This PDF file contains the front matter associated with SPIE Proceedings Volume 9741, including the Title Page, Copyright information, Table of Contents, Introduction (if any), and Conference Committee listing.

For practical application of refractive laser beam shapers it is of major interest to know the required manufacturing specifications to fabricate the particular elements, so that an appropriate quality of the top-hat beam profile can be achieved. It is subject of the present paper to analyze a refractive Gauss-to-Top-Hat beam shaper, especially to simulate the as-built performance by applying different interferometric data. Furthermore the stability of the beam shaping system is considered by investigating the effects of deviations from the actual optical design conditions. As a result valuable statements on the manufacturing requirements of the aspheric lenses for beam shaping can be made.

Fiber based laser beam delivery is the method of choice for high power laser applications whenever great flexibility is required. For cw-lasers fiber beam delivery has long been established but has recently also become available for ultrafast lasers. Using micro-structured hollow core fibers that guide the laser beam mostly inside a hollow core, nonlinear effects and catastrophic damage that arise in conventional glass fibers can be avoided. Today, ultrafast pulses with several 100 μJ and hundreds of MW can be transmitted in quasi single mode fashion. In addition, the technology opens new possibilities for beam delivery systems as the pulse propagation inside the fiber can be altered on purpose. For example to shorten the pulse duration of picosecond lasers down into the femtosecond regime. We present a modular fiber beam delivery system for micromachining applications with industrial pico- and femtosecond lasers that is flexibly integrated into existing applications. Micro-structured hollow core fibers inside the sealed laser light cable efficiently guide high-power laser pulses over distances of several meters with excellent beam quality, while power, pulse duration and polarization are maintained. Robust and stable beam transport during dynamic operation as in robot or gantry systems will be discussed together with optional pulse compression.

The potential of diamond as an optical material for high-power laser applications in the wavelength regime from the visible spectrum (VIS) to the near infrared (NIR) is investigated. Single-crystal diamonds with lateral dimensions up to 7×7mm² are grown with microwave plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition (MPACVD) in parallel with up to 60 substrates and are further processed to spherical optics for beam guidance and shaping. The synthetic diamonds offer superior thermal, mechanical and optical properties, including low birefringence, scattering and absorption, also around 1 μm wavelength. We present dielectric (AR and HR) coated single-crystal diamond optics which are tested under high laser power in the multi-kW regime. The thermally induced focal shift of the diamond substrates is compared to the focal shift of a standard collimating and focusing unit for laser cutting made of fused silica optics. Due to the high thermal conductivity and low absorption of the diamond substrates compared to the fused silica optics no additional focal shift caused by a thermally induced refractive index change in the diamond is observed in our experiments. We present experimental results regarding the performance of the diamond substrates with and without dielectric coatings under high power and the influences of growth induced birefringence on the optical quality. Finally, we discuss the potential of the presented diamond lenses for high-power applications in the field of laser materials processing.

Laser beam intensity distribution profiles for material processing techniques are most of the time restricted to be either of Gaussian or tophat shape. This often leads to different kind of problems especially at the edges of the laser-heated tracks, examples are energy losses or unnecessary overlaps. Thus, machining quality and process efficiency could be much improved by using application specific intensity profiles to generate optimal temperature distributions in the processed material. In this work, we present a numerical method to derive a specific intensity profile for a given temperature distribution. As this problem belongs to the set of inverse heat conduction problems, which are ill-posed, special regularization algorithms are needed. The only method to solve this inverse problem in reasonable time is the conjugate gradient method which we extend to the given problem of laser material processing applications. This method is an iterative approach where in each step the actual temperature distribution is calculated by using the finite element method. In general, the proposed method is applicable for materials with constant or temperature dependent coefficients, for static and dynamic distributions as well as for plane or complex geometries. However, restricting ourselves to plane geometries, intensity distributions that create tophat- or stepped temperature distributions on the plane surface of the processed material are derived and will be presented. In future work, we intend to verify these results using freeform optics as well as singly addressable V(E)CSEL arrays.

