New possibilities with manual laser welding

The processing of thin-walled components using laser beams has been investigated at ifw Jena for several years now. The current focus of research is on hand-guided laser beam welding. Here, the laser beam is moved along the weld seam by hand using a type of laser gun. In future, this area will be supplemented at ifw Jena by a classic manual welding laser system. Both process variants offer special advantages, especially compared to arc processes: weld seams can be generated more quickly with thin sheets and long weld seams can be produced in a significantly shorter time. As part of our collaboration with the Thuringian Centre for Mechanical Engineering, we now want to further optimize manual laser welding so that companies can integrate it into their processes quickly and easily.

In January 2025, we were able to put a new system for manual laser welding into operation. The AL-IN 300 by Alpha Laser offers various possibilities that we were unable to realize with our previous systems. Thanks to the open processing area and the flexible positioning of the laser beam, we are no longer limited to a confined installation space for welding work. With the new system, we can also use the process for large, unwieldy or difficult-to-access components. This is particularly interesting for companies that want to use manual laser welding for repair welding or for complex fixtures, for example.

Thanks to the average power of 300 W and the peak pulse power of 9 kW, the Nd:YAG laser can also be used to weld aluminum and other materials that can only be laser welded to a limited extent due to their high reflection rate. Thanks to the relatively small focal spot of around 0.2 mm in diameter, very precise weld seams can also be produced. In addition, the system has the option of pulse shaping, which enables the special features of different materials to be taken into account.

The system will enable ifw Jena to investigate manual laser welding on practical components and processes. Optimizations for welding a wide variety of materials can thus be developed even more individually and directly aligned with the needs of Thuringian companies.

The project, which was funded by the Free State of Thuringia, was co-financed by the European Union as part of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).