Bifocal hybrid laser welding- More than a superposition of two processes

The shortage of resources demands a consequent lightweight design with aluminium alloys. Process stability and a high seam quality in welding processes of this material are difficult to achieve. Bifocal hybrid laser welding (BHLW) demonstrates how this material can be welded reliably without defects. The used hybrid laser system consists of a Nd:YAG laser and a high power diode laser (HPDL). This leads to a high welding penetration in combination with a high seam quality. This publication demonstrates that the BHLW process is more than a coupled deep penetration welding (DPW) process with a heat conduction welding (HCW) process. The synergetic effect is a better quality in the entire welding seam.