Patent Application
20130092667
Certain embodiments relate to filler wire overlaying applications as well as welding and joining applications. More particularly, certain embodiments relate to a system and method to start and use a combination filler wire feed and energy source system for any of brazing, cladding, building up, filling, hard-facing overlaying, joining and welding applications.
The traditional filler wire method of welding (e.g., a gas-tungsten arc welding (GTAW) filler wire method) provides increased deposition rates and welding speeds over that of traditional arc welding alone. The filler wire, which leads a torch, is resistance-heated by a separate power supply. The wire is fed through a contact tube toward a workpiece and extends beyond the tube. The extension is resistance-heated such that the extension approaches or reaches the melting point and contacts the weld puddle. A tungsten electrode may be used to heat and melt the workpiece to form the weld puddle. The power supply provides a large portion of the energy needed to resistance-melt the filler wire. In some cases, the wire feed may slip or faulter and the current in the wire may cause an arc to occur between the tip of the wire and the workpiece. The extra heat of such an arc may cause burnthrough and spatter. The risk of such an arc occurring is greater at the start of the process where the wire initially comes in contact with the workpiece at a small point. If the initial current in the wire is too high, the point may burn away, causing an arc to occur.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional, traditional, and proposed approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such approaches with embodiments of the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.
Embodiments of the present invention comprise a system and method to start and use a combination filler wire feeder and energy source system. A first embodiment of the present invention comprises a method to start and use a combination wire feed and energy source system for any of brazing, cladding, building up, filling, hard-facing overlaying, welding and joining applications. The method includes applying a sensing voltage between at least one resistive filler wire and a workpiece via a power source and advancing a distal end of the at least one resistive filler wire toward the workpiece. The method further includes sensing when the distal end of the at least one resistive filler wire first makes contact with the workpiece. The method also includes turning off the power source to the at least one resistive filler wire over a defined time interval in response to the sensing. The method further includes turning on the power source at an end of the defined time interval to apply a flow of heating current through the at least one resistive filler wire. The method also includes applying energy from a high intensity energy source to the workpiece to heat the workpiece at least while applying the flow of heating current. The high intensity energy source may include at least one of a laser device, a plasma arc welding (PAW) device, a gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) device, a gas metal arc welding (GMAW) device, a flux cored arc welding (FCAW) device, and a submerged arc welding (SAW) device.
These and other features of the claimed invention, as well as details of illustrated embodiments thereof, will be more fully understood from the following description and drawings.
The term “overlaying” is used herein in a broad manner and may refer to any applications including brazing, cladding, building up, filling, and hard-facing. For example, in a “brazing” application, a filler metal is distributed between closely fitting surfaces of a joint via capillary action. Whereas, in a “braze welding” application the filler metal is made to flow into a gap. As used herein, however, both techniques are broadly referred to as overlaying applications.
The system 100 also includes a hot filler wire feeder subsystem capable of providing at least one resistive filler wire 140 to make contact with the workpiece 115 in the vicinity of the laser beam 110. Of course, it is understood that by reference to the workpiece 115 herein, the molten puddle is considered part of the workpiece 115, thus reference to contact with the workpiece 115 includes contact with the puddle. The hot filler wire feeder subsystem includes a filler wire feeder 150, a contact tube 160, and a hot wire power supply 170. During operation, the filler wire 140, which leads the laser beam 110, is resistance-heated by electrical current from the hot wire welding power supply 170 which is operatively connected between the contact tube 160 and the workpiece 115. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the hot wire welding power supply 170 is a pulsed direct current (DC) power supply, although alternating current (AC) or other types of power supplies are possible as well. The wire 140 is fed from the filler wire feeder 150 through the contact tube 160 toward the workpiece 115 and extends beyond the tube 160. The extension portion of the wire 140 is resistance-heated such that the extension portion approaches or reaches the melting point before contacting a weld puddle on the workpiece. The laser beam 110 serves to melt some of the base metal of the workpiece 115 to form a weld puddle and also to melt the wire 140 onto the workpiece 115. The power supply 170 provides a large portion of the energy needed to resistance-melt the filler wire 140. The feeder subsystem may be capable of simultaneously providing one or more wires, in accordance with certain other embodiments of the present invention. For example, a first wire may be used for hard-facing and/or providing corrosion resistance to the workpiece, and a second wire may be used to add structure to the workpiece.
The system 100 further includes a motion control subsystem capable of moving the laser beam 110 (energy source) and the resistive filler wire 140 in a same direction 125 along the workpiece 115 (at least in a relative sense) such that the laser beam 110 and the resistive filler wire 140 remain in a fixed relation to each other. According to various embodiments, the relative motion between the workpiece 115 and the laser/wire combination may be achieved by actually moving the workpiece 115 or by moving the laser device 120 and the hot wire feeder subsystem. In
In general, there are several methods that a high intensity energy source/hot wire may be moved relative to a workpiece. If the workpiece is round, for example, the high intensity energy source/hot wire may be stationary and the workpiece may be rotated under the high intensity energy source/hot wire. Alternatively, a robot arm or linear tractor may move parallel to the round workpiece and, as the workpiece is rotated, the high intensity energy source/hot wire may move continuously or index once per revolution to, for example, overlay the surface of the round workpiece. If the workpiece is flat or at least not round, the workpiece may be moved under the high intensity energy source/hot wire as shown if
The system 100 further includes a sensing and current control subsystem 195 which is operatively connected to the workpiece 115 and the contact tube 160 (i.e., effectively connected to the output of the hot wire power supply 170) and is capable of measuring a potential difference (i.e., a voltage V) between and a current (I) through the workpiece 115 and the hot wire 140. The sensing and current control subsystem 195 may further be capable of calculating a resistance value (R=V/I) and/or a power value (P=V*I) from the measured voltage and current. In general, when the hot wire 140 is in contact with the workpiece 115, the potential difference between the hot wire 140 and the workpiece 115 is zero volts or very nearly zero volts. As a result, the sensing and current control subsystem 195 is capable of sensing when the resistive filler wire 140 is in contact with the workpiece 115 and is operatively connected to the hot wire power supply 170 to be further capable of controlling the flow of current through the resistive filler wire 140 in response to the sensing, as is described in more detail later herein. In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, the sensing and current controller 195 may be an integral part of the hot wire power supply 170.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the motion controller 180 may further be operatively connected to the laser power supply 130 and/or the sensing and current controller 195. In this manner, the motion controller 180 and the laser power supply 130 may communicate with each other such that the laser power supply 130 knows when the workpiece 115 is moving and such that the motion controller 180 knows if the laser device 120 is active. Similarly, in this manner, the motion controller 180 and the sensing and current controller 195 may communicate with each other such that the sensing and current controller 195 knows when the workpiece 115 is moving and such that the motion controller 180 knows if the hot filler wire feeder subsystem is active. Such communications may be used to coordinate activities between the various subsystems of the system 100.
In step 240, turn off the power source 170 to the at least one resistive filler wire 140 over a defined time interval (e.g., several milliseconds) in response to the sensing. The sensing and current controller 195 may command the power source 170 to turn off. In step 250, turn on the power source 170 at an end of the defined time interval to apply a flow of heating current through the at least one resistive filler wire 140. The sensing and current controller 195 may command the power source 170 to turn on. In step 260, apply energy from a high intensity energy source 110 to the workpiece 115 to heat the workpiece 115 at least while applying the flow of heating current.
