Authors:
George Tsoukantas
Aristidis Stournaras
George Chryssolouris
Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems and Automation, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics, University of Patras, Patras 265 00, Greece


 

Remote welding provides new possibilities for highly productive and flexible joining of metal structures, especially in the automotive industry. This study presents an experimental investigation on the behavior of the lap welds’ geometrical characteristics with respect to the laser beam inclination. Two remote welding systems (RWSs) have been utilized: a large field RWS with a CO₂ laser and a small field RWS with an Nd:YAG laser. The materials investigated include steels (noncoated, zinc-coated, and stainless) and an Al alloy. Conclusions are drawn related to the behavior of the process mechanism under different laser beam inclinations, useful for the industrial application of the process and for further research in the field.