About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2026 AWS Professional Program
|
| Symposium
|
2026 AWS Professional Program
|
| Presentation Title |
A Study of Distortion in Handheld Laser Welding of SS304L |
| Author(s) |
Brett Elizabeth Tucker, Jonah Duch, Adam Youtzy |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Brett Elizabeth Tucker |
| Abstract Scope |
Handheld laser welding is becoming an increasingly popular advanced manufacturing technology. This technology utilizes a wobble laser to weld a larger area than traditional laser welding. The portability and ease of use with no formal welding training make handheld laser welding highly approachable and a great substitute for arc welding. Handheld laser welding also touts benefits such as lower heat input and smaller weld profiles than arc welding resulting in lower distortion. Weld distortion is a common problem with low thermal conductivity metals such as stainless steel. As such, handheld laser welders are not only useful for their ease of use, but as important tools in welding difficult metals. However, little work has been done to quantify the difference in distortion between arc welds and these handheld laser welders, which use a high powered gaussian (“single-mode”) beam.
In this work, handheld laser welding of SS304L plate was studied and compared to handheld gas metal arc welds. A process parameter map of weld power, travel speed, and plate thickness was performed. A press brake was used to manufacture 12” x 6” plates into “Z” shapes. The “Z” shaped plates were scanned with a Creaform Handyscan Black Elite high-resolution 3D scanner before and after welding to quantify distortion. Resulting microstructure and properties were studied and compared to arc welds. Temperature data collected during the tests also provided insight into heat input differences. Differences in distortion will be discussed as well as the practical considerations that must be made to implement this technology for production.
Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc. for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA0003525. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Undecided |