An article on the strojirenstvi.cz portal about laser welding

Welding of plastics as a method of permanent joining of plastic parts is a frequently used industrial method. Although welding of plastic components is performed using several types of methods, it is increasingly used for laser welding.

With the help of a laser system from LINTECH, it is possible to create a very flexible, fast and reliable process, the limitations of which are far outweighed by the benefits provided. Solid-state lasers with a wavelength close to the infrared spectrum are used, such as diode lasers and very often also fiber lasers. Because plastics have a low melting point and poor thermal conductivity, lasers with powers up to 300 W are sufficient for application, in some cases it is even possible to successfully use a laser with a power of only a few tens of watts.

Transmissive method

The so-called transmissive method is most often used during welding, where one plastic is "overlaid" by another (plastics lie on top of each other, the upper piece overlaps the lower one). The upper plastic transmits laser radiation to the lower layer and there, at the transition of both materials, the beam is absorbed. The inserted heat melts the lower layer, subsequently after conduction also the upper layer and under pressure the melts are mixed leading to welding of parts.

Variability of welding equipment

Depending on the shape of the parts and other application requirements, LINTECH welding equipment can take many forms. When welding smaller parts, a more space-saving solution is used using a laser deflection head, which at high speed and often repeatedly scatters the laser beam over the surface of the material at the weld contour (so-called quasi-simultaneous method). If the welded parts are larger or more complex and the optics of the deflection head can no longer accommodate them, a robotic arm with a technological laser head is used for the process.

More about the article on the strojirenstvi.cz portal.

If you have any questions, please contact our technical and sales consultants.