Laser drilling is a very versatile tool to produce high accuracy bores in small and large geometries using different technologies. In large and deep hole drilling laser drilling can be found in drilling cooling holes into turbomachinery components such as turbine blades. In micro drilling, the technology is used for the generation of nozzles and filters. However, especially in macro drilling, the process often causes microstructure changes and induces defects such as recast layers and cracks. The defects are caused by the melt dominated drilling process by using pulse durations in the range of some 100 μm up to a few ms. A solution of this problem is the use of ultrashort pulsed laser radiation with pulse durations in the range of some 100 fs up to a few ps, however with the disadvantage of long drilling times. Thus, the aim of this work is to combine the productive process by using ms pulsed fiber laser radiation with subsequent ablation of existing recast layers at the hole wall by using ultrashort pulsed laser radiation. By using fast scanning techniques the recast layer can be avoided almost completely. With a similar technology also very small hole can be produced. Using a rotating dove prism a circular oscillation of the laser spots is performed and holes are drilled at intervals in 1 mm thick stainless steel (1.4301) by ultra-short laser pulses of 7 ps at 515 nm. The formation of hole and the behavior of energy deposition differ from other drilling strategies due to the helical revolution. The temporal evolution of the hole shape is analyzed by means of SEM techniques from which three drilling phases can be distinguished.

Processing of helicopter engines faster, better and more reliably is the triptych which binds LOMA, ALPhANOV and TURBOMECA. In current production machines, flash lamp pumped lasers are employed to drill thousands of cooling holes with specific geometries and diameters to ensure a homogeneous air flow over the surface. However we aim to enhance the production process. Therefore, the three partners started an initiative to identify and overcome the shortcomings of the current process, where the laser source is a key element for improvement.

In this paper, we report on the latest developments in multi-pulse drilling using an IPG fiber laser. The latter delivers, at a tunable repetition rate (from single shot up to 2 kHz), laser pulses whose width and peak power are adjustable in between 0.2 - 10 ms and 0 - 12 kW respectively. We have focused our work on drilling of thick sheets of metal alloys with different geometries and different processing strategies. We will show that using such laser system it is possible to decrease the processing time while limiting the heat affected zones and collateral effects. Finally, the impact of the different physical processes in play during the drilling on the geometry of the holes will be discussed.

Laser engraving is used for decades as a well-established process e. g. for the production of print and embossing forms for many goods in daily life, e. g. decorated cans and printed bank notes. Up to now it is more or less a so-called fire-and-forget process. From the original artist’s plan to the digitization, then from the laser source itself (with electronic signals, RF and plasma discharge regarding CO₂ lasers) to the behavior of the optical beam delivery — especially if an AOM is used — to the interaction of the laser beam with the material itself is a long process chain. The most recent results using CO₂ lasers with AOMs and the research done with scanning electron microscope (SEM) and confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) — as a set for correlative microscopy to evaluate the high speed engraving characteristics — are presented in this paper.

We report on an industrial fiber-delivered laser system producing ultra-short pulses in the range of a few picoseconds down to a few hundred femtoseconds with high average power suitable for high-precision micromachining. The delivery fiber is a hollow-core photonic crystal fiber with a Kagomé shaped lattice and a hypocycloid core wall enabling the guiding of laser radiation over several meters with exceptionally low losses and preservation of high beam quality (M2<1.3). The mode-matching and coupling optics are integrated into the laser head providing a compact footprint without the need for external boxes. The laser head is carefully designed regarding its thermo-mechanical properties to allow a highly reliable coupling stability. The exchangeable delivery fiber is packaged using Trumpf’s well established LLK-D connectors which offer a very high mechanical precision, the possibility to add water cooling, as well as full featured safety functions. The fiber is hermetically sealed and protected by a robust but flexible shield providing bend protection and break detection. We show the linear and nonlinear optical properties of the transported laser radiation and discuss its feasibility for pulse compression. Measurements are supported by simulation of pulse propagation by solving the nonlinear Schrödinger equation implementing the split-step Fourier method. In addition, mode properties are measured and confirmed by finite element method simulations. The presented industrial laser system offers the known advantages of ultra-short pulses combined with the flexibility of fiber delivery yielding a versatile tool perfectly suitable for all kinds of industrial micromachining applications.

Laser Beam Forming (LBF) process is an emerging and new forming method that generally requires brute force to forge the steel into the desired shape instead of using conventional methods. This study investigates the changes that occur in low carbon steel through the laser beam forming process. The parameters under investigation include variable scanning speed and number of scans at fixed laser intensity. The effect of these laser parameters on the chemical composition and properties of low carbon steel is assessed through characterisation of both the as received and LBF formed specimens. Characterizations of the laser formed steels were studied using microstructural analysis and micro hardness profiling. The results show that there is a significant increase in the mechanical properties of the LBF formed materials. Scanning power and the number of scans have a noticeable effect on the curvature achieved in the formed samples. The results obtained will contribute towards the further optimization of laser forming methods for steel for the optimization of the properties of steel using Laser Beam Forming process.