As an option, the method 200 may include stopping the advancing of the wire 140 in response to the sensing, restarting the advancing (i.e., re-advancing) of the wire 140 at the end of the defined time interval, and verifying that the distal end of the filler wire 140 is still in contact with the workpiece 115 before applying the flow of heating current. The sensing and current controller 195 may command the wire feeder 150 to stop feeding and command the system 100 to wait (e.g., several milliseconds). In such an embodiment, the sensing and current controller 195 is operatively connected to the wire feeder 150 in order to command the wire feeder 150 to start and stop. The sensing and current controller 195 may command the hot wire power supply 170 to apply the heating current to heat the wire 140 and to again feed the wire 140 toward the workpiece 115.
Once the start up method is completed, the system 100 may enter a post start-up mode of operation where the laser beam 110 and hot wire 140 are moved in relation to the workpiece 115 to perform one of a brazing application, a cladding application, a build-up application, a hard-facing application, or a welding/joining operation.
In step 320, sense whenever the distal end of the at least one resistive filler wire 140 is about to lose contact with the workpiece 115 (i.e., provide a premonition capability). Such sensing may be accomplished by a premonition circuit within the sensing and current controller 195 measuring a rate of change of one of a potential difference between (dv/dt), a current through (di/dt), a resistance between (dr/dt), or a power through (dp/dt) the filler wire 140 and the workpiece 115. When the rate of change exceeds a predefined value, the sensing and current controller 195 formally predicts that loss of contact is about to occur. Such premonition circuits are well known in the art for arc welding.
When the distal end of the wire 140 becomes highly molten due to heating, the distal end may begin to pinch off from the wire 140 onto the workpiece 115. For example, at that time, the potential difference or voltage increases because the cross section of the distal end of the wire decreases rapidly as it is pinching off. Therefore, by measuring such a rate of change, the system 100 may anticipate when the distal end is about to pinch off and lose contact with the workpiece 115. Also, if contact is fully lost, a potential difference (i.e., a voltage level) which is significantly greater than zero volts may be measured by the sensing and current controller 195. This potential difference could cause an arc to form (which is undesirable) between the new distal end of the wire 140 and the workpiece 115 if the action in step 330 is not taken. Of course, in other embodiments the wire 140 may not show any appreciable pinching but will rather flow into the puddle in a continuous fashion while maintaining a nearly constant cross-section into the puddle.
In step 330, turn off (or at least greatly reduce, for example, by 95%) the flow of heating current through the at least one resistive filler wire 140 in response to sensing that the distal end of the at least one resistive filler wire 140 is about to lose contact with the workpiece 115. When the sensing and current controller 195 determines that contact is about to be lost, the controller 195 commands the hot wire power supply 170 to shut off (or at least greatly reduce) the current supplied to the hot wire 140. In this way, the formation of an unwanted arc is avoided, preventing any undesired effects such as splatter or burnthrough from occurring.
In step 340, sense whenever the distal end of the at least one resistive filler wire 140 again makes contact with the workpiece 115 due to the wire 140 continuing to advance toward the workpiece 115. Such sensing may be accomplished by the sensing and current controller 195 measuring a potential difference of about zero volts between the filler wire 140 (e.g., via the contact tube 160) and the workpiece 115. When the distal end of the filler wire 140 is shorted to the workpiece 115 (i.e., makes contact with the workpiece), a significant voltage level above zero volts may not exist between the filler wire 140 and the workpiece 115. The phrase “again makes contact” is used herein to refer to the situation where the wire 140 advances toward the workpiece 115 and the measured voltage between the wire 140 (e.g., via the contact tube 160) and the workpiece 115 is about zero volts, whether or not the distal end of the wire 140 actually fully pinches off from the workpiece 115 or not. In step 350, re-apply the flow of heating current through the at least one resistive filler wire in response to sensing that the distal end of the at least one resistive filler wire again makes contact with the workpiece. The sensing and current controller 195 may command the hot wire power supply 170 to re-apply the heating current to continue to heat the wire 140. This process may continue for the duration of the overlaying application.
For example,
Whenever the distal end of the resistive filler wire 140 is about to lose contact with the workpiece 115, the rate of change of the voltage waveform 410 (i.e., dv/dt) will exceed a predetermined threshold value, indicating that pinch off is about to occur (see the slope at point 411 of the waveform 410). As alternatives, a rate of change of current through (di/dt), a rate of change of resistance between (dr/dt), or a rate of change of power through (dp/dt) the filler wire 140 and the workpiece 115 may instead be used to indicate that pinch off is about to occur. Such rate of change premonition techniques are well known in the art. At that point in time, the sensing and current controller 195 will command the hot wire power supply 170 to turn off (or at least greatly reduce) the flow of current through the wire 140.
When the sensing and current controller 195 senses that the distal end of the filler wire 140 again makes good contact with the workpiece 115 after some time interval 430 (e.g., the voltage level drops back to about zero volts at point 412), the sensing and current controller 195 commands the hot wire power supply 170 to ramp up the flow of current (see ramp 425) through the resistive filler wire 140 toward a predetermined output current level 450. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the ramping up starts from a set point value 440. This process repeats as the energy source 120 and wire 140 move relative to the workpiece 115 and as the wire 140 advances towards the workpiece 115 due to the wire feeder 150. In this manner, contact between the distal end of the wire 140 and the workpiece 115 is largely maintained and an arc is prevented from forming between the distal end of the wire 140 and the workpiece 115. Ramping of the heating current helps to prevent inadvertently interpreting a rate of change of voltage as a pinch off condition or an arcing condition when no such condition exists. Any large change of current may cause a faulty voltage reading to be taken due to the inductance in the heating circuit. When the current is ramped up gradually, the effect of inductance is reduced.
Whenever the distal end of the resistive filler wire 140 is about to lose contact with the workpiece 115, the rate of change of the voltage waveform 510 (i.e., dv/dt) will exceed a predetermined threshold value, indicating that pinch off is about to occur (see the slope at point 511 of the waveform 510). As alternatives, a rate of change of current through (di/dt), a rate of change of resistance between (dr/dt), or a rate of change of power through (dp/dt) the filler wire 140 and the workpiece 115 may instead be used to indicate that pinch off is about to occur. Such rate of change premonition techniques are well known in the art. At that point in time, the sensing and current controller 195 will command the hot wire power supply 170 to turn off (or at least greatly reduce) the flow of current through the wire 140.
When the sensing and current controller 195 senses that the distal end of the filler wire 140 again makes good contact with the workpiece 115 after some time interval 530 (e.g., the voltage level drops back to about zero volts at point 512), the sensing and current controller 195 commands the hot wire power supply 170 to apply the flow of heating current (see heating current level 525) through the resistive filler wire 140. This process repeats as the energy source 120 and wire 140 move relative to the workpiece 115 and as the wire 140 advances towards the workpiece 115 due to the wire feeder 150. In this manner, contact between the distal end of the wire 140 and the workpiece 115 is largely maintained and an arc is prevented from forming between the distal end of the wire 140 and the workpiece 115. Since the heating current is not being gradually ramped in this case, certain voltage readings may be ignored as being inadvertent or faulty due to the inductance in the heating circuit.
