Laser beam welding generally does without the use of filler metal, in contrast to conventional welding processes. The use of filler metal in laser beam welding or in the combined GMA (gas‐metal‐arc) ‐ laser beam ‐ hybrid welding process widens the field of application for laser beam welding. The main advantages worthy of mention include, primarily, a greater weld gap bridging ability and a metallurgical influence on the weld metal.
Based on the current state of knowledge, this article gives a few examples of different materials and material combinations the limited weldability of which is broadened when filler metal is used with laser beam welding. Listed as examples are low‐alloy steels with partly elevated carbon contents, duplex steels, and the material combinations of steel/cast iron and austenite‐ferrite joints.
Besides laser beam welding with filler metal wire, examples of the combined GMA‐laser hybrid welding process are also described.
The electron beam has, for decades now, proven to be a most efficient and reliable tool for joining tasks in different application fields. Vacuum electron beam welding (EBW) has, for many years now, been a standard method for a great variety of industrial application fields. However, even out-of-vacuum (NV-EBW), the electron beam has become a high-productivity joining tool. The substantial weld depths which characterise vacuum electron beam welding are not achievable with the NV-EBW method – those weld depths characterise the vacuum electron beam
and are a result of its power density. The strong points of NV-EBW lie, mainly, in high-speed production. The achievable welding speeds reach up to 60 m/min when welding aluminium sheets and up to 25 m/min when welding steel plates.
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