Influence of Plume on Focus Shift during Laser Welding

Fundamental Study of Remote Laser Welding -2

Abstract

The plume blowing out from a keyhole inlet affects the penetration depth in remote laser welding. The shift in a focal point is attributed to the effect of low refractive index of a high temperature gas. In this report, the focus shift caused by a plume was investigated quantitatively from the comparison of weld penetrations, which were welded at a constant plume height and several defocused distances.