In summary, a method and system to start and use a combination wire feed and energy source system for any of brazing, cladding, building up, filling, and hard-facing overlaying applications are disclosed. High intensity energy is applied onto a workpiece to heat the workpiece. One or more resistive filler wires are fed toward the workpiece at or just in front of the applied high intensity energy. Sensing of when a distal end of the one or more resistive filler wires makes contact with the workpiece at or near the applied high intensity energy is accomplished. Electric heating current to the one or more resistive filler wires is controlled based on whether or not the distal end of the one or more resistive filler wires is in contact with the workpiece. The applied high intensity energy and the one or more resistive filler wires are moved in a same direction along the workpiece in a fixed relation to each other.
In further exemplary embodiments, systems and methods of the present invention are employed for welding or joining operations. The embodiments discussed above have focused on the use of filler metals in overlaying operations. However, aspects of the present invention can be used in welding and joining applications in which workpieces are joined using welding operations and the use of a filler metal. Although directed to overlaying a filler metal, the above described embodiments, systems and methods are similar to that employed in welding operations, described more fully below. Therefore, in the following discussions it is understood that the discussions above generally apply, unless otherwise stated. Further, the following discussion may include reference to
It is known that welding/joining operations typically join multiple workpieces together in a welding operation where a filler metal is combined with at least some of the workpiece metal to form a joint. Because of the desire to increase production throughput in welding operations, there is a constant need for faster welding operations, which do not result in welds which have a substandard quality. Furthermore, there is a need to provide systems which can weld quickly under adverse environmental conditions, such as in remote work sites. As described below, exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide significant advantages over existing welding technologies. Such advantages include, but are not limited to, reduced total heat input resulting in low distortion of the workpiece, very high welding travel speeds, very low spatter rates, welding with the absence of shielding, welding plated or coated materials at high speeds with little or no spatter and welding complex materials at high speeds.
In exemplary embodiments of the present invention, very high welding speeds, as compared to arc welding, can be obtained using coated workpieces, which typically require significant prep work and are much slower welding processes using arc welding methods. As an example, the following discussion will focus on welding galvanized workpieces. Galvanization of metal is used in increase the corrosion resistance of the metal and is desirable in many industrial applications. However, conventional welding of galvanized workpieces can be problematic. Specifically, during welding the zinc in the galvanization vaporizes and this zinc vapor can become trapped in the weld puddle as the puddle solidifies, causing porosity. This porosity adversely affects the strength of the weld joint. Because of this, existing welding techniques require a first step of removing the galvanization or welding through the galvanization at lower processing speeds and with some level of defects—which is inefficient and causes delay, or requires the welding process to proceed slowly. By slowing the process the weld puddle remains molten for a longer period of time allowing the vaporized zinc to escape. However, because of the slow speed production rates are slow and the overall heat input into the weld can be high. Other coatings which can cause similar issues include, but are not limited to: paint, stamping lubricants, glass linings, aluminized coatings, surface heat treatment, nitriding or carbonizing treatments, cladding treatments, or other vaporizing coatings or materials. Exemplary embodiments of the present invention eliminate these issues, as explained below.
Turning to
As shown in
Because the filler wire 140 is preheated to at or near its melting point its presence in the weld puddle will not appreciably cool or solidify the puddle and is quickly consumed into the weld puddle. The general operation and control of the filler wire 140 is as described previously with respect to the overlaying embodiments.
Because the laser beam 110 can be precisely focused and directed to the surfaces 601/603, the depth of penetration for the pools 601A/603A can be precisely controlled. By controlling this depth carefully, embodiments of the present invention prevent any unnecessary penetration or melting of the surface 605. Because of the surface 605 is not overly melted any coating on the surface 605 is not vaporized and does not become trapped in the weld puddle. Further, any coating on the surface of the weld joint 601 and 603 are easily vaporized by the laser beam 110 and that gas is allowed to escape the weld zone before the weld puddle solidifies. It is contemplated that a gas extraction system can be utilized to aid in the removal of any vaporized coating materials.
Because the depth of weld puddle penetration can be precisely controlled the speed of welding coated workpieces can be greatly increased, while significantly minimizing or eliminating porosity. Some arc welding system can achieve good travel speeds for welding, but at the higher speeds problems can occur such as porosity and spatter. In exemplary embodiments of the present invention, very high travel speeds can be achieved with little or no porosity or spatter (as discussed herein) and in fact travel speeds of over 50 inches/min can be easily achieved for many different types of welding operations. Embodiments of the present invention can achieve welding travel speeds over 80 inches/minute. Further, other embodiments can achieve travel speeds in the range of 100 to 150 inches/min with minimal or no porosity or spatter, as discussed herein. Of course, the speeds achieved will be a function of the workpiece properties (thickness and composition) and the wire properties (e.g., dia.), but these speeds are readily achievable in many different welding and joining applications when using embodiments of the present invention. Further, these speeds can be achieved with either a 100% carbon dioxide shielding gas, or can be achieved with no shielding at all. Additionally, these travel speeds can be achieved without removing any surface coating prior to the creation of the weld puddle and welding. Of course, it is contemplated that higher travel speeds can be achieved. Furthermore, because of the reduced heat input into the weld these high speeds can be achieved in thinner workpieces 115, which typically have a slower weld speed because heat input must be kept low to avoid distortion. Not only can embodiments of the present invention achieve the above described high travel speeds with little or no porosity or spatter, but they can also achieve very high deposition rates, with low admixture. Specifically, embodiments of the present invention can achieve deposition rates of 10 lb/hr or higher with no shielding gas and little or no porosity or spatter. In some embodiments the deposition rate is in the range of 10 to 20 lb/hr.
In the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, these extremely high travel speeds are achieved with little or no porosity and little or no spatter. Porosity of a weld can be determined by examining a cross-section and/or a length of the weld bead to identify porosity ratios. The cross-section porosity ratio is the total area of porosity in a given cross-section over the total cross-sectional area of the weld joint at that point. The length porosity ratio is the total accumulated length of pores in a given unit length of weld joint. Embodiments of the present invention can achieve the above described travel speeds with a cross-sectional porosity between 0 and 20%. Thus, a weld bead with no bubbles or cavities will have a 0% porosity. In other exemplary embodiments, the cross-sectional porosity can be in the range of 0 to 10%, and in another exemplary embodiment can be in the range of 2 to 5%. It is understood that in some welding applications some level of porosity is acceptable. Further, in exemplary embodiments of the invention the length porosity of the weld is in the range of 0 to 20%, and can be 0 to 10%. In further exemplary embodiments the length porosity ratio is in the range of 1 to 5%. Thus, for example, welds can be produced that have a cross-sectional porosity in the range of 2 to 5% and a length porosity ratio of 1 to 5%.
