Job shop operates the highest-power Nd:YAG laser

East Granby, CT—Working collaboratively with TRUMPF Inc. (Farmington, CT, and Plymouth, MI), Joining Technologies, a highly specialized laser welding job shop and welding system integrator, has installed one of the most powerful and precise industrial CW Nd:YAG lasers available for job shop services.

This laser allows the company to offer unparalleled high-power laser capability for welding/joining development for aerospace, fuel cell and power generation, and military applications. The company (www.joiningtech.com) has several programs scheduled for the new system, which will be integrated with a six-axis robot and heavy-duty rotary workstation.

The company, which specializes in a variety of welding processes, plans to use this laser to process components currently processed with traditional high-vacuum electron-beam welding.

"Lasers offer the freedom of part manipulation and sophisticated motion and are free from the constraints of a pressure vessel. Electron beam welding is not as popular as it once was and engineers often reference the laser for high-production welding applications—despite its relatively low energy efficiencies and operating costs," states Gary Francoeur, engineering manager at Joining Technologies.

The CW Nd:YAG workstation at Joining Technologies will feature two fiber-optic beam paths capable of performing high-power, high-speed welds with beam deflection technology. It will also have a twin beam delivery optic beneficial for joining difficult materials.