Laser forms and repairs

The TruLaser Station 5004 laser workstation with integrated TruPulse 156 solid-state laser for deposition laser welding with wire will celebrate its trade show premier. For deposition laser welding with powder, the laser specialists at TRUMPF offer the TruLaser Station 5010 with the new DepositionLine technology package. The multi-talented machine can be converted to manual wire build-up welding with a few hand motions.

Deposition laser welding, also called Laser Metal Deposition (LMD), is a generative laser process in which metal is built up in layers on existing tools and components. This laser-based welding procedure offers great savings potential for making small modifications or design changes to the end product and for correcting processing faults. Volume build-up can be used to compensate for failures, achieve specified nominal dimensions and make old components useable again with little effort. The material characteristics and the load capacity of the original component are retained. The durability of the repaired form is comparable to that of a newly made mold insert.
Laser welding is constantly increasing in acceptance, primarily in tool and mold construction. At the same time, the demands of users for machines and laser devices are also increasing. TRUMPF meets these demands with a completely new workstation.

New: TruLaser Station 5004, a compact and ergonomic workstation for deposition laser welding with wire

One new aspect is that all linear motions are performed by the laser beam while the workpiece remains stationary. This makes it possible to weld with great precision with simultaneously long travel distances and high workpiece weight. The TruLaser Station 5004 is nevertheless extremely compact with a footprint under 1.5 square meters. Lasers with outputs up to 150 watts and vacuum extraction are integrated.

The operator also benefits from the new machine concept of the workstation with an integrated microscope. The view into the microscope can be individually set to a wide variety of positions; the same applies to the arm rest. The most important laser parameters can be displayed in the user’s field of vision in the microscope.

The control system, which addresses three linear axes and an optional rotational axis simultaneously, allows three processing types: manual welding and setup as well as guided welding with supplementary wire and automatic NC welding without additional material.

High-performance pulsed laser as beam source

Another new feature of the TruPulse laser is the removeable operator panel with touchscreen and turn-push button that allows simple handling of the new laser control system. This lets the welder change laser parameters literally with a single motion of the hand or a finger.

As a further advantage, the optimized real-time power control is reflected directly in the welding result. It offers two crucial advantages:

• The very high pulse-to-pulse stability (typically better than ± 0.3 percent at 10 ms pulse duration) provides for welding results that remain the same – even in very different environmental conditions. The laser parameters are also age-independent, as the power control compensates for unavoidable aging of the flash lamps. This means that the user can consistently achieve the same welding results.
• Pulse shaping facilitates the welding of problematic materials. Using the graphical pulse shape editor, the user can create pulse shapes, which adapt to the material to be welded and the desired welding depth. Using pulse shaping, the welder can influence the temperature guidance of the molten material, thereby optimizing the quality of the welding.

Deposition laser welding with Powder – a great deal for repairing economically

For deposition laser welding with powder, TRUMPF is showing the TruLaser Station 5010 with the new DepositionLine technology package. This laser workstation can be equipped with any TruPulse laser. It is suitable both for manual welding and for automated processing. Because all axes are contained in the optics, the TruLaser Station 5010 is suitable for both small and large workpieces.

Powder deposition welding is as easy as can be due to DepositionLine. This technology package consists of a powder conveyor, a powder conveyor line and the processing optics with powder nozzle.