Using pulse laser welding systems to weld tooling made of various alloys has had a demonstrated, measurable impact on every industry. The high-quality, predictable process that is made possible by pulse laser welding technology has allowed companies to quickly facilitate engineering changes and repairs to their existing tooling. And for a business, when it comes to an expensive investment like mold and die tooling, this means saving serious money.

Indeed, laser welding has matured to such a degree that it is now endorsed by most industries as the go-to process for mold and die service and repair work. And the benefits are clear. Laser welders extend mold life and improve the manufacturing process. But how, and why, are they so effective? Here are the key factors:

Laser welders are more powerful.

Lasers have become quite powerful over the years, but are still able to achieve lower total heat input compared to conventional welders. Pulsed lasers now commonly produce between 300 and 500 watts of power. The higher power helps deliver a faster hertz pulse rate, giving the welder more power to melt larger wire, and also the ability to move faster.

Laser Welders offer more control.

Moving faster helps welders get away from the weld deposits, which allows energy to be absorbed by the workpiece mass. A conventional welder will overheat the workpiece and temper the weld deposits, making it harder to achieve the desired hardness. This speed of travel and absolute control over the heat input to the part makes laser welding more cost-competitive.

Laser Welders are more precise.

As most welders know, heat drives grain growth. When the tool steel is heated by the welding process, the steel’s tight grain, which was originally obtained by heat-treating the parts under a controlled process, now gets destroyed. With a laser welder, you can weld a surface, immediately place your bare hand upon it, and barely feel any heat. The part does not even change color.

Laser Welders are superior for tooling.

Conventional welding has a larger heat input, which causes grain growth and degrades the HAZ (Heat-Affected Zone), making it softer and weaker much deeper into the workpiece. It can also damage adjacent surfaces, requiring the toolmaker to rework them in addition to the original defect area. Pulse laser welding systems help avoid these pitfalls, as well as the added costs and time to the repair.

At Alpha Laser, we understand the importance of your mold and die tooling investment. We designed our pulse laser welders to provide for fast welds and careful repair work. Our laser welding engineers, operators and technicians are dedicated to helping customers leverage the speed, precision and accuracy of laser welding systems to better meet their manufacturing needs.

Get in touch today to schedule a welding demo or meeting with a laser welding expert.

Alpha Laser is thrilled to announce it has been nominated for the 2018 Hermes Award, one of the world’s most prestigious and highly-coveted technology honors. The yearly prize is a joint effort from Deutsche Messe AG and the Hannover Messe industrial technology fair in Hannover, Germany, and recognizes a product which distinguishes itself with outstanding technological innovation. As Deutsche Messe AG wrote in its press release: “If you make it into the Top 5 with your solution, you can count yourself among the world’s most innovative companies.”

Alpha Laser AL-ARM

The Alpha Laser nomination acknowledges their AL-ARM mobile laser welding system for flexible repair work, which helps users simultaneously observe the welding task and its environment by utilizing 3D visualization. This is achieved by way of pass-through 3D laser protection goggles, which display the surrounding environment and welding task simultaneously.

The welding area is enlarged for better accuracy and precision, and process-relevant data, such as the crosshair, is superimposed on the field of vision. The device’s laser beam is triggered by an ergonomically-designed handpiece, which affords flexible and safe operation. Laser safety is built into the design of the device, with integrated material recognition technology permitting welder operation only when the handpiece is placed on the workpiece. This helps avoid the uncontrolled emission of direct laser radiation.

Hermes Award nominees are selected by an independent jury overseen by Dr. Wolfgang Wahlster, who chairs the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI). Five companies have been nominated for the 2018 Hermes Award, and each of the five solutions developed by these firms will be presented on April 22nd at the formal Opening Ceremony for Hannover Messe. The winner will then be announced by Anja Karliczek, Germany’s Minister for Education and Research.

The winner of the Hermes Award will be announced at the opening ceremony of the Hannover Fair on April 22, 2018. Follow our page for updates!

