Laser welding difficult-to-cut materials

Welding shops, tool and mould construction including the aviation and energy industries in the Middle East require specialised automated laser welding of demanding materials, such as cast iron. With the PSM 400 laser welding machine from SCHUNK Lasertechnik even demanding materials can be welded crack free and cost effectively.

Welding cast irons need flexible machines that can precisely machine both small and large components. High-performance Nd:YAG lasers with pulse durations of up to 200ms ensure convincing welding results, even in case of materials which are difficult to weld.

Welding crack free

The PSM 400 basic version is already equipped with 100ms overlong laser pulse which is perfect if castings, annealing high carbon steels and superalloys need to be machined. Moreover, an adaptive closed-loop control system ensures that the lamp-pumped solid-state laser is working up to task. Via a freely scalable pulse shaping and modulation, the laser parameters can be adjusted to the specific features of the relevant material. The PSM 400 BladeWelder pulse duration can be extended to 200ms, which are ideal conditions even when machining demanding materials.

Moreover, the BladeWelder is equipped with particularly high-tensile fibres, which absorb reflections so that the fiber optics are not damaged during machining by reflecting materials. Depending on the laser source, the peak pulse output of the PSM 400 series amounts up to 8 kW letting the machines achieve a pulse energy of up to 110J.

Efficient programming saves time

The PSM 400 and the PSM 400 BladeWelder are both equipped with a user-friendly look-ahead control unit, and a unique teach function for line, arc, circle and spline. With their assistance, the machines can be quickly adjusted and pro-grammmed. Even free formed surfaces, for which no geometrical data are available, can be recorded. For fine adjustment, the teached points are simply connected in the spline mode like a rubber belt to a curve. The shortened teach-in process ensures a smooth path. Complex, worn out components or those with a damaged surface can be quickly entered into a virtual three-dimensional space. No time-consuming external programming is necessary.

Precise axis

High-precision linear and rotary axes ensure maximum precision and repeat accuracy during machining with the PSM 400. The welding lines move uniformly so that constant and process reliable material layers are resulting without any additional autofocus. The machines are equipped with X, Y and Z axes by default. If required, they can be quickly and cost-effectively expanded to a 5-axis laser welding machine. The machine table is electrically adjustable in height, can be swivelled to both sides. The laser welding head can be adjusted and swivelled, and thus ensures for high flexibility in the working area. The operator can use all machining, programming and controlling functions regardless of which component size is concerned.

Lastly, welding is extremely competitive in the Middle East, but a shop's success attributes to its reputation for high quality work. It is nice to know that your welding shop will be in good business for a long term.