Laser Welding Applications Micro Technology Medical Technology Electronics Small-lot Production

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2 Laser Welding Applications Micro Technology Medical Technology Electronics Small-lot Production Sources: Branson; ILT; Marquardt

3 Applications Oil-Sensor with Integrated Electronic Customer: Material: Continental Temic Ultramid A3WG6 LT black with LS black Features: High vibrational load Oil contact Temperatures up to 150 C Requirement: Hermetically sealed cap Source: Temic, Ingolstadt

4 Laser Principle Laser Medium: CO2, Nd-YAG, Ruby, Excimer Laser pumping energy High reflector Output Coupler Active laser medium Laser Beam

5 RUBY 0.69 Nd: YAG/Glass (Doubled) 0.53 RAMAN LINES ARGON ALEXANDRITE Ga: As TI SAPPHIRE Nd: YAG & Nd: Glass 1.06 Nd: YAG Ramen Shifted 1.54 EI: YAG 1.64 HO: YAG 2.06 Dy: CaF 2.35 HF DF CO 2 (Doubled) 5.3 CO CO COPPER VAPOR µ µ WAVELENGTH - Micrometers *from Wikipedia

6 Radiation Sources for the Processing of Engineering Plastics Type of laser Wavelength* Penetration Application CO µm (IR) µm Cutting, Drilling Nd:YAG 1.06 µm (NIR) µm - mm Marking, Welding Diode µm (NIR) µm - mm Welding Excimer** µm (UV) nm - mm Structuring, Marking *Wavelength of Visible light ranges from 0.4 to 0.7 µm ( nm) ** Excited-Dimer: Fluorine (F2)

7 A Simple Diode Laser Unit A packaged laser diode with penny for scale Image of the actual laser diode chip (shown on the eye of a needle for scale) contained within the package shown in the above image.

8 Laser Transmission Welding Principle Laser radiation transmitting material 1. Laser radiation is absorbed and converted to heat Laser radiation absorbing material 2. Absorbing material melts and swells Molten polymer 3. Melt comes into contact with other half of joint 4. Heat transfer takes place, causing the other half of the joint to melt

9 Laser Transmission Welding Laser beam Transmitting material v F Laser radiation transmitting material Absorption of laser energy Weld joint Laser radiation absorbing material F

10 Typical Welding Methods Contour Welding Simultaneous Welding Quasi-Simultaneous Welding Mask Welding

11 Riveting by Means of Laser Laser Head F F Housing Laser Beam Lens Rivet Head Source: Branson

12 Advantages of Laser Welding Parts are not subjected to mechanical stress Small and localized heat affected zone Controlled melt flash (No dust or loose flash formation) Non-contact process Almost wear-free process Generally a highly flexible process Integration into automated production lines is possible Inconspicuous weld lines possible

13 Disadvantages of Laser Welding Process can only be used to join materials with dissimilar absorption properties at the laser wavelength* Gap between joining surfaces limited to < 100 µm Contouring technique in particular only allows thin layers of melt to be produced High demands placed on the material and molding process (Narrow tolerance limits-low Warpage) Capital equipment may be relatively expensive *Butt Joints are possible

14 Joint Design I Butt-joint T Joint Lap-joint Scarf-joint Split Lap-joint Split Scarf-joint

15 Joint Design II!! Interference fit with 0.1 mm over lapping

16 Comparison Of Different Laser Welding Technologies Contour welding Simultaneous welding Quasi-simultaneous welding Mask welding Flexibility Welding time Complexity of weld profile Gap Tolerance very high low high low long short moderate very high moderate high moderate none possible possible none Investment moderate very high high moderatelong moderatehigh Type of Laser Nd:YAG Diode Diode Nd:YAG Diode Diode

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18 Optical Properties of Plastics Type of Material Specific Gravity Refractive Index PA PA Amorphous PA PC PBT

19 Comparison of Amorphous and Semi- crystalline Thermoplastics Amorphous Semi-crystalline Random polymer chain order Less warpage High transmission (no deflection; optical isotropic) Creation of a crystalline structure (like spherolites) Scattering and reflection at crystalline surfaces Warpage depending on processing, material, additives,... In some cases high processing temperatures (melt point)

20 Basics of Processing * Up to TG or TM only Adhesion

21 Interaction Radiation / Polymer: Optical Properties Amorphous Semi-crystalline Reflection Absorption Scattering Transmission