About Alpha Laser US

Alpha Laser US is dedicated to advancing laser welding technology across all manufacturing sectors, while maintaining the best laser welders on the market. Our expert laser welding engineers, operators and technicians are dedicated to helping customers leverage the speed, precision and accuracy of laser welding systems so they can better meet their manufacturing needs. Alpha Laser US solutions for laser welding, laser hardening, laser cladding, enclosed laser systems, mobile laser systems and open laser systems are used by companies across the tooling and die industry.

Alpha Laser US will be busy over the next few months exhibiting at a range of industry trade shows and events in both the U.S. and Canada. Come visit us and witness firsthand the precision, accuracy and speed of our latest line of Alpha Laser Welders in our live welding demonstrations. You’ll even have the opportunity to try them out yourself.

Here is a list of the upcoming events Alpha Laser US will be attending. Don’t forget to mark your calendars!

NPE2018: The Plastics Show

• Where: Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, FL
• When: May 7-11, 2018
• What: NPE is the world’s leading plastics trade show and conference, offering a vast showcase for the latest products, tools, equipment and resources, and providing full coverage of the most innovative technologies shaping the future of plastics – all in one place.
• Website: http://www.npe.org/

Register for a free guest pass for NPE2018, compliments of Alpha Laser-US, by following this link and completing the steps provided. Guest pass Promo Code: 668237

 

Amerimold 2018

• Where: Suburban Collection Showplace, Novi, MI
• When: June 13-14, 2018
• What: Amerimold is the premier annual event for mold manufacturing and showcases the business development, best practices and networking interests of the plastic injection mold manufacturing industry.
• Website: http://www.amerimoldexpo.com/

Register for a free guest pass for Amerimold 2018, compliments of Alpha Laser-US, by following this link and completing the steps provided. Guest pass Promo Code: EXH1140

 

FABTECH-Canada 2018

• Where: Toronto Congress Center, Toronto, CA
• When: June 12-14, 2018
• What: FABTECH Canada offers the best opportunity for suppliers and manufacturers to come together, check out the latest industry products and developments, and discover new ways to improve productivity, increase profits and find solutions for every metal forming, fabricating, welding, and finishing need.
• Website: http://fabtechcanada.com/

 

IMTS 2018

• Where: McCormick Place, Chicago, IL, Booth #236048
• When: September 10-15, 2018
• What: The International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) is the world’s premier manufacturing technology show in the Northern Hemisphere. Held every even year, IMTS attracts buyers, sellers, vendors and industry experts from 117 countries.
• Website: https://www.imts.com/

 

FABTECH 2018

• Where: Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, GA, Booth #B5643
• When: November 6-8, 2018
• What: FABTECH is where industry experts, suppliers and manufacturers come together to experience the latest cutting-edge technology and exhibits, network with associates and learn from best-in-class metal forming, fabricating, welding and finishing solutions.
• Website: https://www.fabtechexpo.com/

Register for a free guest pass for FABTECH 2018, compliments of Alpha Laser-US, by following this link and completing the steps provided. Guest pass Promo Code: 16186501

 

To schedule a welding demo or in-person meeting at any of the events listed above, please email sales@alphalaser.com.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Alpha Laser increased efficiency and saved hundreds of thousands of dollars for SRG Global, a tier-one automotive parts supplier, with laser welding of a 2-shot mold at their facility in Covington, Georgia.

Problem: Plastic injection parts rejected due to cosmetic flash

SRG Global contacted Alpha Laser US for a demonstration on live tooling for a 2-shot mold that was causing a cosmetic flash issue, which resulted in product rejections. The factory mold was almost 40,000 pounds, so there was no question that we would have to make the repair on site in the molding press at their plant in Georgia. We chose our Alpha Laser Alflak Max 300 watt laser welder for the job because of its extreme reach and flexibility.

For previous repairs to this mold, SRG would:

• Remove the mold from the press, including all wiring, plumbing, crane and robotic arms: 1-2 days.
• Transport mold to outside welding facility where the repairs would take place: 1 day.
• Mold repair at facility: 1 day to 1 week (depending on complexity of repair and workload at facility)..
• Send mold to machine shop for machining and spotting: 1 week
• Transport mold back to Plant in Georgia: 1 day.
• Reinstall mold on press and resume production: 1-2 days
• Total downtime: 2-4 weeks.

