LASER WELDING USING Nd:YAG LASERS

Laser is widely used as a thermal source for industrial applications. This

is because of the local treatment, precise operation, and short processing
time. One of the important industrial applications of laser processing is
the laser welding, which offers considerable advantages over the
conventional welding methods. High intensity laser beam melts and
partially evaporates the welded material during the process. Attainment
of high temperature gradient during the heating and cooling periods
results in the development of high thermal stresses in the welding zone.
Once the cooling period ends, the residual stress in the welding zone is
resulted. This, in turn, influences the mechanical performances of the
resulting welds.
The laser used for laser welding here in this study is Nd
.
:YAG laser which is a solid state gain media laser Nd:YAG laser with its
capability of operating in both high power CW and pulsed-modes and its
flexible beam delivery through fibre optics. As for the pulsedmode Nd:YAG
laser, its inherently complicated pulsed laser parameters permits a wide range
of experimental conditions to be applied. The laser also has the ability of
pulse shaping at pulse repetition rates of up to several kilohertz and with
a duration varying from 0.5 to 20 ms. This flexibility gives control of the
thermal input with a precision not previously available.

PROCESS PARAMETERS GOVERNING Nd:YAG LASER WELDING :

The laser parameters are :

1. PP is the average peak power (kW)
2. EP the pulse energy (J)
3. TP the pulse duration (ms)
4. PD the average peak power density(kW/m2)
5. A the laser spot area (m2)
6. PM the mean laser power (kW)
 7. PRR the pulse repetition rate
8. TF the pulse-to-pulse time (ms)
9. CD the duty cycle
10. Welding frequency/pulse frequency(in Hz).

Here is a detailed tabulation on the range of process parameters

involved in the fabrication of different materials.

TABULATION:
Author Year Optimum Result/
Process Conclusion
Experime Parameters
nt Metals
S.P.Gadag Due to locally
restricted energy
input and
Pulse high power
Characteris Frequency- density, laser
ation of 1-1000 Hz welding permits a
dissimilar controlled heat
Tool Steel Power of the
joints in distribution and a
laser-400 W
laser minimised
welding of
Pulse interaction of the
M.N. Srinivasan tool steel and Duration- joining materials.
1994 and 0.2-20 ms Thus, the
aluminium Pulse Energy- formation of brittle
with pulsed Aluminiu 0-40 W intermetallic
Nd:yag m Rate of phases
laser. welding- could be avoided.
0.35m/min

B.L. Mordike

Chengwu Yao Interface Max. output A complete

microstruct Power of the metallurgical bond
 ure and Copper laser-15kW was obtained at
mechanical and Beam the interface
properties Low Diameter- 0.7 between the
of laser Carbon mm copper plate and
welding the steel plate in
Steel FIRST
copper– the present study.
Binshi Xu steel
SPECIMEN:
The joint was a
dissimilar Thickness-7.0
slope butt joint
joint mm
and was obtained
Power-8.0kW by focusing the
2001 Penetration- laser beam on the
3.0mm steel side. A
Offset-0.5mm copper–steel
Acute angle at dissimilar joint free
steel of defects and
interface-84 excellent tensile
Jun Fu degrees properties was
obtained.
SECOND
SPECIMEN:
Thickness-
10.0mm
Power-
11.0kW

Penetration-
4.0mm
Offset-1.0mm
Acute angle at
steel
interface-85
degrees
 Sound welds of
Kovar and tool
steel
Kovar were produced by
T.A. Mai (Cu-Fe- Pulse laser welding with
Ni alloy) Frequency- a pulsed Nd:YAG
Characteris laser.
20 Hz
ation of It was concluded
2004 Power of the
dissimilar that controlling the
joints in
and laser-290 W melting ratio
A.C. Spowage laser Pulse of metals is an
welding of Duration- 8 important factor
steel–kovar Tool Steel ms for defect-free
Rate of welding of
welding- dissimilar metals.
0.3 m/min

