Lasers used in laser welding are generally divided into gas lasers and solid lasers. The laser beam can be guided through gas, solid or liquid as the medium, and lasers with gas or solid medium are usually used in welding.
Gas lasers: mainly use carbon dioxide (CO2) or other gases to generate lasers. CO2 lasers are often used to weld thicker metal materials because they can produce high-power, continuous-wave lasers, suitable for cutting and welding metals such as stainless steel, aluminum, and titanium.
Solid lasers: use minerals such as yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) to generate lasers. Nd:YAG lasers are a common type of solid laser and are widely used in precision welding of metals and non-metallic materials, such as welding points in the automotive industry and micro welding in the electronics industry.
In addition, there are several other types of lasers that are becoming increasingly popular in laser welding:
Fiber lasers: use optical fibers doped with rare earth elements (such as ytterbium and erbium) as gain media. Fiber lasers have the advantages of high beam quality, high efficiency, and low maintenance, and are suitable for high-precision and high-speed welding tasks, such as the manufacture of electronic components and medical devices.
Semiconductor laser: also known as diode laser, it has the characteristics of simple structure, small size and high efficiency, and is suitable for low-power and precision welding, such as plastic welding and thin metal welding.
Disk laser: Based on thin disk-shaped laser medium, it combines the advantages of optical fiber and solid laser, provides high beam quality and high power output, and is suitable for high-precision, high-power welding applications, such as aerospace and heavy industrial manufacturing.
Each type of laser has its specific advantages and applicable scenarios. Which type of laser to choose depends on the specific welding requirements and material properties.
Guangdong Henkel Technology Co., Ltd.
Recommended reading: Laser welding production line
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