22 Interaction Radiation / Polymer Changes in the Beam Characteristics 1,0 norm. Transmission 0,8 0,6 0,4 0,2 Laser beam diameter (Thickness=2mm) : Reference SAN POM PBT 1,73 mm 1,75 mm 4,39 mm 5,29 mm Laser beam diameter in mm Source: Hänsch, 2003

23 Comparison of Amorphous and Semi- crystalline Thermoplastics Required laser power per unit weld Amorphous thermoplastics (PC, PS, PMMA): Semi-crystalline thermoplastics (PP, PE, PA): 5 10 W/cm W/cm Amorphous Semi-crystalline Laser beam Reflected laser beam Laser beam Reflected laser beam Source: W. Lotz, 2000

24 Effect of Crystallite Diameter on the Absorption Behaviour PBT, d = 2mm PA % glass, d = 2mm Source: W. Lotz, 2000

25 Effect of Crystallite Diameter on the Absorption Behaviour 0.5 Absorption coefficient [1/mm] Source: W. Lotz, Crystallite diameter [µm]

26 Influence of Additives on Laser Energy Transmission Mold release agents Lubricant Anti-oxidations Stabilizers (UV-, Thermal-) little direct influence, interactions not know at this time little direct influence, but interactions possible Flame retardants Fillers Pigments Dyes Partial to significant influence

27 Influence of Glass Fibers Natural With 30% GF Thickness: 2 mm λ: 1064 nm -35% -17% -30% -70%

28 Optical Properties as a Function of Glass Fiber Content Ultramid A (PA 6.6) Color: natural Percentage [%] Absorbance Transmittance 20 Reflectance Source: ILT, Aachen Glass fiber content [wt.%]

29 Influence of Flame Retardants Transmission in % Thickness: 2 mm λ: 1064 nm 0 PBT w/o FR PBT w/fr (Ph) PA w/o FR PA w/fr (Br)

30 Laserwelding Practice with FR Products* Material Combination Welding Speed A3K nat. A3K nat. A3K nat. A3K nat. B3UG4 sw A3X2G5 sw C3UG4 sw B3UG4 grau mm/s 30 mm/s 28 mm/s 9 mm/s B3UG4 nat. B3UG4 sw mm/s * l = 1064 nm; Thickness = 2 mm

31 Influence of Moisture Content (PA6GF30; Tensile Shear Specimen: Dry) Force, in N % 1,5 % Dry Energy in J/m

32 Weld Quality as a Function of the Joint Gap-width Luran 378P (SAN) Combination: natural/black Tensile strength [N] Source: ILT, Aachen Laser power = constant Gap-width between joining surfaces [mm]

33 Welding Defects Dry joint Porous joint Good joint 1 mm

34 Weld Quality (Ultradur B4300G6) Plane of joint Potential Crack Initiation Sites 1 mm

35 Factors Affecting the Weld Quality Wavelength Energy density Welding technology Welding speed Material properties Spectral absorption Molecular structure / Cross linking Crystallinity / Size of crystallites Filler (glass fibers, carbon black) Colorant Additives (e.g. flame retardant) Moisture content Thermal conductivity / Heat capacity Heat of fusion / Melting temperature Heat of vaporisation Surface structure Part design Wall thickness Welding tool / nest Clamping Joint gap-width

36 Thermoplastics for Laser Welding Optical properties Welding characteristics Polystyrene (PS) Polyamide (PA) + ++ Polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) o + Styrene-acrylonitrile (SAN) Polysulfone (PSU) Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) + ++ Combination PC + ABS Combination PMMA + ABS very good + good o satisfying

37 BASF-Products in comparison* BASF-Product Ultrason E2010 Ultrason S2010 Ultradur B4040G6 Ultramid B3WG6 Ultraform N2320 Ultramid A3WG6 Ultradur B4300G6 Ultradur S4090G6 Welding velocity 50 mm/s 45 mm/s 30 mm/s 24 mm/s 20 mm/s 19 mm/s 10 mm/s 4 mm/s for 1 mm thickness (2 mm are not weldable) * λ = 1064 nm; Thickness = 2 mm

38 Possible Material Combinations PP POM PBT PBT/ASA PA6 PA6.6 PES PSU ABS ASA SAN MABS ABS/PA PS PP POM PBT PBT/ASA PA6 PA6.6 PES PSU ABS ASA SAN MABS No new combinations possible with conventional welding process! BUT Laser welding is more tolerant for differences in: - Melt temperature - Viscosity - Stiffness / Hardness weldable; high strength weldable; adhesion not weldable

