Suggestion: Laser Welding System for Thin Stainless Steel & Non-Linear Weld Paths?

[Helepolis]

Hi all,

Just to clarify that at the moment I'm just exploring the options in general, to see if there is any viability in this at all.

At my workplace there is a need to weld thin pieces of sheet metal (0.2-0.5mm thickness; CRES 321, CRES 347) along a non-linear weld-path.
At the moment the work is done by hand, and I was wondering if there is an "affordable" (lets say ~80-150K$) laser welding machine semi or fully automated which can handle thin metal parts and non-linear weld paths.

I have googled a bit to see what can I find, but since I have never dealt with such devices I have no idea which machine is good, reliable etc...


Thanks,
SD

 

[ctopher]

They are out there. I have seen them, but not familiar with brands. It also depends how large your parts are.
Pick some in your Google search and have them do a demo for you.

 

[tygerdawg]

"non-linear"........describe and specify precisely, including required path accuracy and acceptable tolerances. There is a lot of difference between simple arc paths in a plane and complex 3D swoopy-curvy paths
"affordable ~80-150K$".......this may not be a sufficient budget for a complex path with high tolerance requirements
Should it be assumed your welding process is fully developed and characterized (wavelength, pulsed vs full-wave, power levels, etc)?

As a former robotics guy, I can envision an "affordable" solution with a 6-axis robot for swoopy-curvy 3D paths. But that would depend upon your programming resources, path specification, process quality requirements, and production requirements.