Laser beam brazing is a well-established joining technology in car body manufacturing with main applications in the joining of divided tailgates and the joining of roof and side panels. A key advantage of laser brazed joints is the seam’s visual quality which satisfies highest requirements. However, the laser beam brazing process is very complex and process dynamics are only partially understood.

In order to gain deeper knowledge of the laser beam brazing process, to determine optimal process parameters and to test process variants, a transient three-dimensional simulation model of laser beam brazing is developed. This model takes into account energy input, heat transfer as well as fluid and wetting dynamics that lead to the formation of the brazing seam.

A validation of the simulation model is performed by metallographic analysis and thermocouple measurements for different parameter sets of the brazing process. These results show that the multi-physical simulation model not only can be used to gain insight into the laser brazing process but also offers the possibility of process optimization in industrial applications. The model’s capabilities in determining optimal process parameters are exemplarily shown for the laser power.

Small deviations in the energy input can affect the brazing results significantly. Therefore, the simulation model is used to analyze the effect of the lateral laser beam position on the energy input and the resulting brazing seam.

To process natural stone such as marble or granite, saw blades equipped with wear-resistant diamond grinding segments are used, typically joined to the blade by brazing. In case of damage or wear, they must be exchanged. Due to the large energy input during thermal loosening and subsequent brazing, the repair causes extended heat-affected zones with serious microstructure changes, resulting in shape distortions and disadvantageous stress distributions. Consequently, axial run-out deviations and cutting losses increase.

In this work, a new near-infrared laser-based process chain is presented to overcome the deficits of conventional brazing-based repair of diamond-tipped steel saw blades. Thus, additional tensioning and straightening steps can be avoided. The process chain starts with thermal debonding of the worn grinding segments, using a continuous-wave laser to heat the segments gently and to exceed the adhesive’s decomposition temperature. Afterwards, short-pulsed laser radiation removes remaining adhesive from the blade in order to achieve clean joining surfaces. The third step is roughening and activation of the joining surfaces, again using short-pulsed laser radiation. Finally, the grinding segments are glued onto the blade with a defined adhesive layer, using continuous-wave laser radiation. Here, the adhesive is heated to its curing temperature by irradiating the respective grinding segment, ensuring minimal thermal influence on the blade.

For demonstration, a prototype unit was constructed to perform the different steps of the process chain on-site at the saw-blade user’s facilities. This unit was used to re-equip a saw blade with a complete set of grinding segments. This saw blade was used successfully to cut different materials, amongst others granite.

This contribution presents a phenomenological, analytical model for laser welding of polymers which is suited for a quick process quality estimation for the practitioner. Besides material properties of the polymer and processing parameters like welding pressure, feed rate and laser power the model is based on a simple few parameter description of the size and shape of the laser power density distribution (PDD) in the processing zone. The model allows an estimation of the weld seam tensile strength. It is based on energy balance considerations within a thin sheet with the thickness of the optical penetration depth on the surface of the absorbing welding partner. The joining process itself is modelled by a phenomenological approach. The model reproduces the experimentally known process windows for the main process parameters correctly. Using the parameters describing the shape of the laser PDD the critical dependence of the process windows on the PDD shape will be predicted and compared with experiments. The adaption of the model to other laser manufacturing processes where the PDD influence can be modelled comparably will be discussed.

Titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) Grade 5 has been regarded as the most useful alloy for the aerospace applications, due to their light weight properties. Today, laser technology is an energetic process in which the beam ejected can travel a longer distance and spot on the focused surface. The combination of metallic powder and laser beam has been used concurrently to form a solid figure. However, this combination has generated a permanently solidified metallurgical bonding between the laser-deposited metallic powders. Several research works have been conducted to improve the mechanical properties of the primary alloy, Ti-6Al-4V. This article conversely highlights the series of work that have been conducted on improving the mechanical properties and microstructures of the primary alloy with the addition of titanium carbide (TiC). The Ti-6Al-4V alloy has been widely selected in most critical part of a component. Their reinforcement with TiC composite particle has been achieved successfully through the optimal usage of laser technology. The characteristics of the reinforced component have vehemently improved the mechanical properties such as the tensile strength, wear resistance, fracture toughness and hardness; as well as the morphologies and phases of the microstructures.

