Process development and coaxial sensing in fiber laser welding of 5754 Al-alloy

The use of Al-alloys is increasing in the automotive industry due to the pressing necessity to reduce weight and fuel consumption. Several parts concerning the car body are assembled through welding, where a high-quality seam is a key requirement. For this purpose, laser welding stands as an appealing option. On the other hand, laser welding of Al-alloys is a complex process due to the high reflectivity, reactivity, and crack susceptibility of these materials. In many cases, such issues limit the applicability of the autogeneous welding, which is an advantageous feature of laser welding. High-brilliance fiber lasers have been an enabling technology for improving the weldability of Al-alloys. However, laser welding of Al-alloys, especially in a lap-joint configuration, requires robust processing conditions able to maintain seam quality for each weld in high volumes even with part tolerances and tooling variability. Accordingly, this work discusses the process development and monitoring in laser welding of 5754 Al-alloy. In particular, the process was carried out in a double lap-joint configuration with 1 mm sheets, commonly used in automotive applications. A 3 kW fiber laser with in-source integrated monitoring capability was employed as the light source. The process feasibility zone was investigated as a function of laser power and welding speed, while the effect of focal position was investigated for the weld robustness. Weld seam types and defects were identified, as well as the monitoring signals associated light back-reflected from the process.