Seam
welds were produced on 0.040" thick 5182,
5754, and 6061 aluminum. The welds produced
were all similar in quality and weld speed.
Shown here is the 5754 aluminum seam weld with
minimal porosity, a smooth surface and minimal
distortion.
Microhardness
measurements across the welds, metallographic
inspection as well as tensile tests indicate
that the loss of volatiles in the fusion zone
is minimal. The loss of strength in the weld
and HAZ is similar to or less than other processes4.
The heat-affected zone is also negligible for
this material. The thickness of the material
was 1 mm and the weld was produced at 3.6 kW
of power at 6 m/min [Figure 4]
Figure
4: The fusion zone and heat affected zone
of a 5754 aluminum laser weld.
