Overview of laser welding for thermoplastic materials- An alternative assembly technique for many applications

摘要

Laser beam welding of thermoplastic polymers offers a possibility to overcome the constraints of conventional joining technologies. Accuracy and flexibility of the laser process as well as the quality of the weld seams provide benefits which are used in more and more industrial applications. Laser specific welding procedures (contour, quasisimultaneous or simultaneous) or adapted materials (color) have already been developed for standard applications in many industrial sectors form transportation to clothing. Laser welding is on the way to be applied to thermoplastic polymer composites which are made of long and continuous fibers (40 to 60 % in weight). In most cases the polymer matrix is a thermoplastic resin and usually those materials are joined using glue, RF-or vibration welding or mechanical fixing. These new materials represent a breakthrough in the development of thermo-formable engineering of composite applications (high performances, re-cyclability, cost, flexibility—). Laser welding provides an alternative joining technique and offers new perspectives for applications emerging in automotive or aeronautical production. It overcomes the environmental difficulties related to existing gluing processes. The presentation will provide an overview concerning the technical basics of the joining process and outline some material inherent characteristics to be considered. Recent developments in the field of laser welding of thermoplastic composites will be presented.