Welding of titanium and other refractory metals with a free pulse shaping laser

Refractory metals are used as construction materials for specific applications. Amongst the refractory metals, titanium has a special status due to its multi-faceted property profile and its comparatively low price. Titanium materials have outstanding properties, such as excellent resistance to corrosion and very high strength at low densities, which lead to their preferred use in chemical engineering and as a structural material in lightweight construction. Due to the high affinity of titanium for atmospheric gases at temperatures above 500 °C, titanium components are joined under sophisticated inert gas shielding by TIG welding or in a vacuum by an electron beam. A novel, innovative laser beam welding process with a pulsed Nd:YAG laser with free pulse shaping will be presented, which produces oxidation-free weld seams with very good mechanical-technological properties in refractory metals without the use of expensive inert gas shielding (e.g., dragging nozzles). This welding process offers technological and economic advantages over processes used up until now for machining complex components and for series production.