Applicability of a high power diode laser to aluminum alloy welding

Characterized by high conversion efficiency, small size, light weight and a long lifetime, high power diode lasers are currently being developed for application to various types of metal fabrication, such as welding. In this report, a 4kW high power direct diode laser was used to weld aluminum alloys, which are the focus of increasing attention from the automobile industry because of their light weight, high formability and easy recyclability. The applicability of a direct diode laser to aluminum alloy bead-on and lap-fillet welding was studied under various welding conditions. A sound bead without cracks was successfully obtained when 1mm thick aluminum alloy was welded by bead-on welding at a speed of 5m/min. Moreover, the bead cross section was heat conduction welding type rather than the keyhole welding type of conventional laser welding. Investigation of the welding phenomena with a high-speed video camera showed no spattering or laser plasma, so there was no problem with laser plasma damaging the focusing lens despite the diode laser’s short focusing distance.