Furthermore, embodiments of the present invention can weld at the above identified travel speeds with little or no spatter. Spatter occurs when droplets of the weld puddle are caused to spatter outside of the weld zone. When weld spatter occurs it can compromise the quality of the weld and can cause production delays as it must be typically cleaned off of the workpieces after the welding process. Thus, there is great benefit to welding at high speed with no spatter. Embodiments of the present invention are capable of welding at the above high travel speeds with a spatter factor in the range of 0 to 0.5, where the spatter factor is the weight of the spatter over a given travel distance X (in mg) over the weight of the consumed filler wire 140 over the same distance X (in Kg). That is:
Spatter Factor=(spatter weight(mg)/consumed filler wire weight(Kg))
The distance X should be a distance allowing for a representative sampling of the weld joint. That is, if the distance X is too short, e.g., 0.5 inch, it may not be representative of the weld. Thus, a weld joint with a spatter factor of 0 would have no spatter for the consumed filler wire over the distance X, and a weld with a spatter of factor of 2.5 had 5 mg of spatter for 2 Kg of consumed filler wire. In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the spatter factor is in the range of 0 to 1. In a further exemplary embodiment, the spatter factor is in the range of 0 to 0.5. In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention the spatter factor is in the range of 0 to 0.3. It should be noted that embodiments of the present invention can achieve the above described spatter factor ranges with or without the use of any external shielding—which includes either shielding gas or flux shielding. Furthermore, the above spatter factor ranges can be achieved when welding uncoated or coated workpieces, including workpieces which are galvanized—without having the galvanization removed prior to the welding operation.
There are a number of methods to measure spatter for a weld joint. One method can include the use of a “spatter boat.” For such a method a representative weld sample is placed in a container with a sufficient size to capture all, or almost all, of the spatter generated by a weld bead. The container or portions of the container—such as the top—can move with the weld process to ensure that the spatter is captured. Typically the boat is made from copper so the spatter does not stick to the surfaces. The representative weld is performed above the bottom of the container such that any spatter created during the weld will fall into the container. During the weld the amount of consumed filler wire is monitored. After the weld is completed the spatter boat is to be weighed by a device having sufficient accuracy to determine the difference, if any, between the pre-weld and post-weld weight of the container. This difference represents the weight of the spatter and is then divided by the amount, in Kg, of the consumed filler wire. Alternatively, if the spatter does not stick to the boat the spatter can be removed and weighed by itself.
As described previously, the use of the laser device 120 allows for precise control of the depth of the weld puddle. Furthermore, the use of the laser 120 permits easy adjustment of the size and depth of the weld puddle. This is because the laser beam 110 can be focused/de-focused easily or have its beam intensity changed very easily. Because of these abilities the heat distribution on the workpieces W1 and W2 can be precisely controlled. This control allows for the creation of very narrow weld puddles for precise welding as well as minimizing the size of the weld zone on the workpiece. This also provides advantages in minimizing the areas of the workpiece that are not affected by the weld bead. Specifically, the areas of the workpieces adjacent to the weld bead will have minimal affects from the welding operation, which is often not the case in arc welding operations.
In exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the shape and/or intensity of the beam 110 can be adjusted/changed during the welding process. For example, it may be necessary at certain places on a workpiece to change the depth of penetration or to change the size of the weld bead. In such embodiments the shape, intensity, and/or size of the beam 110 can be adjusted during the welding process to provide the needed change in the welding parameters.
As described above, the filler wire 140 impacts the same weld puddle as the laser beam 110. In an exemplary embodiment, the filler wire 140 impacts the weld puddle at the same location as the laser beam 110. However, in other exemplary embodiments the filler wire 140 can impact the same weld puddle remotely from the laser beam. In the embodiment shown in
The above described embodiment was described with respect to workpieces which have a coating, such as galvanization. However, embodiments of the present invention can also be used on workpieces that have no coating. Specifically, the same above described welding process can be utilized with non-coated workpieces. Such embodiments achieve the same performance attributes as described above regarding coated metals.
Further, exemplary embodiments of the present invention are not limited to welding steel workpieces, but can also be used for welding aluminum, or more complex metals—as will be described further below.
Another beneficial aspect of the present invention is related to shielding gas. In a typical arc welding operation a shielding gas or shielding flux is used to prevent the oxygen and nitrogen in the atmosphere, or other harmful elements, from interacting with the weld puddle and metal transfer. Such interference can be detrimental to the quality and appearance of the weld. Therefore, in almost all arc welding processes shielding is provided by the use of externally supplied shielding gas, shielding gas created by the consumption of an electrode having flux on it (e.g., stick electrode, flux cored electrode, etc.) or by an externally supplied granulated flux (e.g., sub-arc welding). Further, in some welding operations, such as welding specialized metals or welding galvanized work pieces, a special shielding gas mixture must be employed. Such mixtures can be extremely expensive. Further, when welding in extreme environments it is often difficult to transport large quantities of shielding gas to the work site (such as at pipelines), or wind tends to blow the shielding gas away from the arc. Further, the use of fume extraction systems has grown in recent years. While these systems tend to remove fumes they also tend to draw away shielding gas if placed to close to the welding operation.
Benefits of the present invention include being able to use minimal amounts or no shielding gas when welding. Alternatively, embodiments of the present invention allow the use of shielding gasses that would normally not be able to be used for a specific welding operation. This is discussed further below.
When welding typical workpieces (non-coated) with an arc welding process, shielding—regardless of its form—is required. It has been discovered that when welding with embodiments of the present invention, no shielding is required. That is no shielding gas, no granular flux and no self-shielding electrodes need be used. However, unlike in an arc welding process, the present invention produces a quality weld. That is, the above described weld speeds can be achieved without the use of any shielding. This could not have been accomplished with prior arc welding processes.
During a typical arc welding process a molten droplet of the filler wire is transferred from the filler wire to the weld puddle through the welding arc. Without shielding the entire surface of the droplet is exposed to the atmosphere during transfer and as such tends to pick up the nitrogen and oxygen in the atmosphere and deliver the nitrogen and oxygen to the weld puddle. This is not desirable.
Because the present invention delivers the filler wire to the weld without the use of droplets, or similar processes, the filler wire is not exposed to the atmosphere as much. Therefore, in many welding applications the use of shielding is not required. As such, not only can embodiments of the present invention achieve high welding speeds with little or no porosity or spatter, they can do so without the use of shielding gas.
Without having to use shielding, it is possible to locate a fume extraction nozzle much closer to the weld joint during welding, thus providing more efficient and effective fume extraction. When a shielding gas is employed it is necessary to place the fume extraction nozzle at a location such that it does not interfere with the function of the shielding gas. Because of the advantages of the present invention, no such restriction exists and fume extraction can be optimized. For example, in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention the laser beam 110 is protected by a laser shroud assembly 1901 which shields the beam from the laser 120 to near the surface of the workpiece 115. A representation of this can be seen in
In exemplary embodiments of the present invention used to weld coated workpieces, such as galvanized work pieces, a much less expensive shielding gas may be employed. For example, a 100% CO2 shielding gas can be used for welding many different materials, including mild steels. This is also true when welding more complex metals, such as stainless steel, duplex steel and super duplex steel, which can be welded with only a 100% nitrogen shielding gas. In typical arc welding operations, the welding of stainless steel, duplex steel or super-duplex steel requires more complex mixtures of shielding gas, which can be quite expensive. Embodiments of the present invention allow these steels to be welded with only a 100% nitrogen shielding gas. Further, other embodiments can have these steels welded with no shielding. In a typical welding process for galvanized materials, a special mix shielding gas must be utilized, such as an argon/CO2 blend. This type of gas needs to be used, in part, because during normal arc welding a cathode and anode is present in the weld zone. However, as explained above and further explained below, there is no welding arc and, as such, there is no anode or cathode present in the weld zone. Therefore, the opportunity for the filler metal to pick up harmful elements from the atmosphere is greatly reduced, as there is no arc and no droplet transfer. It should be noted that even though many embodiments of the present invention permit welding without the use of shielding—like shielding gas—a gas flow can be utilized over the weld to remove vapor or contaminates from the weld zone. That is, during welding it is contemplated that air, nitrogen, CO2, or other gases, can be blown over the weld so as to remove contaminates from the weld zone.
