Product Code: ICAL06_1901

Dynamic Behaviour of CO2-Laser GMA Hybrid Welding
Authors:
Claus G Thomy, BIAS Bremer Institut fuer angewandte Strahltechnik GmbH; Bremen Germany
Frank Vollertsen, BIAS Bremer Institut fuer angewandte Strahltechnik; Bremen Germany
Presented at ICALEO 2006

Laser GMA welding has demonstrated its fitness for industrial application in the past few years and is now widely regarded as an appropriate welding process for various applications e.g. in thick-section welding. However, as it is a combination of two welding processes, a wide variety of parameters has to be optimised. Moreover, due to the fact that the specific advantages of hybrid welding arise from the interaction of these two processes and, consequently, of their parameters, the challenge during process optimisation is even greater. To contribute to an improvement in this situation, basic investigations into the dynamic arc behaviour in CO2-laser GMA hybrid welding of various mild and stainless steel have been conducted at BIAS. Among the parameters studied were shielding gas composition, laser power, focal position and welding speed as well as several arc parameters. In the course of the investigations, it was demonstrated by the help of high-speed videography and of recordings of arc current and voltage, which parameters to which extent are capable of influencing dynamic arc properties.