Repairing the auto parts mold with laser welding

An Alpha Laser technician arrived at the SRG Global plant in Georgia with our Alflak Max as soon as possible after receiving the call. The Alflak Max is equipped with a caterpillar drive which allows the technician to drive the laser welder directly to the side of the press. Once next to the press the Alflak Max can reach 9 feet, well into the press and into the area where the tooling is damaged.

When our technician’s job was done, a Toolmaker benched the excess weld off to bring the defective area into tolerance. In its entirety, the pulse laser weld repair took less than 4 hours from the time our technician arrived at the plant, allowing production to resume the same day.

The benefits of laser welding to repair a mold on site

The Alpha Laser Alflak Max 300 watt pulsed laser was able to repair the mold’s cosmetic flash problem in a way traditional TIG welding could not. Because pulse laser welding has the unique ability to control its heat output, repairs are performed directly on the flawed area without collateral damage to other parts of the mold. Traditional arc welding, due to its high heat affected zone (HAZ), would melt the surrounding areas if the mold was welded without removing it from the press. Because the laser is so accurate and adds just the right amount of material, a tool maker can polish the weld by hand without machining it. With the Alflak Max, SRG Global substantially decreased downtime, eliminated shipping costs and resumed productivity quickly.

When a mold needs repair, welding is commonly used to restore it to its optimal working condition. To eliminate or minimize the inherent problems with traditional welding, advanced laser welding technology can be used to increase mold life and improve the manufacturing process.

Take a simple gate repair. Gates become worn or damaged after frequent use and an optimal repair process can return the gate to its original state, or to an even better condition. In a typical gate repair, Alpha Laser follows these steps:

Analyze the damage. Our technicians determine the degree of damage to the gate. Gates can develop cracks during normal operation, during startup or cycle interruption, during a previous repair process, or by other means.

Inspect the defects. To find the source of the defects, we perform a visual inspection as high as 24x magnification, use dye-penetrant inspection (DPI), or use fluorescent penetrant inspection (FPI). This allows us to find small pits, microscopic cracks and larger cracks in the gate. If these defects are not identified and repaired, more problems can arise for the gate and the mold.

Remove damaged material. Our technicians machine out the damaged and fatigued material. This removes stress and allows the repair to be built on “virgin” steel unaffected by previous welds, restoring the gate to a “like-new” condition.

Laser weld. Pulsed laser welding creates exceptionally low heat input, unlike TIG, microTIG and plasma welding. This advantage over traditional repair methods includes:

• a smaller, sometimes undetectable, heat-affected zone (HAZ)
• greater control of grain growth
• desired hardness for as-welded repairs
• wider variety of material combinations
• lack of pitting and internal defects
• potential to eliminate pre- or post-weld heat treatment
• reduced distortion or shrinkage
• decreased turnaround time
• better weld bond

Laser welding, combined with targeted material selection and hardness matching, results in a gate repair that surpasses what can be achieved with traditional methods that match the base material and the filler. The laser welding process permits the use of a wide range of dissimilar metals, allowing selection of a filler metal that will result in optimal performance. Laser welding can be used to combine many different materials, including P-20, Beryllium Copper (BeCu), Stainless Steel, S-7, H-13, and others. One of the most common marriages of materials is Stainless Steel to BeCu, which maintains the cooling properties of BeCu while adding a better wear surface in the Stainless Steel. For example, a 410 stainless steel filler can create a fine martensitic microstructure, delivering optimal wear without compromising the mold’s ability to withstand flexing during injection.

Repairing molds with laser welding also allows the welder to reach areas that might be in hard-to-reach places or surrounded by critical features, placing the gate repair out of range when using another method. Laser welding is highly precise and is a line-of-sight process—if you can see it, you can weld it.

Welding and engraving technologies ease the mold rebranding challenge in 5 simple steps.

The plastics landscape is in a constant state of flux. New companies appear, others fall by the wayside and large companies consume small and mid-sized companies. These changes in ownership create challenges in rebranding for product lines, materials, and molds.