Pulse
Chen Liyun Frequency-
Characteris 15 Hz Sound welds of
ation of Copper Power of the Copper and
dissimilar laser-275 W Aluminium
joints in Pulse were produced by
laser laser welding with
2003 And Duration-8
welding of a pulsed Nd:YAG
ms
Copper with laser.
aluminium
Rate of
Teh Kim Aluminiu welding-
Ming m 150 mm/s
Pulse was
shaped.
Increasing peak
Carbon Power of the power in constant
M.J. Torkamany Steel laser- 143 W pulse energy
Pulse Energy- caused distractive
effect such as
 10J spattering, high
Pulse PIC and crack
Frequency- propagation inside
20Hz the weld metal as
Dissimilar And Rate of well as
welding of Welding- weld/aluminum
carbon steel interface.
11.5 mm/s
to 5754 Increasing
2009 Work
aluminum pulse duration
alloy by
Distance- caused more heat
Nd:YAG 1.5 mm input per unit
S. Tahamtan pulsed laser Peak power- length and
Aluminiu 1.43 kW consequently
m Pulse high values of PIC
Duration- while decreasing
5 ms pulse duration
restricted
enough melt
production for
joining.
Jose´ Roberto Pulsed AISI 304 Pulse energy of
Berretta Nd:YAG stainless up to 10 J,
laser steel repetition
welding of (Fe- rate of up to AISI 420 steel, for
AISI 304 to 86.2% 500Hz, average any incident laser
AISI 420 Ni- power of 100W, beam
stainless 0.13% peak power of position had the
steels. Cr- 3 kW and pulse highest
13.5%) duration from microhardness
Wagner de Rossi 0.2 up to 10ms. value.
energy (E)=6.0 J, The position of the
average power laser beam with
(Pm) =84 W, respect to the joint
pulse duration influenced the wt%
(tp) =7ms and of the main
pulse frequency chemical elements
to (f) = 14 Hz. The (Cr, Ni,
Maurı´cio David 2006 weld fillets Fe) in the weld
were prepared zone but did not
at a interfere with the
welding speed homogeneity of
(v) = the elements in
300mm/min the weld zone.
and pulse
overlaps of
approximately
Martins das 30%. Argon gas
Neves
AISI 420 was used at a
stainless flow rate of 10
Steel l/min.
(Fe-71%
Ni-9%
Cr-19%)

Ivan Alves de
Almeida
Zhang Li Butt joint of
AISI304L and
AISI304L AISI12L13 can be
non- Power of the made using a laser-
Autogenous magnetic laser- welding technique.
laser stainless 760 W The offset and the
welding of steel impingement angle
Speed of
stainless of the laser beam
1996 welding-61.26
steel to are two key
free-cutting
mm/s parameters for
steel for and Focus controlling the
the position- melt ratio of the
G. Fontana manufactur 0.2 mm dissimilar
e of Offset- materials in order
hydraulic 0.12 mm to to avoid
valves. AISI304L i.e. solidification
AISI12L13 austenitic cracking in the
free- stainless steel fusion zone and
 cutting micro-fissuring in
steel the Heat Affected
tubular Zone.
parts,
which
make up
the main
valve
cylinder.
TakashiUeda Mild Power of the The strength of the
Steel laser- 2000 W laser welds is
(C- higher than
0.18%) Welding both the yield
Speed Range- strength of
1000 mm/min AISI340L mild steel
EisukeSentok Pulsed and the rupture
Nd:YAG strength of
u 2007 And Pulse
laser Stainless steel
welding of
frequency- under the test
Mild Steel 1500 Hz conditions
to adopted in this
AISI340 Stainless Focus setting- study. The greater
YoshihiroWaki stainless steel 127 mm mechanical
mur steel. properties
Nozzle gap- of the laser welds
1.5 mm demonstrate the
beneficial effect
Nozzle of rapid
AkiraHosokaw Diameter- solidification in the
1.5mm fusion zone and of
a a small
HAZ.
CONCLUSION :

Joining of dissimilar materials is one of the

challenging tasks facing modern manufacturers. Dissimilar joining
technologies find applications in many sectors including
microelectronics , medical , optoelectronics and microsystems.
The tiny geometry of the joints and the different optical and thermal
properties of the materials makes laser welding one of the most suitable
production methods.The details about each and every process parameter
and the range of process parameters for welding different metals using
Nd:YAG laser has ben studied in detail and a brief summary has been
drawn regarding the papers in which rhe results were published and the
optimum process parameters for different metal fabrication has been
tabulated.