Process for joining using a laser beam
AssigneeAleris Aluminum Koblenz GmbH
InventorsNicholas Peter Longfield, Engbert Jan De Wit
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process for joining a first metal component to a second metal component at a joining region including the steps of: projecting a laser beam onto one or the components for providing a melt pool on the joining region; providing a metal filler wire into the melt pool while substantially simultaneously providing a substantially laminar flow of a substantially inert process shielding gas to the location of the melt pool wherein the process shielding gas flows substantially coaxially around the filler wire; and solidifying the melt pool thereby forming a joint at the joining.
Claims13
A process for joining a first metal component to a second metal component at a joining region comprising the steps of:
- projecting a laser beam onto one of the components for providing a melt pool on the joining region;
- wherein at least one member of the group consisting of the first component and the second component is made of a metal belonging to the group consisting of aluminum, aluminum alloy, aluminum or aluminum alloy substrate provided with a metallic coating system, aluminum or aluminum alloy provided with a cladding system;
- providing a metal filler wire into the melt pool while substantially simultaneously providing a laminar flow of a substantially inert process shielding gas by means of a gas diffuser to the location of the melt pool, wherein the water content of the process shielding gas is at least 50 ppm;
- directing the process shielding gas flow substantially coaxially around the filler wire;
- and
- solidifying the melt pool thereby forming a joint at the joining region.
A process for joining a first metal component to a second metal component at a joining region comprising the steps of:
- projecting a laser beam onto one of the components for providing a melt pool on the joining region;
- wherein the first and/or the second component is made of a metal belonging to the group consisting of aluminum, aluminum alloy, aluminum or aluminum alloy substrate provided with a metallic coating system, aluminum or aluminum alloy provided with a cladding system;
- providing a metal filler wire into the melt pool while substantially simultaneously providing a laminar flow of a substantially inert process shielding gas to the location of the melt pool, wherein the water content of the process shielding gas is at least 50 ppm;
- directing the process shielding gas flow substantially coaxially around the filler wire;
- and
- solidifying the melt pool thereby forming a joint at the joining region.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.