Laser beam welding in vacuum without pores and welding spatters

The process increases the quality and productivity of laser welding while reducing investment and operating costs.
Due to the significant increase in efficiency, welding seams with a depth of approximately one millimeter can be produced with a beam power of just 200 watts. In addition, the reduced heat input leads to less heating of the components and avoids distortion. This is particularly useful with temperature-sensitive materials such as titanium or housings in which the electronics are already installed.

The advantages over conventional laser welding are impressive. Welding spatters and pores can be avoided. The process requires up to 60 percent less laser power for the same welding depth and offers one hundred percent protection against oxidation.
It requires no compressed air and much less shielding gas than conventional laser welding processes. In addition, it is emission-free – no laser light protection enclosure or extraction technology is required.

Modular design

The LAVAcell manufacturing cell designed for this process has a modular design and is customized to the required component dimension and manipulation. Also the determination of the suitable laser source is always product-related, whereby very efficient systems can be realized.
In addition to the materials steel, titanium and aluminium, welding of copper of up to 10 millimetres welding depth is also possible. The universal chamber systems with manual loading are supplemented by cycle systems with rotary indexing tables. With these, loading and unloading can be decoupled from the welding process.

With evacuation times of less than one second, these systems are especially designed for high quantities. The investment costs for the LaVa systems are comparable with conventional laser welding systems. However, considerable savings can be achieved in operating costs due to the lower laser power and the avoidance of compressed air for the crossjet. ▪ ds