Keyhole laser welding – the method
With keyhole laser welding, very high beam intensities are used to process the material. Unlike heat conduction welding, here, a metal vapor is created in addition to the metal melt. This vapor partially displaces the melt, thereby leading to the creation of a vapor capillary (keyhole). This also applies for welding thick steel. The keyhole welding technique is characterized by a high process speed. The heat-affected zone is always highly limited, meaning that material distortion is correspondingly low. What remains is a narrow, evenly structured welding seam with a depth-gauge that is often bigger than its width.

The advantages of a diode laser using the keyhole welding technique
A major advantage of Laserline’s diode lasers is the calm molten pool that minimizes the amount of metal splashes on the workpiece and laser optic, which leads to smoother and cleaner welding seams. With a protection class of IP54, the lasers guarantee process stability in tough application environments, even without protective enclosures. Their high electrical efficiency of up to 50 percent and their robust technology make Laserline’s systems a reliable, highly economical tool for keyhole welding. Designed for more than 30,000 operation hours, they are also very durable – and low maintenance, to boot.