The principle of laser welding is well established within industries as diverse as jewellery manufacture, automotive, aerospace, and medical device manufacture. These, and many other sectors benefit from the precision, performance, and consistency of the laser, however in the vast majority of cases the laser welding process is performed by pre-configured stand-alone laser welding machines or systems. The flexibility of laser welding does allow different workpieces and materials to be processed, depending upon the laser being used, and within the physical confines of the particular system.
Aside from systems such as these, the majority of welding within general fabrication shops, whether being performed manually or using robots, is still being undertaken using the more traditional MIG and TIG welding processes. The introduction of systems such as the LIGHTWELDtm 1500 hand held laser welding system, available from Bromsgrove based TLM Laser, is not only opening up new opportunities for laser welding within these businesses, but also delivering increased levels of productivity and quality with a technology that is simple to use.
(The LIGHTWELDtm system enables dramatically faster welding, and is easier to learn and operate)
TLM Laser’s Andy Toms explains: “The LIGHTWELDtm system enables dramatically faster welding, is easier to learn and operate, and provides higher-quality, consistent results across a wider range of materials and thicknesses than traditional MIG or TIG, with the additional benefits of minimal distortion, undercut, or burn-through. The heat affected zone is also significantly reduced, as is the need for traditional post-processing grinding or polishing, delivering increased productivity, less scrap, and a lower cost-per-part. A further benefit of the laser is its ability to be used to clean the workpieces both prior to welding and also on completion of welding.”
This fully CE Certified system delivers Laser power of up to 1500 W from the air-cooled base unit, which is easily adjusted using the intuitive controls to quickly dial in the optimum weld settings for different materials and thicknesses. With 74 stored pre-sets and user defined process parameters, even novice welders can be trained and welding in a matter of hours. Selected stored modes provide up to 2500 W of high peak power for greater welding capability. Materials which can be welded using this system include Stainless Steel, Galvanized Steel, Mild Steel, and Aluminium, up to 4 mm thickness, and Copper, up to 1mm. Metals with dissimilar thicknesses, ultra-thin parts, and materials with low and high electrical conductivity can also be welded. Welding speeds with LIGHTWELDtm technology can be up to four times faster than traditional methods, resulting in increased productivity and therefore a lower cost per part.
(An ergonomic hand-held welding torch comes compete with a 5-metre cable and a selection of welding tips)
Setting up the system for use couldn’t be easier, with clearly labelled rear connections. Laser delivery, gas and gun control is pre-wired, and plugging in the single-phase power cord, gas connection, and attaching the clamp to the workpiece is all that is required to get production underway. An ethernet connection provides access to advanced parameter settings to both fine tune and save process parameters.
The laser system has a collimating length of 40 mm, focus length of 120mm and a spot size of 150 μm. The system also Incorporates safety control sensors, a laser-on indicator, and a selection of user-changeable nozzles are included for planar, internal corner, and external corner welds. An integral “Wobble Welding” feature allows up to 5 mm of additional weld width, increasing capability and creating highly aesthetic welded seams.
The portability and flexibility of this system will open up the opportunity for the adoption of laser welding technology across many new application areas such as metal fabrication shops, transportation and automotive body repair facilities, general maintenance and repair businesses, the construction sector, farms, as well as metal furniture and domestic appliance manufacturers to name but a few.
TLM Laser is the UK and Ireland distributer for LIGHTWELDtm technology, and as a business, TLM has built up a comprehensive portfolio of laser processing technologies. These are supported by ancillary equipment ranging from Laser Safety Eyewear, Extraction Systems and right through to complete Laser Safe Enclosures, designed and built around the specific application. Add to this the company’s hard-won expertise in applying lasers for cutting, welding, marking, and cleaning applications and potential users of laser technology can leverage from a truly holistic approach to laser system integration.
For further information, please contact:
Mr Andy Toms
Director
TLM Laser
2 Navigation Court
Harris Business Park
Stoke Prior
Bromsgrove
B60 4BD
Tel: +44(0) 01527 959 099
E-Mail: sales@tlm-laser.com
Web: www.tlm-laser.com