We report on industrial high-power lasers in the green wavelength regime. By means of a thin disk oscillator and a resonator-internal nonlinear crystal for second harmonic generation we are able to extract up to 8 kW pulse power in the few-millisecond range at a wavelength of 515 nm with a duty cycle of 10%. Careful shaping and stabilization of the polarization and spectral properties leads to a high optical-to-optical efficiency larger than 55%. The beam parameter product is designed and measured to be below 5 mm·mrad which allows the transport by a fiber with a 100 μm core diameter. The fiber and beam guidance optics are adapted to the green wavelength, enabling low transmission losses and stable operation. Application tests show that this laser is perfectly suited for copper welding due to the superior absorption of the green wavelength compared to IR, which allows us to produce weld spots with an unprecedented reproducibility in diameter and welding depth. With an optimized set of parameters we could achieve a splatter-free welding process of copper, which is crucial for welding electronic components. Furthermore, the surface condition does not influence the welding process when the green wavelength is used, which allows to skip any expensive preprocessing steps like tin-coating. With minor changes we could operate the laser in cw mode and achieved up to 1.7 kW of cw power at 515 nm with a beam parameter product of 2.5 mm·mrad. These parameters make the laser perfectly suitable for additional applications such as selective laser melting of copper.

Pulsed laser sources with pulse durations in the millisecond regime can be used for spot welding and seam welding of aluminum. Seam welds are generally produced with several overlapping spot welds. Hot cracking has its origin in the solidification process of individual spot welds which determines the cracking morphology along the seam welding. This study used a monitoring unit to capture the crack geometry within individual spot welds during seam welding to investigate the conditions for initiation, propagation and healing (re-melting) of solidification cracking within overlapping pulsed laser welds. The results suggest that small crack radii and high crack angles with respect to welding direction are favorable conditions for crack healing which leads to crack-free seam welds. Optimized pulse shapes were used to produce butt welds of 0.5 mm thick 6082 aluminum alloys. Tensile tests were performed to investigate the mechanical strength in the as-welded condition.

Laser welding has many advantages over traditional joining methods, yet remains underutilized. NIST has undertaken an ambitious initiative to improve predictions of weldability, reliability, and performance of laser welds. This study investigates butt welding of galvanized and ungalvanized dual-phase automotive sheet steels (DP 590) using a 10 kW commercial fiber laser system. Parameter development work, hardness profiles, microstructural characterization, and optical profilometry results are presented. Sound welding was accomplished in a laser power range of 2.0 kW to 4.5 kW and travel speed of 2000 mm/min to 5000 mm/min. Vickers hardness ranged from approximately 2 GPa to 4 GPa across the welds, with limited evidence of heat affected zone softening. Decreased hardness across the heat affected zone directly correlated to the appearance of ferrite. A technique was developed to non-destructively evaluate weld quality based on geometrical criteria. Weld face profilometry data were compared between light optical, metallographic sample, and frequency-modulated continuous-wave laser detection and ranging (FMCW LADAR) methods.

The advantages of laser beam welding, such as its high flexibility, its high local energy input, and its fast processing speed, led to a substantial increase of industrial applications using this technology. However, only a portion of the laser energy is absorbed during welding due to reflections. These reflections can damage the system components and lead to a reduced process efficiency. Especially when welding copper materials with infrared laser beam sources, the reflections play a significant role, since the reflection coefficient of copper is very high at infrared wavelengths. Therefore, a formation of a keyhole is necessary for a stable and efficient welding process.

A theoretical model for the calculation of the reflections on an arbitrary position above the process zone, as well as a radiation analyzer based on a modular set-up are presented. This device enables a time- and space-resolved measurement of the reflected radiation. Using the experimental results, characteristic positions on the hemisphere could be identified to calibrate the theoretical model. The calibrated model allows to analyze the reflected radiation during the welding process to determine the energy which is absorbed by the work piece.

Transparent polymers with low glass transition temperatures are flexible materials and can serve as an optical waveguide or as substrates for the layer structure in applications such as humidity or temperature sensors. The background of this publication is the development of a laser-based process to bond silicon chips, which serve as emitter or detector in an optical system, on a substrate, without exposing the substrate to thermo-mechanical stress. Using transmission laser bonding of low-melting eutectic alloys, the necessary energy can be coupled into the fusion zone precisely to reduce the process time. In this paper, Si-chips with 52In48Sn and 66In34Bi layers are investigated to bond on rigid substrates. Experimental results are presented, which illustrate the mechanical stability of these compounds.

