Fiber laser welds thick plate

IPG Photonics announced that its application center in Germany achieved a record high-quality deep penetration welding on thick stainless steel plates at rapid speeds. Using the company's 20kW CW 1070nm commercial fiber laser it is possible to weld 1-inch 304 stainless steel at a speed of 0.85 meter/minute and 3/4-inch samples at a speed of 2 meters/minute using a 200 micron fiber cable with a 420 micron focus spot size.

In other experiments, IPG also was able to produce high-quality welds on 2-inch 304 stainless steel samples by applying laser beams from both sides with a total penetration depth of 54-56mm per pass.

For more information, visit www.ipgphotonics.com.