Scientists from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have been gathering data to better understand the interaction between laser and metal, which can give the industry more control over laser welding.
The NIST teams goal is to build a firm foundation for laser welding, which will help manufacturers determine the combination of laser settings, which will produce the best weld for their specified application. NIST researchers are measuring everything that a simulator will need to model the outcome of a weld. This includes the amount of power that is hitting the metal, the amount of energy the metal is absorbing, and the amount of material that is evaporating from the metal as it is heated, all in real time.
Image courtesy of Phys.org