A new transmission tester for inline and offline laser welding operations has been launched by LPKF. The LPKF TMG 3 transmission tester quickly determines the transmission properties of welding partners, ensuring that faults are detected earlier in the processing chain.
During transmission laser welding, the laser beam passes through the upper, laser-transmissive joining partner to pass its welding energy on to the underlying, laser-absorbing joining partner. A moderate joining pressure aids thermal transmission, and produces a clean and reliable weld seam.
Transmission values for the upper and lower joining partners are specified during process development and are the basis for defining the processing parameters. The laser processing metrics largely compensate for any errors in the transmission values, which may result from compounding, injection moulding or storage.
The LPKF TMG 3 is a further advancement of the preceding test systems. It uses a laser beam with the same wavelength as the welding laser to detect the intensity difference between a sample and unhindered transmission with a tolerance of 1 per cent. The intensity sensor is protected from light interference.The tester is designed for inline or stand-alone use, and corresponds to laser class 1 in these situations. Power is supplied by a USB interface, and the system communicates via the PC application software supplied as standard, or transfers the measured values to tracking and tracing solutions via SPS/RS232.