Rebranding is necessary when a name, logo, part number, and any identifying mold features are changed. For instance, the current owner requires a logo or tool change, or a product line and product are moved to a new facility. Rebranding is typically a multi-vendor process, as one shop is engaged to make a new mold or weld the existing one; another shop is engaged to re-machine; and yet another shop is engaged to polish, engrave and finish polish or texture. And that process is just to update the logo and ID numbers.

When a mold brand change becomes necessary and the decision is made to weld the existing mold, the problems can be daunting to tackle quickly. The following 5 steps, performed in one facility, can simplify the process.

1. Evaluation and cleaning. This step is time consuming, but essential. It can reveal undetected problems, cracks, and damaged parting lines. Cleaning removes any contaminants and/or non-metallic coatings that can complicate welding and engraving. It’s also an opportune time to inspect wear surfaces and important shutoff dimensions, so they can be repaired as needed. Evaluation & cleaning is the most critical step in the mold repair process because it helps analyze and determine the viability and cost of repairs and changes versus creating a new mold.

2. Welding. If the decision is made to weld the existing mold, the appropriate process must be selected. For simple, non-catastrophic repairs, laser welding is often the best option. The laser welding process has an extremely low heat-affected zone, and produces very little sink, which allows the operator to weld an engraving or marking without the need to weld the entire surface. TIG and plasma welding, although useful, add more material than needed, and can damage the base metal with heat. Also, because pre- or post-heat treatment is not required with laser welding, there is no waiting time for the part to heat or cool. What used to take hours in setup, prep, and weld, now takes minutes.

3. Machining/polishing. Machining or polishing immediately follows welding to remove any weld buildup. If laser welding is used, the weld buildup will be extremely small. The accuracy of laser welding allows 0.001-0.003-of-an-inch buildup above the existing surface, which can be polished off as opposed to setting up a CNC mill and using machining time. When welding material is applied at high volume, a CNC or hand-operated mill is often used to remove the buildup, but polishing will still be necessary to achieve the proper finish.​

5. Finish polish or texture. Final polishing depends on the molder’s requirements. A simple draw polish may be sufficient or a diamond finish may be required. A diamond polish is used for clear plastic parts, so defects or problems are not visible on the plastic surface. A draw polish is more common in traditional opaque plastic parts. In some cases, texturing is required across the entire molding surface, by means of laser ablation (engraving) or acid etching.​

Following these five steps during the rebranding process saves capital because building a new mold is not required. Refurbishing the rebranded mold components while they are out of the mold and repairing or touching up flashed shutoffs, parting line dings, crushed or hobbed areas, damaged gates or operationally-damaged molding surfaces will save money and increase mold life.

ALLASER ROBOT SYSTEM REDUCES REMOTE WELDING TIME

High-power and high-beam-quality solid-state lasers, such as the thin-disk laser and fiber laser, have made laser welding popular in manufacturing industries. More recently, kilowatt direct-diode lasers have become commercially available with beam quality competitive to thin-disk or fiber lasers. This technology uses a laser beam combining method called wavelength beam combining, by which beam quality can be maintained without deterioration when power scaling. These solid-state laser are set to replace CO2 lasers as the main players in the field of remote laser welding.

Read More

 

LASER BONDING: A NEW CONNECTION TECHNOLOGY FOR HIGH CURRENTS

Power electronics constantly present packaging technologies with new challenges to handle ever-larger currents. For the high currents found in today’s power modules, several wires are bonded in parallel on the chip. Wire bonding enjoys major advantages: the bonds are highly reliable and have long lives; the process is very flexible because distances and positions of the bonds can be freely programmed and adapted; and it is a very cost-efficient process.

Read More

 

FIBER LASER WELDING CUTS COSTS AND IMPROVES RESULTS

Most traditional welding techniques use variations of arc welding. In these methods, two pieces of metal are first brought into contact or close physical proximity. A high voltage is launched between an electrode and the contact region, creating an arc that melts the material. The melted material fills any gap between the workpieces — or overlays them — and then solidifies to join the parts.

The major disadvantage of arc welding is that the joined parts are subjected to high heat. This can result in microstructures in the melted material that yield poor strength in the weld joint and a relatively large heat-affected zone in the material adjacent to the weld.