In laser manufacturing operations, accurate measurement of laser power is important for product quality, operational repeatability, and process validation. Accurate real-time measurement of high-power lasers, however, is difficult. Typical thermal power meters must absorb all the laser power in order to measure it. This constrains power meters to be large, slow and exclusive (that is, the laser cannot be used for its intended purpose during the measurement). To address these limitations, we have developed a different paradigm in laser power measurement where the power is not measured according to its thermal equivalent but rather by measuring the laser beam’s momentum (radiation pressure). Very simply, light reflecting from a mirror imparts a small force perpendicular to the mirror which is proportional to the optical power. By mounting a high-reflectivity mirror on a high-sensitivity force transducer (scale), we are able to measure laser power in the range of tens of watts up to ~ 100 kW. The critical parameters for such a device are mirror reflectivity, angle of incidence, and scale sensitivity and accuracy.

We will describe our experimental characterization of a radiation-pressure-based optical power meter. We have tested it for modulated and CW laser powers up to 92 kW in the laboratory and up to 20 kW in an experimental laser welding booth. We will describe present accuracy, temporal response, sources of measurement uncertainty, and hurdles which must be overcome to have an accurate power meter capable of routine operation as a turning mirror within a laser delivery head.

This work is motivated by the observation that the shape of a laser power density distribution (PDD) significantly influences the manufacturing quality in numerous laser processes. Lacking appropriate PDD shape parameters this influence, however, is not described quantitatively by few characteristic figures of the PDD. The paper presents a new quantitative, application adapted few parameter characterisation of PDD shape. For nearly circular PDDs the localisation as just one additional parameter on top of the common characteristics beam power and PDD radius is introduced and proven as meaningful. The localisation is based on the fourth moment of the PDD. This ensures simple optical transformation properties and thus easy adjustability of the localisation of the laser beam as manufacturing tool. Together with beam power and radius the localisation allows to determine the power fractions in the central and ring-like outer region of the PDD as well as the fraction outside the PDD radius. This will be shown by application of evaluation functions which evaluate the spatial regions of the PDD with different weights. Applications to real beams used for laser manufacturing will be demonstrated. For the examples of surface dominated laser processes it will be shown briefly that this approximate shape description with one additional parameter allows an estimate of PDD influence on manufacturing quality. An outlook on further shape characterising parameters is given.

High power lasers in excess of 1 kW generate enough Rayleigh scatter, even in the NIR, to be detected by silicon based sensor arrays. A lens and camera system in an off-axis position can therefore be used as a non-contact diagnostic tool for high power lasers. Despite the simplicity of the concept, technical challenges have been encountered in the development of an instrument referred to as BeamWatch. These technical challenges include reducing background radiation, achieving high signal to noise ratio, reducing saturation events caused by particulates crossing the beam, correcting images to achieve accurate beam width measurements, creating algorithms for the removal of non-uniformities, and creating two simultaneous views of the beam from orthogonal directions. Background radiation in the image was reduced by the proper positioning of the back plane and the placement of absorbing materials on the internal surfaces of BeamWatch. Maximizing signal to noise ratio, important to the real-time monitoring of focus position, was aided by increasing lens throughput. The number of particulates crossing the beam path was reduced by creating a positive pressure inside BeamWatch. Algorithms in the software removed non-uniformities in the data prior to generating waist width, divergence, BPP, and M² results. A dual axis version of BeamWatch was developed by the use of mirrors. By its nature BeamWatch produced results similar to scanning slit measurements. Scanning slit data was therefore taken and compared favorably with BeamWatch results.

Modern high brilliance near infrared lasers have seen a tremendous growth in applications throughout the world. Increased productivity has been achieved by higher laser power and increased brilliance of lasers. Positive impacts on the performance and costs of parts are opposed to threats on process stability and quality, namely shift of focus position over time. A high initial process quality will be reduced by contamination of optics, eventually leading to a focus shift or even destruction of the optics.

Focus analysis at full power of multi-kilowatt high brilliance lasers is a very demanding task because of high power densities in the spot and the high power load on optical elements. With the newly developed high power projection optics, the High-Power Micro-Spot Monitor High Brilliance (HP-MSM-HB) is able to measure focus diameter as low as 20 μm at power levels up to 10 kW at very low internal focus shift.