In addition to be able to weld coated materials at high speeds, embodiments of the present invention can also be utilized to weld dual-phase steels with a significantly reduced heat affected zone (“HAZ”). A dual-phase steel is a high strength steel having both a ferrite and martensitic microstructure, thus allowing the steel to have high strength and good formability. Because of the nature of dual-phase steels the strength of a dual phase steel weld is limited by the strength of the heat affected zone. The heat affected zone is the zone around the weld joint (not including the filler metal) which is significantly heated from the welding process such that its microstructure is adversely changed because of the arc welding process. In known arc welding processes the heat affected zone is quite large because of the size of the arc plasma and the high heat input into the weld zone. Because the heat affected zone is quite large the heat affected zone becomes the strength limiting portion of the weld. As such, arc welding processes typically use mild steel filler wires 140 to weld such joints (for example, ER70S-6, or -3 type electrodes) since the use of high strength electrodes is unnecessary. Furthermore, because of this designers must locate welding joints in dual-phase steels strategically out of high stress structures—such as in automobile frames, bumpers, engine cradles, etc.
As discussed above the use of the laser device 120 provides high levels of precision in the creation of the weld puddle. Because of this precision the heat affected zone surrounding the weld bead can be kept very small, or the overall effect of the heat affected zone to the workpiece can be minimized. In fact, in some embodiments the heat affected zone of the work piece can be nearly eliminated. This is done by maintaining the focus of the laser beam 110 only on the portions of the workpiece in which a puddle is to be created. By significantly reducing the size of the heat affected zone the strength of the base metal is not compromised as much as if an arc welding process is used. As such, the presence or location of the heat affected zone is no longer the limiting factor in the design of a welded structure. Embodiments of the present invention allow for the use of higher strength filler wires because the composition and strength of the workpiece and the strength of the filler wire can be the driving factors in a structural design, rather than the heat affected zone. For example, embodiments of the present invention now permit the use of electrodes having at least an 80 ksi yield strength, such as ER80S-D2, type electrodes. Of course, this electrode is intended to be exemplary. Furthermore, because there is less overall heat input then from arc welding the cooling rates of the puddle will be quicker, which means that the chemistry of the filler wires used can be leaner but give equal or greater performance over existing wire.
Additionally, exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be used to weld titanium with significantly reduced shielding requirements. It is known that when welding titanium with an arc welding process great care must be taken to ensure an acceptable weld is created. This is because during the welding process titanium has a strong affinity to react with oxygen. The reaction between titanium and oxygen creates titanium dioxide, which if present in the weld pool may significantly reduce the strength and/or ductility of the weld joint. Because of this, when arc welding titanium it is necessary to provide a significant amount of trailing shielding gas to shield not only the arc but the trailing molten puddle from the atmosphere as the puddle cools. Because of the heat generated from arc welding the weld puddle can be quite large and remain molten for long periods of time, thus requiring a significant amount of shielding gas. Embodiments of the present invention significantly reduce the time the material is molten and rapidly cools so the need for this extra shielding gas is reduced.
As explained above, the laser beam 110 can be focused very carefully to significantly reduce the overall heat input into the weld zone and thus significantly reduce the size of the weld puddle. Because the weld puddle is smaller the weld puddle cools much quicker. As such, there is no need for a trailing shielding gas, but only shielding at the weld. Further, for the similar reasons discussed above the spatter factor when welding titanium is greatly reduced while the rate of welding is increased.
Turning now to
Thus, embodiments of the present invention greatly improve the efficiencies and speeds at which these types of welds can be performed. Specifically, the use of shielding gas can be eliminated, or greatly reduced, and the generation of slag can be completely eliminated. Furthermore, welding at high speeds can be obtained with minimal spatter and porosity.
In fact, exemplary embodiments of the present invention are not limited to directing a single filler wire to each respective weld puddle. Because no welding arc is generated in the welding process described herein, more than one filler wire can be directed to any one weld puddle. By increasing the number of filler wires to a given weld puddle the overall deposition rate of the weld process can be significantly increased without a significant increase in heat input. Thus, it is contemplated that open root weld joints (such as the type shown in
Further, as shown in
In such an embodiment, using multiple laser devices, many aspects of the welding operation can be varied to adapt to different welding needs. For example, the beams generated by the separate laser devices can have different energy densities; can have different shapes, and/or different cross-sectional areas at the weld joint. With this flexibility, aspects of the welding process can be modified and customized to fulfill any specific weld parameters needed. Of course, this can also be accomplished with the utilization of a single laser device and a beam splitter 121, but some of the flexibility may be limited with the use of the single laser source. Further, the present invention is not limited to either a single or double laser configuration, as it is contemplated that any number of lasers can be used as desired.
In further exemplary embodiments, a beam scanning device can be used. Such devices are known in the laser or beam emitting arts and are used to scan the beam 110 in a pattern over a surface of the workpiece. With such devices the scan rates and patterns, as well as the dwell time, can be used to heat the workpiece 115 in the desired fashion. Further, the output power of the energy source (e.g., laser) can be regulated as desired to create the desired puddle formation. Additionally, the optics employed within the laser 120 can be optimized based on the desired operation and joint parameters. For example, line and integrator optics can be utilized to produce a focused line beam for a wide welding or cladding operation or an integrator can be used to produce a square/rectangular beam having a uniform power distribution.
Because of the precision of the laser beams 110 and 110A, the beams 110/110A can be focused only on the surfaces 701/703 and away from the gap 705. Because of this, the melt-through (which would normally fall through the gap 705) can be controlled which greatly improves the control of the back-side weld bead (the weld bead at the bottom surface of the gap 705).
In each of
It should be noted that the high intensity energy sources, such as the laser devices 120 discussed herein, should be of a type having sufficient power to provide the necessary energy density for the desired welding operation. That is, the laser device 120 should have a power sufficient to create and maintain a stable weld puddle throughout the welding process, and also reach the desired weld penetration. For example, for some applications lasers should have the ability to “keyhole” the workpieces being welded. This means that the laser should have sufficient power to fully penetrate the workpiece, while maintaining that level of penetration as the laser travels along the workpiece. Exemplary lasers should have power capabilities in the range of 1 to 20 kW, and may have a power capability in the range of 5 to 20 kW. Higher power lasers can be utilized, but can become very costly. Of course, it is noted that the use of the beam splitter 121 or multiple lasers can be used in other types of weld joints as well, and can be used in lap joints such as those shown in
As shown in
When welding butt-type joints with known arc technology there can be significant problems with “arc blow”, which occurs when the magnetic fields generated by welding arcs interfere with each other such that the arcs cause each other to move erratically. Further, when two or more arc welding systems are being used to weld on a the same weld joint there can be significant issues caused by the interference of the respective welding currents. Additionally, because of the depth of penetration of arc welding methods, due to—in part—the high heat input, the thicknesses of the workpieces that can be welded with arcs on either side of the weld joint are limited. That is, such welding cannot be done on thin workpieces.
