 relieve compeeni rest we beg Tet fr duct: i thickness, and then further notched with | a saw blade. Further notching was minimal (Pictures, 4, 44. 4B), and was accomplished only to re- lieve compression stress as the piece was bent (similar to the technique used to notch and bend a flat wire around a eld | during the failure test, close attention was given that the sides of the before the weld cracked. gemstone for a bezel), While bendin; small notch did not make conta Ifcontact was made, re-noteh: ing would be necessary again to relieve compression stress 7 is while bending further, Hu- [Pic. 4A: Weld 1. notched weld, man sensit ity was used to feel and see when the weld started to crack, After the beginning of a crack was de termined, the bend angle was measured and documented in Picture 4B at 160°, A view lof the broken weld from the —_ inside, as seen in Picture ‘Weld. 4B. shows evidence of very Ai small air pockets that are eae very difficult to avoid when holding the piece by hand when Welling, Well balanced energy for proper penetration and melting: consistent, even movement of the piece, and good ability to stay in focus, will reduce these air pockets to a minimum. ide of| ‘The results of this article's test that are illustrated and discussed here are not as important as the following process for re-adjusting the energy (Volts andl MS) after the PS has been altered, in any way. from standard. If the particular make and model of machine being used offers: 1.) An energy readout, (Joules), as well as: 2.) An energy spread f concentration readout (J/em?), then: those displayed readings can be used as references when comparing one pulse shape to another, as well as comparing the visual Wel Schedule e Bom Chart — ['Yotts | Duration | Pulse Shape dant Mates want iat wad toga ma Vande Ric. 2, 24 2B AE Gee Hania : we [anced to give necessary penetration & mebing | Wart : naval, | a5 | 20m | ome 3 Dining hed endl wld Tied ies paa ap 2S | 20m | sects paph f ‘De iten® decreased meaapemcn TT ae In epniand ves & pe ng] sk a ‘to target 155 J, (Still not enowgt pe linareaced, Ge-balanced), volte and me to com ct pss en 6] Shee ||) Abend ® ‘pilee shape on gragh Increased more then __| "oialipecanane sions wats | 26 | a5ne | Abend o Teal weld ivegh 9 war | ae | aime | ate 3 [trig et oma wieeffect of one Weld to another with an altered pulse shape. Equally as important, having those references allows us to re-adjust our energy, after altering the PS. As shown on the yellow highlighted portion of this projeets Weld Schedule Chart, altering the pulse from standard reduced J and Jéem?, Weld | initial parameters, (with a standard PS), dictated that we use 1.$5 J and 856.6 J/cm? forthe initial weld of the Imm thick stock in Pic, 2. After altering the PS the energy can be brought back up to 1.554 by increasing yolts, MS. or more likely, a combination of both, in ‘order to achieve the required penetration and melting swith the altered PS. Simply increasing the J, ancl or Hem* to the tar- geted reference (in this case 1.551 /856.6 Jem") will notalway’s produce adequate penetration and melting into the same Imm piece. Of course volts and MS have to be balanced for the chosen beam diameter, regardless of PS, (See Article: “Proportions and Effects"). However, even if the target 1.55 J and 856.6 Jin is selected after altering the pulse, the penetration and melting effects are often Tess than was achieved with the standard pulse shape, Therefore a given J and Siem? ‘will produce one effect in a particular PS and a different effect in another PS. (See article: “More About Pulse Shap: ing”). When comparing the effects of a given J and Jem? rofin ROFIN-BAASEL INC 1-800-731-1122 Advanced Laser Training The Western Office of Rofin-Baasel has set up shop at California Institute of Jewelry Training, in Sacramento CA to offer further laser welding education. Workshops Private Tutoring Laser Sales Demonstrations & Hands On Trial For more information on training or interested Laser Purchases contact David Brown at: 619-239-5842 36 in standard PS, to an altered PS, the effect will always be less aggressive in the altered PS. The difference in effect is related to the percentage of change that was made from the standard to the altered. ‘The blue line, in Weld 2 PS Graph, indicates the altered pulse shape used. ‘The red line is included to show the Produets end Services Supporting Laser Welding Processes Laser Sales & Tech. 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More drastic reductions in area on the graph, require more drastic increases in volts and MS to get the penetration and melting necessary. even if that means going over the 40% difference (as shown in Weld 2 PS Graph). Here it was necessary to go over the 1.55,J and 836.6 Jem? ‘The energy was increased by increasing (balancing) volts and MS until adequate pen- tration and melting was achieved, and no further. If that means going over the target J and Siem’, then so be it. It is more important to achieve the correct penetration and ‘melting, than get too caught up in all these numbers. ‘The altered PS in Weld 2 PS Graph was chosen based on-curiosity. We were curious if'a slightly slower pulse heat time, and much slower pulse cool time, would produce more duetiity in the weld in a similar way to the slower cooling time that Ni WG requires when annealing with a torch tthe bench, After altering the pulse and re-adjusting the energy, the same welding and failure test process was used as in Weld 1 Otto Frei ‘catty Jewelry Toole & Findings Since 1990 Platinum and 18k Findings World's Best Workbenches Quality Jeweler Tools Oakland/San Francisco, Califomia 1-800-772-3456 www.ottofrei.com ‘The small notch that is illustrated in Picture 4 had to be re-cut during the bending of Weld 2, because the walls of the notch were contacting before the rest of the weld failed. The smaller notch on Weld 2 had to be re-notched once because during bending the walls of the notch contacted before ripping or cracking in the rest of the weld. There are many variables present when conducting this kind of testing. For example, if any one of the pulse shape reference points were to be moved over the X or ¥ axis in even the slightest amount. then in order to really know if the altered pulse shape was producing more duc- tile results, new test simifar to this one would have to be Performed. If any part of the alloy content were changed (even the slightest percentage), then a new set of tests would be necessary (with various sets of custom altered pulse shapes, as well as tempers, if heat treatable), "The temper of the piece is also a variable. A medium temper was chosen for this test. We have conducted similar test ing on 14k WG that was extremely work hardened. Video of the work hardened piece is included in this project's more comprehensive report. Parameters are variables: the primary purpose of this report was to show one method of taking steps to isolate the variables, mainly related to the adjustment of the parameters. 37David Brown Picture 1) Rofiit Star Weld Perfirmance Series Nd: YACi Micro Laser Welders ‘With the NUL Ya Micro Laser Welders, cing used by the jewelry, und other industrial manufacuuring f reps industries, these fest that can prowidke ‘beam, Inthe w physies this wst is culled g Mode engineering, arn | simply (The bos tefer tail asa Beam PathCheck, or BPC fori to itas beam path check, (BPC), because it 10 test the integrity of all lenses, mirrors, as wells the ‘YAG od, within the path of the bean as the lase is genetateu, deliveses, ancl focused tothe welling point. The BPC is an extremely usefiil test for potential p Jems that cat occur to all componc.ats within the-kaser beams path, Hinwever thisarticle will primatily discuss the BPC ine Horta wear that OceurS Ms the protecting lens. The pra rable ait thal will aifally take wear during welding. ‘This commend that any other parts within the bearh path be further tested, adjusted, of replaced unless under gui of the machine's rmamufictare re will he nodes of mach ice cunendy widely used in many micno laser welding applications of many industries. “These two machines ainctuned by Revirr-Baase! and ane the Starweld nance, Models: 5007 and 6002, (Ax Piotured), The BPC procedures wil Likely Ine vexy similar for other ing lew: nical x The proved ince from reference torw akex und models of Nd:YAG Laser welders, be checked with the specific manu i sao facturer Performing a BPC isquite simple, piece of special paper is fequired. It is commonly referred in as spor paper