Laser welding of plastics

Laser technology is not only used in industry for marking, engraving, cutting, drillingbut also welding. In addition to laser welding of metallic materials, lasers can also be used for welding plastic materials and this is what we will focus on in today’s article.

Division of laser welding of plastics according to:

1. The principle of welding:
   • Butt welding – welding between two parts attached side by side
   • Transmittance welding – transparent top part and lower absorbent part
2. Welding methods (method of welding beam path control):
   • Outline
   • Simultaneous
   • Quasi-simultaneous

In the company LINTECH we deal mainly with transmissive welding in quasi-simultaneous form, when the laser beam is spread by fast moving mirrors (up to 10 m.^s-1). This allows, among other things, to heat the parts to be joined in the entire contour at the same time.

“We have purchased machines for laser marking and welding of plastic and metal materials for the automotive industry. We are satisfied with the quality of the delivered equipment and technology, as well as with the support and speed in service and marking and welding technologies.” Lukáš Kosík, Equipment Project Manager, Vitesco Technologies Czech Republic s.r.o

Advantages of quasi-simultaneous welding of plastics

Quasi-simultaneous welding has several advantages. These are mainly high process efficiency and higher flexibility compared to conventional technologies. It is a fast and precise process. Very little thermal stress is involved. As a result, no deformation of the welded parts occurs and the design level of the joint is high.

For example, compared to ultrasonic welding, laser welding can achieve higher weld quality and depth. At the same time, it has a negligible impact on the surrounding environment and is not accompanied by the generation of waste, harmful particles, gases or noise.

Another indisputable advantage of laser welding of plastics is the low operating costs and the suitability of the entire process for automation. Thus, the problem of labour shortages can be dealt with. The system can also be integrated into existing production lines.

In order to perform the laser welding process correctly, it is necessary to:

• Choose the right type of material
• Welded part embedding method
• Correct to choose a welding mask
• Tuning the correct laser parameters
• Correct use of the pressure mechanism

As one of the few on the Czech market we are able to consult with you on laser welding of plastics and propose a tailor-made solution.

For the welding application, we supply various accessories ranging from process monitoring systems, through process stability control systems to the final evaluation of OK/NOK parts.