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Dynamic Beam Lasers capable of single-pass welds at 70mm thickness

Civan Lasers has announced that its Dynamic Beam Laser technology is capable of performing single-pass welds up to 70mm in thickness.

The technology is therefore particularly well suited to industries where thick welds need to be made, such as shipbuilding and power generation – in the creation of wind turbines, nuclear reactors, boilers, steam plants, and pipes for oil & gas. 

Joining methods including gas metal arc (GMA) welding, submerged arc welding, and GMA laser hybrid welding are currently used in such industries. However these are often time-consuming, result in a large heat input and require the use of consumables such as wire filler and flux.

According to Civan, traditional laser welding technology can only achieve a maximum penetration of just over 15mm without processing in a vacuum environment. Meanwhile, its optical phased array (OPA) technology commercialised in its Dynamic Beam Lasers enables efficient welding of 25-70 mm thicknesses at atmospheric pressure, eliminating the need for vacuum furnaces and reducing the time and costs associated with multi-pass methods.

Welding can be performed at feed rate of 10-40mm/sec with only one pass to reduce the total welding time, reducing the cost of welding by thirty times, according to Civan. Furthermore, it claims that one DBL machine can weld with a capacity of ten-times that of other systems, making it a very attractive solution for companies that require deep penetration welding.

 

The Dynamic Beam Lasers’ OPA technology uses coherent beam combining to merge many single-mode laser beams into one larger beam. This technology provides the flexibility to easily manipulate the beam shape in real time, without any moving parts. Several shipbuilding companies are already exploring the benefits, according to Civan, who believes its technology has the potential to transform the welding industry and make welding of thick steels more efficient and cost-effective.

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