Beyond Conventional Welding

Laser welding is a state of the art welding technology that uses a focused laser heat source to join components. Filler metal is not required for laser welding (autogenous process), however a machined weld preparation for the joint is required to ensure a good quality weld. Laser welding can be used to join components of the same alloy to each other, or dissimilar alloys to each other that would not be possible using conventional, arc-based welding processes. The combination of speed, quality, and no filler material means that Apollo-Clad can offer very competitive pricing for high volume laser welding.

Conduction Mode Laser Welding

Conduction mode laser welding is used for rapidly joining sheet materials, or other relatively thin components that are susceptible to distortion during welding where full or partial penetration is required. The automotive industry has adopted laser welding not only for it’s quality, but also the speeds that can be attained for high volume production. Through automation and fixturing, Apollo-Clad can complete high volume production runs in no time at all.

Keyhole Mode Welding

Keyhole mode welding allows for full penetration laser welding in a single pass, without sacrificing speed and produces a very good quality, consistent weld.  Full automation of the process, and qualification to ASME Section IX of the Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code ensures that you can trust the process from the first weld to the last. With up to 4 kW of power for laser welding, Apollo-Clad can weld cross sections of up to approximately 0.25 inches.

Keyhole mode welding can also be used to weld solid cross sections of round components of up to approximately 0.75 inches in diameter.

Dissimilar Metal Welding

For either conduction mode or keyhole mode, the components to be joined may be of the same material, or they could be completely different metals.  Due to the speed of the process, and the very small amount of melted material, there is very little mixing of the two metals. Apollo-Clad has successfully welded materials like AISI 4145 steel to Inconel 718 and 4130 to 316 Stainless Steel.

Dissimilar metal welding can also be performed using electron beam welding, which is typically performed in a vacuum. Laser welding can be performed in atmosphere, with argon shielding to protect the welded area from oxidation. This allows Apollo-Clad to simplify fixturing and use existing CNC laser systems to perform automated welding of a wide variety of components at competitive pricing.

 

 

 

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