A main driving factor behind thermally induced focus shift is the absorption level of the optical element. A newly developed measuring system is designed to determine the relative absorption level in reference to a gold standard. Test results presented show a direct correlation between absorption levels and focus shift.

The ability to determine the absorption level of optical elements as well as their performance at full processing power before they are put to use, enables a high level of quality assurance for optics manufacturers and processing head manufacturers alike.

Fundamental process monitoring is very helpful to detect defects formed during the complex interactions of capillary laser welding process. Beside the monitoring and diagnostics of laser welding process enlarges the process knowledge which is essential to prevent weld defects. Various studies on monitoring of laser welding processes of aluminum, copper and steel were performed. Coaxial analyses in real-time with inline coherent imaging and photodiode based measurements have been applied as well as off-axis thermography, spectroscopy, online X-Ray observation and highspeed imaging with 808 nm illumination wavelength. The presented diagnostics and monitoring methods were appropriate to study typical weld defects like pores, spatters and cracks. Using these diagnostics allows understanding the formation of such defects and developing strategies to prevent them.

The introduction of inline coherent imaging technologies as a sensor for the laser materials processing is accompanied by the integration into several applications. One of these is the measurement of the depth of the vapor capillary for laser welding applications, now allowing to keep record of the welding depth with an accuracy of micrometers and a sub millisecond temporal resolution. The broader achievement is the closed-loop control of the welding depth that was not available in industrial environments till now due to the lack of an adequate sensor. Further use includes the acquisition of 3D images around the laser process itself, allowing for coaxial integration of pre- and post-process sensors. These applications are demonstrated by using the In-Process Depth Meter (IDM).

Process observation in 3D printing of metals currently is one of the central challenges. Many companies strive to employ this additive manufacturing process in their production chains in order to gain competitive advantages through added flexibility in product design and embedded features. The new degrees of freedom are accompanied with the challenge to manufacture every detail of the product to the predefined specifications. Products with filigree internal structures for example require a perfect build to deliver the performance that was designed into these structures.

Melting conditions determine properties such as grain structure and density of the finished part before it is sent to post processing steps. Monitoring of such melting conditions is still a challenge where the use of photodiodes, pyrometry and camera systems contribute to an overall picture that might identify errors or deviations during the build process. Additional considerations must be made to decide if these sensors are applied coaxially or from a lateral perspective. Furthermore, setting parameters of focal plane array (FPA) sensors are discussed and events that are seen in the machine vision image are compared against the pyrometry data.

The resume of the experiments suggests the application of multiple sensors to the selective laser melting process (SLM) as they jointly contribute to an identification of events. These events need to be understood in order to establish cause effect relationships in the future.

Reduced wavefront estimation time in a Shack-Hartmann type wavefront sensor plays an important role in any high speed application of the sensor. Exploiting computer generated holography technique, one can generate an array of binary diffraction grating pattern to produce an array of focal spots, similar to that in a Shack Hartmann wavefront sensor (SHWS). The transmittance functions of each of such a grating pattern can be configured to produce a one dimensional (1D) array of focal spots of a desired order. In this paper, we show that the formation of 1D array, further facilitates in the process of single indexed wavefront estimation in its true sense that considerably reduces the wavefront estimation time.

Online process control systems often only detecting temperatures at a local area of the machining point and determining an integrated value. In order to determine the proper welding quality and the absence of defects, such as temperature induced stress cracks, it is necessary to do time and space resolved measurements before, during and after the production process. The system under development consists of a beam splitting unit which divides the electromagnetic radiation of the heated component on two different sensor types. For high temperatures, a sensor is used which is sensitive in the visible spectrum and has a dynamic range of 120dB.¹ Thus, very high intensity differences can be displayed and a direct analysis of the temperature profile of the weld spots is possible.² A second sensor is operating in the wavelength range from 1 micron to 5 microns and allows the determination of temperatures from approximately 200°C.³

At the beginning of a welding process, the heat-up phase of the metal is critical to the resultant weld quality. If a defined temperature range exceeded too fast, the risk of cracking is significantly increased.⁴ During the welding process the thermal supervision of the central processing location is decisive for a high secure weld. In the border areas as well as in connection of the welding process especially cooling processes are crucial for the homogeneity of the results. In order to obtain sufficiently accurate resolution of the dynamic heating- and cooling-processes, the system can carry out up to 500 frames per second.