because the BPC burns a laser spot onterthe paper Spot payer is a heavy weighi. white paper, which. is nated on one sicke witha hlack filo. Atfirst glance, one woiald think that if is a glossy black paper. However, th black isu coating that will burn aff of the poper, she ing & white paper spot where its expose! to the taser, The spor paper can be acquiced from the mannfaew of the machine. Machines that ane used! heavily, and where the work is being held by han, (as is the case the majority of jewelry industry applications), » laser mark usually gets burned jo tie mach i -eunpartnent floor, at poiet Fin Iilustration |. ‘The spot paper is helt fat on the cornpariment floor, with the black coated portion of the spot paper facing up, and covering the laser mark onthe floor, (Illustration 1). ors specified im Table 1 is then 's work A laser mark an fot rake io the floor by going wo the speci fied param ‘eters int “Tube ‘compari ult peti with the fi The mark-on the compart ment fcr will ve the op. erator acon tamreference —* = ' sas towhere the ‘seam ppl isaes % & Foredonis ALLUNEVW Series SR Git iarateaticeteee] The laner em ear ~ ink atiows jar | ae =] the operas bby on to: easily. = pice: am ams used portion ef the: spot paper within the beam path fir complishing the BPC “The turned away black comtiny on the spot paper tells the story of the BPC. "The best results of the BPC are whew the white spor is perfectly round withowt isn: Hwurmed! black arcs within the. white spot, on the paper. ‘Obstructions amywhere witli the Laver heam path will ‘cast a shadow in the taser beam and show up, in the ‘exaet shape of the obstruction, within the white span the paper Y The most common ‘of ob. structions in the beam path are bua S016 on the pravecting lens. Illuytation 2 shows some examples of ‘old shaped un-bured islands and or pemnsalas on the spot paper, fn the ease ofa burned protecting Jens, (om Roti machines andl possibly on others), the operator gan reach iand turn the paotceting lens by hand, Since the taser beam travels through the protceting lens off center. the hum spot on the lens is turned out uf the team path. ‘This feature prolongs the wseftulness of the lens. Another quick REC will determine if the beam is un-ebstrusted throwgh the lens. Piette 2 is of protecting lenses thal were scanned rm Yost ae swith a graph 2 ny paper hack- ej) \ ground for ee better view ing contrast. ‘The lens on the feft has burn spots unt is coated! with a dusty itm, ‘The dusty film accumulates from wekling femes, The lust aveumalation on the lens is reduced hy keeping the machines work compartment evacuation system calibrated and maintained properly, (periodic evact tion fan calibration. and HEPA air filer replicerment 9s per manufacturer's maintenance manual), (Of course the evacuation systern is alse inportant 40 maintain, in comer 10 instire & healidry work envionment). His also recommended that the protecting lens be cleaned often, (once per day for heavy use). Exen small amounts of ‘dust build up on the prateeting lens will evemmually be thurnet inte the Hons in the path of the bean. The longer the dust is leN om the lens, te shower the life of the lens ‘will be, especiatly when working a! high enemy welding parameters. Removing and cleaning the tems is.a very simple task. The parpose of the prawecting lens i¢ t0 Protect the mach more ¢xpensive, focusing lens, frm getting burned. Eventually there will ao longer be any clear areas ia the protecting leas for the beam to travel thorough. ‘Phis easily determined by performing series ‘of BPCS while rotating the fens between checks ‘The HPC tells much regarding all other parts within the beaerrpath, “This article will net go inte that ammount of detail, Anoperator who undersiands how toperforn the BPC will be able to work easier with tectinical support representatives in the: case thai the condition ‘of oiher parts within the beam pails may need i be ce termined. Keeping a strip of spot pauper clase\ay the snachine, and prigraring the BPC parameters ite one of the machines memory cells for a quick BPC is aften very useful. The BPC is very useful when performing a very delicate welding job, aml one wishes to insure that the full amount af selected energy is ucuually making i tothe weld spot —— =} as a