Advanced welding techniques with optimized accessories for high brightness 1μm lasers

Within the past couple of years one can see several trends in laser material processing. On the one hand optimized application results necessitate advancements of the equipment such as laser sources, laser light cables and focusing optics. On the other hand the optimization of the application results due to in depth process understanding and optimized accessories is indispensible. This paper will link the increase in process knowledge, especially in high power welding, based on modern process diagnostic methods to an optimization of accessories. We will show an example of the influence of the metal vapor plume on the achieved welding results and present a component allowing more consistent welding results regarding surface quality and penetration depth. The second part of the paper will focus on the latest advances in remote scanner processing.