| Hybrid laser-arc welding - an opportunity to attend a free webinar
3 July 2012
9:00 – 10:00 and 4:00 – 5:00pm BST Hybrid laser-arc welding technology is used in industry worldwide for road transport, shipbuilding, rail transport and oil & gas applications. The technology is not standing still. This webinar will look at recent developments in laser hybrid arc welding and application of the technology. The webinar will take place 9:00am BST but will be repeated at 4:00pm BST. Please book the time that is most suitable for you: Register for the 9am webinar Register for the 4pm webinar Background information Hybrid laser-arc welding is a joining process whereby arc welding and deep penetration laser welding are carried out simultaneously in the same process. In theory, the beam from any laser source (CO2, Nd:YAG, diode, Yb fibre, Yb:YAG disk etc) can be combined with any arc welding process (MIG/MAG, TIG, SAW, plasma), although hybrid laser-MIG/MAG and laser-TIG are perhaps the most common combinations. As a consequence of this, the process has the individual advantages of both laser and arc welding combined. Deep penetration welds comparable with laser welds can be made, at the same time having a tolerance to joint fit-up more comparable with arc welds. Furthermore, arc welding consumables can be used, giving a degree of control over weld quality and properties greater than that possible with autogenous laser welds. TWI has over a decade of experience of hybrid laser-arc welding processes and their development. This includes experience of combining a variety of industrial lasers used for metals welding (principally CO2, Nd:YAG and, most recently, Yb fibre lasers) with MIG/MAG and TIG arc welding. Furthermore, TWI's research and development in this area has covered a broad base of engineering alloys, including C-Mn steels used for structural and pipeline applications, conventional (austenitic) and higher strength (duplex and ferritic) stainless steels, as well as a wide range of aluminium alloys. The chief benefits of hybrid laser-arc welding can be summarised as: • Improved tolerance to joint fit-up: for example, hybrid welding can extend the tolerance to joint gap by a factor of 2-3 over laser welding.
• Improved weld quality: hot cracking (e.g. in some higher strength Al alloys) can be avoided, and internal porosity content reduced, with respect to laser welds. | 
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