When welding with embodiments of the present invention, these issues are eliminated. Because there is no welding arc being utilized there is no arc blow interference or welding current interference issues. Further, because of the precise control in heat input and depth of penetration which is capable through the use of lasers, much thinner workpieces can be welded on both sides of the weld joint at the same time.
A further exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown in
In a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the first puddle 903 can be the weld puddle which creates the weld for the joint. This first puddle/joint is created with a first laser 120 and a filler wire (not shown), and is made to appropriate depth of penetration. After this weld joint is made a second laser (not shown) emitting a second laser beam 110A passes over the joint to create a second puddle 903 with a different profile where this second puddle is used to deposit an overlay of some kind as discussed with the embodiments above. This overlay will be deposited using a second filler wire, having a different chemistry than the first filler wire. For example, embodiments of this invention can be used to place a corrosion resistant cladding layer over the weld joint shortly or immediately after the joint is welded. This welding operation can also be accomplished with a single laser device 120 where the beam 110 is oscillated between a first beam shape/density and a second beam shape/density to provide the desired weld puddle profile. Thus, it is not necessary for multiple laser devices to be employed.
As explained above, a corrosion resistant coating on the workpieces (such as galvanization), is removed during the welding process. However it may be desirable to have the weld joint coated again for corrosion resistance purposes and so the second beam 110A and laser can be used to add a corrosion resistant overlay 903, such as a cladding layer, on top of the joint 901.
Because of the various advantages of the present invention, it is also possible to easily join dissimilar metals via a welding operation. Joining dissimilar metals with an arc welding process is difficult using an arc welding process because the dissimilar materials and the required chemistries for a filler material can lead to cracking and inferior welds. This is particularly true when attempting to arc weld aluminum and steel together, which have very different melting temperatures, or when trying weld stainless steels to mild steel, because of their different chemistries. However, with embodiments of the present invention, such issues are mitigated.
In
Because dissimilar metals are being joined the chemistry of the filler wires should be chosen to ensure that the wires can sufficiently bond with the metals being joined. Furthermore, the composition of the filler wire(s) should be chosen such that it has a suitable melt temperature, which allows it to melt and be consumed in the weld puddle of the lower temperature weld puddle. In fact, it is contemplated that the chemistries of the multiple filler wires can be different to attain the proper weld chemistry. This is particularly the case when the two different workpieces have material compositions where minimal admixture will occur between the materials. In
The operation of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described. As discussed above, embodiments of the present invention employ both a high intensity energy source and a power supply which heats the filler wire. Each aspect of this process will be discussed in turn. It is noted that the following descriptions and discussions are not intended to supplant or replace any of the discussions provided previously with respect to the previously discussed overlaying embodiments, but are intended to supplement those discussions relative to welding or joining applications. The discussions previously regarding overlaying operations are incorporated also for purposes of joining and welding.
Exemplary embodiments for joining/welding can be similar to that shown in
In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the hot wire power supply 170 supplies a current which maintains at least a portion of the filler wire at a temperature at or above 75% of its melting temperature. For example, when using a mild steel filler wire 140 the temperature of the wire before it enters the puddle can be approximately 1,600° F., whereas the wire has a melting temperature of about 2,000° F. Of course, it is understood that the respective melting temperatures and desired operational temperatures will varying on at least the alloy, composition, diameter and feed rate of the filler wire. In another exemplary embodiment, the power supply 170 maintains a portion of the filler wire at a temperature at or above 90% of its melting temperature. In further exemplary embodiments, portions of the wire are maintained at a temperature of the wire which is at or above 95% of its melting temperature. In exemplary embodiments, the wire 140 will have a temperature gradient from the point at which the heating current is imparted to the wire 140 and the puddle, where the temperature at the puddle is higher than that at the input point of the heating current. It is desirable to have the hottest temperature of the wire 140 at or near the point at which the wire enters the puddle to facilitate efficient melting of the wire 140. Thus, the temperature percentages stated above are to be measured on the wire at or near the point at which the wires enters the puddle. By maintaining the filler wire 140 at a temperature close to or at its melting temperature the wire 140 is easily melted into or consumed into the weld puddle created by the heat source/laser 120. That is, the wire 140 is of a temperature which does not result in significantly quenching the weld puddle when the wire 140 makes contact with the puddle. Because of the high temperature of the wire 140 the wire melts quickly when it makes contact with the weld puddle. It is desirable to have the wire temperature such that the wire does not bottom out in the weld pool—make contact with the non-melted portion of the weld pool. Such contact can adversely affect the quality of the weld.
As described previously, in some exemplary embodiments, the complete melting of the wire 140 can be facilitated only by entry of the wire 140 into the puddle. However, in other exemplary embodiments the wire 140 can be completely melted by a combination of the puddle and the laser beam 110 impacting on a portion of the wire 140. In yet other embodiments of the present invention, the heating/melting of the wire 140 can be aided by the laser beam 110 such that the beam 110 contributes to the heating of the wire 140. However, because many filler wires 140 are made of materials which can be reflective, if a reflective laser type is used the wire 140 should be heated to a temperature such that its surface reflectivity is reduced, allowing the beam 110 to contribute to the heating/melting of the wire 140. In exemplary embodiments of this configuration, the wire 140 and beam 110 intersect at the point at which the wire 140 enters the puddle.
As also discussed previously with regard to
However, in other exemplary embodiments of the present invention it is possible to provide a current at such a level so that a voltage level above 0 volts is attained without an arc being created. By utilizing higher currents values it is possible to maintain the electrode 140 at temperatures at a higher level and closer to an electrode's melting temperature. This allows the welding process to proceed faster. In exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the power supply 170 monitors the voltage and as the voltage reaches or approaches a voltage value at some point above 0 volts the power supply 170 stops flowing current to the wire 140 to ensure that no arc is created. The voltage threshold level will typically vary, at least in part, due to the type of welding electrode 140 being used. For example, in some exemplary embodiments of the present invention the threshold voltage level is at or below 6 volts. In another exemplary embodiment, the threshold level is at or below 9 volts. In a further exemplary embodiment, the threshold level is at or below 14 volts, and in an additional exemplary embodiment; the threshold level is at or below 16 volts. For example, when using mild steel filler wires the threshold level for voltage will be of the lower type, while filler wires which are for stainless steel welding can handle the higher voltage before an arc is created.
