LASER WELDING SYSTEM AND METHOD USING MACHINED CLAMPING TOOL

A laser welding system for joining first and second thermoplastic workpieces, and including a clamp, an actuator, and a laser source. The clamp includes first and second clamping structures positioned together to engage opposite sides of the workpieces when they adjoin each other. The first clamping...

Ausführliche Beschreibung

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Bibliographische Detailangaben
Hauptverfasser: Cathcart, Paul H, Savitski, Alexander, Bugaj, Grzegorz Zdzislaw
Format: Patent
Sprache:eng
Schlagworte:
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Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:A laser welding system for joining first and second thermoplastic workpieces, and including a clamp, an actuator, and a laser source. The clamp includes first and second clamping structures positioned together to engage opposite sides of the workpieces when they adjoin each other. The first clamping structure has a non-flat or irregular surface, facing the first workpiece. The actuator causes the clamping structures to press the first and second workpieces together. The laser source applies laser radiation having a wavelength of 2 microns toward the workpieces to be joined, while they are pressed together by the clamp, to melt irradiated portions of the workpieces to one another. The first clamping structure transmits substantially all of the energy of the laser radiation through the material. The first workpiece has a non-flat or irregular surface facing the first clamping structure, which substantially conforms with the surface of the first clamping structure.