The degrees of freedom and the process limits of laser welding are considerably enhanced in laser hybrid and combination welding techniques. The application of these techniques is illustrated below in two examples. The first is an example of hybrid welding and deals with single-pass laser-MAG hybrid welding of high-strength steel plates up to 30 mm thick, with large gap tolerances. The second addresses the manufacturing benefits of integrated cutting and welding using a multifunctional laser combi-head.
Enhanced Welding Capabilities by Hybrid Processing CO2 laser MAG hybrid welding is firmly established in the shipbuilding industry for joining metal plates of wall thickness up to 15 mm (see [1] and references therein). The example chosen is taken from the work of the recently completed European project HYBLAS, funded by the RFCS*. The goal was to develop process procedures for laser hybrid welding of structural steels with yield strengths of up to 690 MPa and wall thicknesses up to 30 mm. The Fraunhofer ILT led the work-package “process development
and production of welds”.