Abstract
Laser welding of polymeric products has been manufactured
for more than 20 years. During that time
polymer welding has developed a lot. In spite of that,
there are still some limitations in applying the process
to the industry. Typically welding has been made in lap
joint configuration with black and clear parts because of
optical properties of polymers. When using ~1?m lasers,
the absorbing and transparent partners are needed.
Previously visually transparent materials have been
welded in lap joint configuration using infrared
absorbers with ~1?m lasers. Recently new fiber lasers
have introduced wavelengths which can have interesting
optical properties for polymers. For example, 1.94?m
laser has volume absorption through the whole material
thickness on selected polyamide 11 (PA11) polymer
material. This makes it possible to use butt joint for
welding of polymeric components. When butt joint can be
introduced, it will enable more possibilities in using
polymer welding in the industry. A joint between two
clear components without any additional absorbers can
also be introduced with these
new wavelengths and it will also decrease the costs and
enable new applications when no infrared absorbing
additives are needed or accepted. This paper presents
results of butt welding of transparent PA11 using TWIST
method with 1.94?m fiber laser. Weld quality is evaluated
visually and by comparing weld tensile strength to base
material tensile strength.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Congress proceedings |
Subtitle of host publication | ICALEO, 32nd International Congress on Applications of Lasers & Electro-Optics |
Publisher | Laser Institute of America |
Pages | 175-180 |
ISBN (Print) | 978-0-912035-98-7 |
Publication status | Published - 2013 |
MoE publication type | B3 Non-refereed article in conference proceedings |
Event | 32nd International Congress on Applications of Lasers and Electro-Optics, ICALEO 2013 - Miami, United States Duration: 6 Oct 2013 → 10 Oct 2013 Conference number: 32 |
Conference
Conference | 32nd International Congress on Applications of Lasers and Electro-Optics, ICALEO 2013 |
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Country/Territory | United States |
City | Miami |
Period | 6/10/13 → 10/10/13 |