Laser transmission welding (LTW) is a relatively new technology for joining plastic parts. This paper presents a three-dimensional (3D) transient thermal model of LTW solved with the finite element method. A lap-joint geometry was modeled for unreinforced polyamide (PA) 6 specimens. This thermal model addressed the heating and cooling stages in a laser welding process with a stationary laser beam. This paper compares the temperature distribution of a lap-joint geometry exposed to a stationary diode laser beam, obtained from 3D thermal modeling with thermal imaging observations. It is shown that the thermal model is capable of accurately predicting the temperature distribution when laser beam scattering during transmission through the polymer is included in the model. The weld dimensions obtained from the model have been compared with the experimental data and are in good agreement.

Issue Section:
Heat Transfer Manufacturing
Keywords:
finite element analysis, infrared imaging, laser beam welding, temperature distribution, semiconductor lasers, thermal imaging, finite element modeling (FEM), 3-D thermal modeling, ANSYS, laser transmission welding of thermoplastics (LTW), diode laser
Topics:
Finite element analysis, Imaging, Laser beams, Lasers, Modeling, Temperature, Temperature distribution, Welding, Dimensions, Geometry, Heating, Heat
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