Views: 101 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 02-05-2024 Origin: Site
Aluminum is a metal commonly used in manufacturing. This material is lightweight and corrosion resistant, making it an ideal choice for various welding materials. However, it is because of the characteristics of aluminum that welding poses greater challenges.
Therefore, when welding aluminum, it is necessary to choose the appropriate welding methods and machines.
The surface of aluminum is easy to form an oxide layer, and this layer of oxide is very unfavorable to the quality of welding. The presence of the oxide layer will affect the formation of the weld pool and also affect the bonding between the metals.
Aluminum has very high thermal conductivity. During the welding process, the heat is quickly transferred to the surrounding of the welding part. And it is difficult to maintain the temperature of the welding area within a suitable range. Thus there will be problems such as insufficient heat input and cold cracks.
The melting point of aluminum is relatively low, and it is easy to melt through or crack during welding. This requires higher welding techniques for the operator.
The coefficient of linear expansion of aluminum is larger than that of some other metals. Thermal stress and deformation are usually caused when connected with other metals and affect the quality of the weld.
The gas solubility of aluminum is high, and it is easy to inhale and produce pores during welding. This will also affect the welding quality.
Therefore, when welding aluminum, choosing the appropriate welding technics and machines is crucial to overcome these challenges and ensure welding quality.
Aluminum welding is usually tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding, metal inert gas (MIG) welding, Resistance welding, etc.TIG is one of the most common welding processes for aluminum. TIG uses 100% argon as a protective gas to prevent the formation of oxide layers.
MIG welding generally has a faster moving speed and higher deposition rate than TIG welding. Therefore, it is easy to affect the welding quality. These conventional welds usually produce a higher heat input. The temperature increase in the welding area may cause thermal deformation and expansion of the heat-affected area.
The laser is able to penetrate deeply into the material, resulting in a purer, stronger weld. Laser Welding Aluminum has higher accuracy, less thermal impact and higher welding speed. It has the following advantages:
Laser welding usually produces a low heat input. Because the laser beam can be focused very precisely on the welding area, the possibility of heat transfer to the surrounding area is reduced.
The welding area is directly irradiated by the laser beam, reducing the influence of oxygen on the welding. Therefore, in the laser welding process, it is usually not necessary to use external gas protection.
Due to the low heat input of laser welding, the resulting heat affected area is relatively small. The small heat-affected area helps to reduce thermal deformation and performance loss of the material.
Laser welding is not only generally stronger than MIG, it is also three to ten times faster. The laser is able to rapidly heat the welding area, often enabling higher welding speeds.
When welding aluminum, it is very important to choose the right welding method and equipment. Welding aluminum may face problems such as oxidation layer and high thermal conductivity. Compared with traditional welding methods, laser welding aluminum has obvious advantages inquality and efficiency.
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