New Applications and Material Combinations
The superiority of laser plastic welding over all other joining techniques can especially be seen when high demands are placed on the weld and on process reliability. The laser beam does not touch the surface, delivers exactly the right amount of energy, and provides for completely tight, visually perfect, and particle-free welds. Even complex three-dimensional designs can be realized with the laser process. The wide application scope of the process, which includes processing of innovative materials, is attested by the multitude of material combinations that can be welded.
Contract Manufacturing Laser Plastic Welding
In laser transmission welding of plastics within the scope of contract manufacturing, a laser-transparent plastic and a laser-absorbing plastic are joined. The laser process is used instead of classic joining technologies such as adhesive bonding or ultrasonic welding, and the quality of the results is unmatched.
Most thermoplastics are completely transparent to typical laser wavelengths. Additives that do not degrade the other material properties are mixed in with the plastics to make them absorbing. When the laser beam strikes an absorbing surface, its energy is transformed into heat precisely and only at the desired spot.
All the advantages of laser plastic welding – such as process stability, cleanliness, localized energy input, and fast cycle times – are now achievable for bonding two laser-absorbing materials.
LPKF’s ATA technology expands the range of laser-weldable parts beyond current limitations. This innovation enables successful laser welding of complex 3D geometries, a broader spectrum of materials, various colors and properties.
Your Advantages
• Flexibility in terms of part design
• Low mechanical and thermal loading of parts
• No marks, no surface damage, no particles
• Visually high-quality weld seam
• No need for welding rod materials, no chemical burden
• Very high quality and stability
• No tool wear, low tooling costs
• Short cycle times for fast time to market
Overview of Laser Welding Techniques
For joining of a rotating part, the part is rotated about its axis to allow uniform heating of the weld seam. If the part itself cannot be rotated, then alternative versions of this welding technique are used: Either a universal rotating arm rotates around the fixed part or a mirror and a scanner-based laser head focus the laser beam in a horizontal welding plane along a path around the circumference of the part.
With quasi-simultaneous welding, a laser beam travels along the welding contour at high speed and heats the entire weld seam nearly simultaneously. The flexibility in terms of seam design is very high. In addition, the joining path can be monitored during the welding process and tolerances in the molded joining partners can be compensated for.
This special welding technique is used for welding transparent thermoplastics together. With the ClearJoining technology, the laser beam is focused precisely in the welding plane and inputs the required energy there. LPKF uses a special vision system in addition to the laser system and has developed a special clamping solution that ensures reliable welding of the parts. Applications for the technology can primarily be found in medical technology and laboratory equipment as well as the automotive sector.
Quality Assurance in Laser Plastic Welding
The quality assurance measures that can be integrated into the laser plastic welding process form the basis for seamless tracking in laser plastic welding. They reduce the time and effort needed for inspection and provide rapid indications of defect sources, e.g., fluctuations in material properties of blanks:
- Joining path monitoring – welding until a defined amount of settling takes place. Reliable information on process quality can be obtained from the joining path measurement in relation to welding time.
- The pyrometer monitoring process continuously records the temperature profiles along the entire welded seam. The process detects gaps or particles in the weld seam through deviations from the target curve.
- An integrated transmission measuring device checks the transmission characteristics of the materials and parts used before and during the welding process.
- By means of reflection diagnostics, in which the light reflected from material layers is analyzed, reliable statements can be made about the quality of the weld seam
Laser Plastic Welding with LaserMicronics
- Reliable, cost-effective, and hygienic joining process
- Competent advice on laser welding, prototyping, and low- and high-volume production for an optimal product layout
- Reliable quality monitoring in the welding process
- ISO 5 clean room
- Individual consulting and requirements-based solutions
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