While in recent years traditional arc welding technologies have been optimized to reduce heat input and deliver higher single pass penetration, laser welding is still the method of lowest heat input with the largest depth-to-width ratios. Laser welding offers fully independent parameter selection, and is the easiest technique to fully automate.

Read More

 

LASER MACHINE ENABLES COIL JOINING IN CONTINUOUS STRIP PROCESSING LINES

Old flash butt welding machines or conventional laser welding machines are not able to weld modern steel grades in a reliable manner, as their high-alloying contents have an influence on the weldability of the materials. Furthermore, welding machines in existing lines need to be replaced as spare parts and in-house expertise availability dwindle.

In previous decades, more people were involved in operating and maintaining the equipment—but now, cost-control measures are reducing the number of involved personnel. That means maintenance-friendly machines are required with high availabilities that operate automatically and adaptively. SMS group reacted to this process change with a newly developed welding machine.

Read More

Making the case for laser welding

Since the Industrial Revolution, manufacturing processes have become safer, more efficient and more profitable due to advancements in manufacturing technologies. No single technology has been more impactful to the world of sheet metal manufacturing than the laser. Its influence can be witnessed across the entire spectrum of manufacturing processes when it’s used not only as a tool for cutting, but also for welding.

Read More

 

Laser stir welding continues to advance

Laser stir welding is increasingly being utilized to improve weld quality, properties, and reliability for a wide range of industries – automotive, aerospace, and fabrication to name a few Improvements in laser beam quality and delivery capabilities are helping to spur this growth.

Read More

 

A little light construction—laser welding in three acts

Welding is said to be more art than science. In part, this is a nod to the vital, skilled work that welders perform. It’s also recognition of the fact that the physics of the process is really, really difficult to understand.

Read More

Panasonic opens welding technical centers in Michigan and Ohio

Rolling Meadows, Ill.-based Panasonic has opened technical centers for arc and laser welding technologies in Farmington Hills, Mich., and Hilliard, Ohio.

Read More

 

Laser Welding Machine Market – Trends and Forecasts by Technavio

According to the latest market study released by Technavio, the global laser welding machine market is expected to grow at a CAGR of more than 5% through 2021.

Read More

 

Laser Welding Joins the Lightweighting Trend

To return the Cadillac brand to the global prestige luxury stage, General Motors threw as much as it could — 13 materials in all — into the sedan’s body to make it the lightest vehicle in its class.

Read More

 

Alpha Laser-US is pleased to welcome our newest Sales Representative, Jonathan Filer, to the Alpha Laser team. Jonathan will be responsible for managing sales in the Southeast territory of the U.S., and will work to expand Alpha Laser’s presence and market opportunity in the region. “We’re absolutely thrilled to add Jonathan to the Alpha Laser organization,” said Wes Wheeler, Sales Manager for Alpha Laser-US. He continued, “With the help of Jonathan’s experience, work ethic and industry expertise, Alpha will continue to advance laser welding technology, solutions and service for U.S. manufacturers.”

Alpha Laser-US provides manufacturing organizations across the tooling and die industry with solutions for laser welding, laser hardening, laser cladding, enclosed laser systems, mobile laser systems and open laser systems. Its expert laser welding engineers, operators and technicians help customers leverage the speed, precision and accuracy of Alpha Laser welding systems so they can better meet their manufacturing needs.

“I’ve worked with laser welding systems for years, helping manufacturers overcome their tooling and die-related challenges,” said Mr. Filer. He continued, “One thing I’ve learned is that Alpha Laser systems are in a class by themselves. So, it goes without saying I’m excited to join the Alpha Laser-US family and for the opportunity to help increase our national footprint,” said Mr. Filer.

With a degree in Mechanical Engineering, and as a former member of the US Microscopic Welding Association of North Carolina, Mr. Filer has extensive hands-on experience with injection molding, tool and die manufacturing, machining and laser welding, including more than 10 years’ experience servicing Alpha Laser products. In his free time, he enjoys all things outdoors and is a dedicated standup comedy enthusiast. Jonathan can be reached by phone at: 814-336-9000 (ext: 232), and by email at: Jonathan.filer@alphalaser.com.

To schedule a welding demo and experience the speed, accuracy and precision of an Alpha Laser welder in person, please email sales@alphalaser.com.