In further exemplary embodiments, rather than maintaining a voltage level below a threshold, such as above, the voltage is maintained in an operational range. In such an embodiment, it is desirable to maintain the voltage above a minimum amount—ensuring a high enough current to maintain the filler wire at or near its melting temperature but below a voltage level such that no welding arc is created. For example, the voltage can be maintained in a range of 1 to 16 volts. In a further exemplary embodiment the voltage is maintained in a range of 6 to 9 volts. In another example, the voltage can be maintained between 12 and 16 volts. Of course, the desired operational range can be affected by the filler wire 140 used for the welding operation, such that a range (or threshold) used for a welding operation is selected, at least in part, based on the filler wire used or characteristics of the filler wire used. In utilizing such a range the bottom of the range is set to a voltage at which the filler wire can be sufficiently consumed in the weld puddle and the upper limit of the range is set to a voltage such that the creation of an arc is avoided.
As described previously, as the voltage exceeds a desired threshold voltage the heating current is shut off by the power supply 170 such that no arc is created. This aspect of the present invention will be discussed further below.
In the many embodiments described above the power supply 170 contains circuitry which is utilized to monitor and maintain the voltage as described above. The construction of such type of circuitry is known to those in the industry. However, traditionally such circuitry has been utilized to maintain voltage above a certain threshold for arc welding.
In further exemplary embodiments, the heating current can also be monitored and/or regulated by the power supply 170. This can be done in addition to monitoring voltage, power, or some level of a voltage/amperage characteristic as an alternative. That is, the current can be maintained at a desired level or levels to ensure that the wire 140 is maintained at an appropriate temperature—for proper consumption in the weld puddle, but yet below an arc generation current level. For example, in such an embodiment the voltage and/or the current are being monitored to ensure that either one or both are within a specified range or below a desired threshold. The power supply then regulates the current supplied to ensure that no arc is created but the desired operational parameters are maintained.
In yet a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the heating power (V×I) can also be monitored and regulated by the power supply 170. Specifically, in such embodiments the voltage and current for the heating power is monitored to be maintained at a desired level, or in a desired range. Thus, the power supply not only regulates the voltage or current to the wire, but can regulate both the current and the voltage. Such an embodiment may provide improved control over the welding system. In such embodiments the heating power to the wire can be set to an upper threshold level or an optimal operational range such that the power is to be maintained either below the threshold level or within the desired range (similar to that discussed above regarding the voltage). Again, the threshold or range settings will be based on characteristics of the filler wire and welding being performed, and can be based—at least in part—on the filler wire selected. For example, it may be determined that an optimal power setting for a mild steel electrode having a diameter of 0.045″ is in the range of 1950 to 2,050 watts. The power supply will regulate the voltage and current such that the power remains in this operational range. Similarly, if the power threshold is set at 2,000 watts, the power supply will regulate the voltage and current so that the power level does not exceed but is close to this threshold.
In further exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the power supply 170 contains circuits which monitor the rate of change of the heating voltage (dv/dt), current (di/dt), and or power (dp/dt). Such circuits are often called premonition circuits and their general construction is known. In such embodiments, the rate of change of the voltage, current and/or power is monitored such that if the rate of change exceeds a certain threshold the heating current to the wire 140 is turned off.
In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the change of resistance (dr/dt) is also monitored. In such an embodiment, the resistance in the wire between the contact tip and the puddle is monitored. During welding, as the wire heats up it starts to neck down and has a tendency to form an arc, during which time the resistance in the wire increases exponentially. When this increase is detected the output of the power supply is turned off as described herein to ensure an arc is not created. Embodiments regulate the voltage, current, or both, to ensure that the resistance in the wire is maintained at a desired level.
In further exemplary embodiments of the present invention, rather than shutting off the heating current when the threshold level is detected, the power supply 170 reduces the heating current to a non-arc generation level. Such a level can be a background current level where no arc will be generated if the wire is separated from the weld puddle. For example, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention can have a non-arc generation current level of 50 amps, where once an arc generation is detected or predicted, or an upper threshold (discussed above) is reached, the power supply 170 drops the heating current from its operating level to the non-arc generation level for either a predetermined amount of time (for example, 1 to 10 ms) or until the detected voltage, current, power, and/or resistance drops below the upper threshold. This non-arc generation threshold can be a voltage level, current level, resistance level, and/or a power level. In such embodiments, by maintaining a current output during an arc generation event—albeit at a low level—it can cause a quicker recovery to the heating current operational level.
In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the output of the power supply 170 is controlled such that no substantial arc is created during the welding operation. In some exemplary welding operations the power supply can be controlled such that no substantial arc is created between the filler wire 140 and the puddle. It is generally known that an arc is created between a physical gap between the distal end of the filler wire 140 and the weld puddle. As described above, exemplary embodiments of the present invention prevent this arc from being created by keeping the filler wire 140 in contact with the puddle. However, in some exemplary embodiments the presence of an insubstantial arc will not compromise the quality of the weld. That is, in some exemplary welding operations the creation of an insubstantial arc of a short duration will not result in a level of heat input that will compromise the weld quality. In such embodiments, the welding system and power supply is controlled and operated as described herein with respect to avoiding an arc completely, but the power supply 170 is controlled such that to the extent an arc is created the arc is insubstantial. In some exemplary embodiments, the power supply 170 is operated such that a created arc has a duration of less than 10 ms. In other exemplary embodiments the arc has a duration of less than 1 ms, and in other exemplary embodiments the arc has a duration of less than 300 μs. In such embodiments, the existence of such arcs does not compromise the weld quality because the arc does not impart substantial heat input into the weld or cause significant spatter or porosity. Thus, in such embodiments the power supply 170 is controlled such that to the extent an arc is created it is kept insubstantial in duration so that the weld quality is not compromised. The same control logic and components as discussed herein with respect to other embodiments can be used in these exemplary embodiments. However, for the upper threshold limit the power supply 170 can use the detection of the creation of an arc, rather than a threshold point (of current, power, voltage, resistance) below a predetermined or predicted arc creation point. Such an embodiment can allow the welding operation to operate closer to its limits.
Because the filler wire 140 is desired to be in a constantly shorted state (in constant contact with the weld puddle) the current tends to decay at a slow rate. This is because of the inductance present in the power supply, welding cables and workpiece. In some applications, it may be necessary to force the current to decay at a faster rate such that the current in the wire is reduced at a high rate. Generally, the faster the current can be reduced the better control over the joining method will be achieved. In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the ramp down time for the current, after detection of a threshold being reached or exceeded, is 1 millisecond. In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the ramp down time for the current is 300 microseconds or less. In another exemplary embodiment, the ramp down time is in the range of 300 to 100 microseconds.
In an exemplary embodiment, to achieve such ramp down times, a ramp down circuit is introduced into the power supply 170 which aids in reducing the ramp down time when an arc is predicted or detected. For example, when an arc is either detected or predicted a ramp down circuit opens up which introduces resistance into the circuit. For example, the resistance can be of a type which reduces the flow of current to below 50 amps in 50 microseconds. A simplified example of such a circuit is shown in
The above discussion can be further understood with reference to
The CPU/controller 1230 can determine the desired operational parameters in any number of ways, including using a lookup table, In such an embodiment, the CPU/controller 1230 utilizes the input data, for example, wire feed speed, wire diameter and wire type to determine the desired current level for the output (to appropriately heat the wire 140) and the threshold voltage or power level (or the acceptable operating range of voltage or power). This is because the needed current to heat the wire 140 to the appropriate temperature will be based on at least the input parameters. That is, an aluminum wire 140 may have a lower melting temperature than a mild steel electrode, and thus requires less current/power to melt the wire 140. Additionally, a smaller diameter wire 140 will require less current/power than a larger diameter electrode. Also, as the wire feed speed increases (and accordingly the deposition rate) the needed current/power level to melt the wire will be higher.
