Coherent has patented a laser welding method for joining metal parts with coatings at interfaces. The method involves focusing laser radiation onto the parts and controlling it to trace spiral paths, evaporating the coating. The technique is tailored for welding aluminum parts with dissimilar compositions and steel or copper parts with coatings. GlobalData’s report on Coherent gives a 360-degree view of the company including its patenting strategy. Buy the report here.
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According to GlobalData’s company profile on Coherent, was a key innovation area identified from patents. Coherent's grant share as of February 2024 was 54%. Grant share is based on the ratio of number of grants to total number of patents.
Laser welding method for joining metal parts with coating
A recently granted patent (Publication Number: US11850682B2) discloses a laser welding method for joining a stack of metal parts with a coating at the interface. The method involves focusing laser radiation onto the metal parts, including a first metal sheet and a most-distant metal part, with intervening metal sheets if present. The laser radiation, comprising a center beam and an annular beam, is controlled to trace an inward spiral path on the first metal sheet, welding the stack of metal parts while partly evaporating the coating at the interface. The process includes ramping down the power of the center beam to zero watts and the annular beam to a non-zero second power before turning off the annular beam.
The patent claims cover various aspects of the laser welding method, including the materials of the metal parts (steel or copper) and the coatings (zinc or nickel). The method ensures that metal melting terminates within the most-distant metal part and involves specific power configurations for the center and annular beams. Additionally, the method may include tracing a closed loop before the inward spiral path and can accommodate interfaces with direct contact or a gap between neighboring metal parts. The patent also specifies the maximum allowable gap size in relation to the thickness of the metal parts and highlights the use of coatings, such as zinc, on the metal surfaces for effective welding.
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