39 New Developments Laser Absorbing Films PS 2710 white 744 (with TiO²) Thickness: 1 mm Field of application: Home appliances 20 mm

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41 Customer Benefits from High Laser Transmissibility Shorter welding time Higher process reliability Higher product safety/quality improvement More flexibility in part design and wall thickness

42 LET Measurement Method at BASF SE Rotating Mirror Nd:YAG-Laser with λ = 1064 nm Test Plate Transmission [%] = Laser beam power with test plate [W] Laser beam power without test plate [W] x 100 Laser beam power sensor

43 LET Measurement Method at BASF SE

44 LET Measurement Method at BASF Corp.

45 Portable LET Measurement Instrument- Hand Held Unit Prolas-IRSpec I Prolas GmbH Internet: Only relative LET values can be obtained. Good for a routine quality check for a given material

46 LET Measurement Instrument LPKF LQ-TMG2 Laser Class: 1M Wave Length: 850 nm Laser Power: 1mW Power Source: 9V battery Measurement Accuracy: 0.1 % Aperture Diameter: 1.5 mm Aperture Focus Diamenter: ~0.4 mm Specication subject to technical modication. Web site: Beam Size and Port Size are very small. Glass reinforced material testing Difficult.

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48 Test Specimen Overlap- / Shear-Joint Easy to do / BASF internal resources Low cost Failure not in the joint but in the specimen near the joint No information about the real joint strength / correlation with the material or the LET Low resolution Not useful for Quasi-Simultaneous welding

49 Test Specimen Pot-Lid Configuration Useful for all process (good for process comparison) Can be done internally Burst pressure and tensile test possible Results not 1:1 transferable to real parts / customer application In case of good welding, crack can appear near the joint (stress crack at the edge), than low resolution

50 Test Specimen T-Joint (with plates) Useful for all process (good for process comparison) Better resolution of material influence than for overlap- / shear joint In case of good welding, crack can appear near the joint (stress crack at the edge), than low resolution High influence of plate alignment (for contour/quasi-simultaneous welding)

51 Test Specimen T-Joint (modified; similar to AWS) 2-3 mm Useful for all process (good for process comparison) Good resolution of material influence Less critical than T-Joint with plates High influence of alignment (for contour and quasi-simultaneous welding)

52 Test Specimen for Welding Trials 20 mm

53 BASF Laserwelding Evaluation Part View from Transmitting Layer View from Absorbing Layer

54 Laser Weld Joints Details Flat to Flat Flat to Bead Bead to Bead

55 Quasi-Simultaneous Laser Welding Machine Setup Laser Scan Box Upper Platten in open position Upper Platten in Clamped Position Lower Table Lower Platten Hydraulic Lift

56 Diode-Based Simultaneous Welding Fixture Laser Beam through the wave guide Beam guide & clamp Fixture Lower clamp Fixture W**

57 Input Energy Density vs Burst Pressure Quasi-Simultaneous Welding Ultramid B3WG Burst Pressure Relative Energy Density, arbitrary unit **2mm Flat Flange on 3 mm Flat Flange

58 Infrared-/Laser Welding Equipment for Thermoplastics Manufacturer Convergent Energy Bielomatik Branson Fraunhofer Rofin-Sinar Leister Limonics Sonotronic Tampoprint Unitek Miyachi Laserline Dukane Jenoptik LPKF Prolas Trade Name Dart Laser-Tec IRAM DL, System Proscan Novolas Impact Focus One SK-90 LW15 Laserline Dukane Votan Laserquipment Proweld

59 Effect/Complexity Matrix for Laser Welding Degree of Complexity Color 1/ Color 1 White/ Transparent/ Transparent White Color 1/ Color 2 Color/ Black Black/ Black Transparent/ Black

60 BASF Lumogen Pigment for Black to Black Laser Welding Lumogen Black FK 4280 Lumogen Black FK 4281 transmission [%] wavelength [nm] Wave lengths of interest

61 BASF Product for Black to Black Welding Transmitting Component Black Absorbing Component Black (L) Ultramid A3WG6 LT sw* A3WG6 sw LS B3WG6 LT sw* B3WG6 sw LS B4300G6 LT sw* (L) Ultradur B4300G6 sw Q16 LT: specific coloration with laser transparency (L) Limited supply

62 In Closing BASF Engineering Plastics Thanks you for Participating For all your Plastics Needs, Contact us or use our website: