Aluminium welding

Laser welding of aluminium is long established, but in the past, it was characterised by high susceptibility to porosity. New possibilities for beam guidance – in other words, faster welding – and beam shaping have significantly increased the welding quality that can be achieved. The higher quality of today’s lasers also has a positive effect on aluminium welds. Some advantages include narrower welds with less susceptibility to cracks, which makes it possible to laser weld aluminium without additional materials. Another factor that should be taken into consideration is a production-suitable design; for instance, to reduce the susceptibility to cracks using fillet welds.

Aluminium has generally a good weldability. However, low-content aluminium alloys tend to form hot cracks. High-content alloys, on the other hand, tend to form blowouts due to the evaporation of magnesium.

Similarly to copper, aluminium is used in many conductive components such as those used in the electric mobility industry. These include conductors, strands, batteries and connectors. Aluminium laser welding is also recommended for the production of coolers in a wide variety of applications. Why? Aluminium has a high thermal conductivity, and copper is not wanted in cooling circuits.