Similarly, the input data will be used by the CPU/controller 1230 to determine the voltage/power thresholds and/or ranges (e.g., power, current, and/or voltage) for operation such that the creation of an arc is avoided. For example, for a mild steel electrode having a diameter of 0.045 inches can have a voltage range setting of 6 to 9 volts, where the power module 1250 is driven to maintain the voltage between 6 to 9 volts. In such an embodiment, the current, voltage, and/or power are driven to maintain a minimum of 6 volts—which ensures that the current/power is sufficiently high to appropriately heat the electrode—and keep the voltage at or below 9 volts to ensure that no arc is created and that a melting temperature of the wire 140 is not exceeded. Of course, other set point parameters, such as voltage, current, power, or resistance rate changes can also be set by the CPU/controller 1230 as desired.
As shown, a positive terminal 1221 of the power supply 1210 is coupled to the contact tip 160 of the hot wire system and a negative terminal of the power supply is coupled to the workpiece W. Thus, a heating current is supplied through the positive terminal 1221 to the wire 140 and returned through the negative terminal 1222. Such a configuration is generally known.
Of course, in another exemplary embodiment the negative terminal 1222 can also be connected to the tip 160. Since resistance heating can be used to heat the wire 140, the tip can be of a construction (as shown in
A feedback sense lead 1223 is also coupled to the power supply 1210. This feedback sense lead can monitor voltage and deliver the detected voltage to a voltage detection circuit 1240. The voltage detection circuit 1240 communicates the detected voltage and/or detected voltage rate of change to the CPU/controller 1230 which controls the operation of the module 1250 accordingly. For example, if the voltage detected is below a desired operational range, the CPU/controller 1230 instructs the module 1250 to increase its output (current, voltage, and/or power) until the detected voltage is within the desired operational range. Similarly, if the detected voltage is at or above a desired threshold the CPU/controller 1230 instructs the module 1250 to shut off the flow of current to the tip 160 so that an arc is not created. If the voltage drops below the desired threshold the CPU/controller 1230 instructs the module 1250 to supply a current or voltage, or both to continue the welding process. Of course, the CPU/controller 1230 can also instruct the module 1250 to maintain or supply a desired power level.
It is noted that the detection circuit 1240 and CPU/controller 1230 can have a similar construction and operation as the controller 195 shown in
The sensor 1410 is coupled to the sensing and control unit 195 (discussed with regard to
In such an embodiment it is possible to account for heating of the wire 140 that may occur due to the laser beam 110 impacting on the wire 140 before the wire enters the weld puddle. In embodiments of the invention the temperature of the wire 140 can be controlled only via power supply 170 by controlling the current in the wire 140. However, in other embodiments at least some of the heating of the wire 140 can come from the laser beam 110 impinging on at least a part of the wire 140. As such, the current or power from the power supply 170 alone may not be representative of the temperature of the wire 140. As such, utilization of the sensor 1410 can aid in regulating the temperature of the wire 140 through control of the power supply 170 and/or the laser power supply 130.
In a further exemplary embodiment (also shown in
In yet a further exemplary embodiment of the invention, rather than directing the sensor 1420 at the puddle, it can be directed at an area of the workpiece adjacent the weld puddle. Specifically, it may be desirable to ensure that the heat input to the workpiece adjacent the weld is minimized. The sensor 1420 can be positioned to monitor this temperature sensitive area such that a threshold temperature is not exceeded adjacent the weld. For example, the sensor 1420 can monitor the workpiece temperature and reduce the energy density of the beam 110 based on the sensed temperature. Such a configuration would ensure that the heat input adjacent the weld bead would not exceed a desired threshold. Such an embodiment can be utilized in precision welding operations where heat input into the workpiece is critical.
In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the sensing and control unit 195 can be coupled to a feed force detection unit (not shown) which is coupled to the wire feeding mechanism (not shown—but see 150 in
It is noted that in some exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the wire is not constantly fed into the weld puddle, but can be done so intermittently based on a desired weld profile. Specifically, the versatility of various embodiments of the present invention allows either an operator or the control unit 195 to start and stop feeding the wire 140 into the puddle as desired. For example, there are many different types of complex weld profiles and geometry that may have some portions of the weld joint which require the use of a filler metal (the wire 140) and other portions of the same joint or on the same workpiece that do not require the use of filler metal. As such, during a first portion of a weld the control unit 195 can operate only the laser 120 to cause a laser weld of this first portion of the joint, but when the welding operation reaches a second portion of the welding joint—which requires the use of a filler metal—the controller 195 causes the power supply and 170 and the wire feeder 150 to begin depositing the wire 140 into the weld puddle. Then, as the welding operation reaches the end of the second portion the deposition of the wire 140 can be stopped. This allows for the creation of continuous welds having a profile which significantly varies from one portion to the next. Such capability allows a workpiece to be welded in a single welding operation as opposed to having many discrete welding operations. Of course, many variations can be implemented. For example, a weld can have three or more distinct portions requiring a weld profile with varying shape, depth and filler requirements such that the use of the laser and the wire 140 can be different in each weld portion. Furthermore, additional wires can be added or removed as needed as well. That is, a first weld portion may need only a laser weld while a second portion only requires the use of a single filler wire 140, and a final portion of the weld requires the use of two or more filler wires. The controller 195 can be made capable to control the various system components to achieve such a varying weld profile in a continuous welding operation, such that a continuous weld bead is created in a single weld pass.
The filler wire 140 impacts the puddle P behind the beam 110—in the travel direction of the weld—as shown in
In the embodiment shown in
Further, in
In some embodiments, the laser beam 110 can remain stationary with respect to the weld puddle P. That is, the beam 110 remains in a relatively consistent position with respect to the puddle P during welding. However, other embodiments are not limited in such a way, as exemplified in
The laser 120 can be moved, translated or operated via any known methods and devices. Because the movement and optics of lasers are generally known, they will not be discussed in detail herein.
As discussed above with reference to
Attempting to narrow the joint gap can lead to other problems in an arc welding process. For example, as shown in
While the above disadvantages concerning heat input and weld cap size can be controlled in a laser only welding process, the laser only process has other disadvantages. For example, in the laser only welding process, the laser is more focused than in a cladding-type process in order to provide the intensity to melt the workpiece and form a weld puddle. However, the workpieces typically have to be fit very tightly, e.g., typically less than a 1 mm gap. Otherwise, the laser will shoot through the gap in the joint and/or the weld puddle formed by the laser will be unable to bridge the gap.
As shown on
As shown in
In each of
While the invention has been described with reference to certain embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from its scope. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.
The present application is a continuation-in-part of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/212,025, which is a continuation-in-part of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/352,667. U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 13/212,025 and 12/352,667 are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 13212025 | Aug 2011 | US |
| Child | 13706581 | US | |
| Parent | 12352667 | Jan 2009 | US |
| Child | 13212025 | US |
