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Applications

Applications

Laser Brazing

Brazing is a method of joining two or more metal parts together. The primary difference between welding and brazing is that welding involves the melting of the base material, whereas brazing involves melting only a filler metal which is flowed into the joint to create a bond between the base parts. A principle consideration is that brazing occurs at a lower temperature than welding, through the practice of selecting filler metals that have a lower melting temperature than the parts to which it will bond.

  • Non-similar metals can be joined together
  • Lower temperature brazing has less potential for distortion
  • Can eliminate the need for trim moldings
  • Reduced materials and manufacturing steps reduces costs
  • Simplification of painting and color-matching process

Improve your brazing productivity - contact a local IPG laser brazing engineer to learn how.

 

Why are more manufacturers adopting fiber laser brazing technology?

The high precision of laser brazing can quickly melt the filler material while imparting even less heat to the parts. Laser brazing does not require flux and eliminate the need to heat the entire part which lowers operating costs and increases overall throughput.

Torch Brazing vs Fiber Laser Brazing

Torch brazing can be done manually with a held torch or fully automated. It applies a gas flame near the joint. 

Lasers involve less heat input and more selectively apply heat, giving less distortion. Lasers do not require the use of flux, so materials costs and post-processing is reduced.

Fiber laser brazing cross section

Arc Brazing vs Fiber Laser Brazing

Arc brazing is very similar to arc welding, but using a filler metal with much lower melting temperature. It is particularly used for joining zinc-coated sheets in the automotive industry where the zinc is virtually undamaged, however industrial processes for aluminum have yet to mature.

Laser brazing provides higher process speeds and reduced heat input and distortion. Laser brazing is easily automated and is well-suited to zinc-coated steel joining.

Laser brazing

Furnace Brazing vs Fiber Laser Brazing

Furnace brazing is good for mass production of small parts and does not require flux or post cleaning. It can allow inert or vacuum atmospheres protecting from oxidation. 

Lasers eliminate the need to heat the entire part and a far more energy efficient. Laser-brazed parts are available for immediate onward processing with minimal cool-down time.

Fiber laser brazing

Induction Brazing vs Fiber Laser Brazing

Induction brazing is used for high quality joints where oxidation and cleaning are minimized. The process can be limited to a small area. It is repeatable and easily automated. 

Laser brazing is faster that induction brazing and does not require special coils for different parts. Laser brazing has greater flexibility to adapt to changing part designs. 

Laser brazing closeup

Advantages of IPG Fiber Laser Brazing Technology

Low Temperature Process

IPG fiber laser brazing minimizes heat into the part, reducing the potential for stress distortions and cool-down times necessary before onward processing. The highly focused beam restricts primary heating to the filler material, while the independently controllable side beams can locally preheat seams only in the area of filler contact.

High Equipment Availability

IPG fiber lasers are designed for high-utilization industrial environments where uptime and availability is key. Featuring an entirely solid-state design and zero-maintenance architecture, IPG fiber lasers feature the best warranty in the industry. They can even be ordered with hot-swap redundancy options that preserve laser beam operating parameters under all conditions.

Easy Process Automation

Laser processes are simple to automate, providing increased part quality with the elimination of variability that can come from manual operator. Once programmed, IPG fiber lasers have high beam profile and power stability, ensuring that every brazed joint is the same.

Laser Brazing Systems

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