GASES FOR LASER CUTTING AND WELDING

INTRODUCTION :
Gases play a vital role in laser materials processing, and the gas purity is essential for the
laser process, demanding for the beam cavity purging and extremely valuable with
respect to the laser cutting and welding productivity.
6. Laser welding gases
Gases for laser welding have to meet several demands: shielding of the melt pool against
the atmosphare, control of the plasma, protection of the cocusing optics against fumes
and spatter, as well as root protection. These demands are the same for CO2 and d:!"G
laser welding, with the exception of the plasma control function.
#uring high laser power welding, a $eyhole is formed allowing the laser beam to deeply
penetrate into the metal. This $eyhole is filled with metal vapour, ioni%ed atoms and
electrons representing a state of matter which in physics is called a plasma. The plasma is
supporting the energy transfer from the laser beam into the material. #uring high power
CO2 laser welding this plasma is li$ely to extend and absorb the laser beam above the
wor$piece, thus impairing the welding process. This effect has not so far been observed
during d:!"G laser welding. "ccordingly, different shielding gases are used for CO2
and d:!"G laser welding.
&elium and argon are inert gases that do not react with the weld metal. &elium, however,
has a better ability to reduce or suppress plasma formation because it has a very large
ioni%ation energy and also a very small atomic weight and so is the best process gas to
control the plasma. itrogen, carbon dioxide and oxygen, in contrast, are reactive gases
which cause metallurgical effects, comp. Table '.
Table 1
(roperties of different gases, relative to each other

Welding gas Densi! Rea"i#i! I$nisai$n
energ!
T%er&al
"$nd'"i#i!
"rgon &igh )nert *edium +ow
&elium ,ery low )nert ,ery high ,ery high
itrogen *edium )nert-reactive. *edium *edium
&ydrogen ,ery low /educing +ow ,ery high
Oxygen *edium Oxidi%ing +ow *edium
0.1 dependent on temperature and reaction time
The choice of a proper assist gas depends on several factors, for example the type of
welding gas no%%le, the laser power and intensity, the material thic$ness and the 2uality
re2uirements.
Generally, helium is the only alternative for high power CO2 laser beam welding in
combination with large penetration depth or low welding speeds. )f the laser power is
limited or the welding speed is high, argon can be admixed with helium, but the higher
the laser power, the higher is the re2uired percentage of helium. (ure argon should not be
used with laser power over approx. 2 $3, because the extended plasma formation is
clearly reducing the process efficiency.
)n addition to helium and helium4argon mixture, argon4hydrogen mixtures are beneficial
for welding of austenitic steels. &ydrogen is somewhat effecting in controlling the plasma
formation due to low atomic weight and high thermal conductivity. Table '. moreover
hydrogen reduces surface oxides and affects the viscosity of the melt. Comparing various
welding gases, argon5hydrogen resulted in the highest welding speed in 2 mm stainless
steel as well as a shiny metallic weld surface compared to helium and argon4helium.
&ydrogen should not be used together with ferritic steel due to the ris$ of hydrogen
embrittlement.
The welding gases can be fed via a coaxial no%%le, somewhat similar to a laser cutting
arrangement, or via a so4called plasma 6et, see 7igure 8. Gases fed via co4axial no%%les
are directed towards the $eyhole and may cause turbulence in the melt pool if not
properly set4up. The plasma 6et, on the other hand, is a side tube providing a gas stream
almost parallel to the plate surface and the weld bead. 9nfortunately, the plasma 6et needs
an additional axis to $eep the position relative to the weld gap during welding of contours
and a separate no%%le for optics protection.
The (lasma 6et may point towards the open 6oint gap or towards the welded seam with
each position providing different options. " gas flow guided through the laser beam
towards the open gap preheats the material and supports evaporation of low melting
coatings. (ointing towards the welded seam allows better shielding of the weld metal and
provides some post heating which may be advantageous for degassing of the melt pool.
"nyhow, this position is much more sensitive to misalignment since the gas stream may
cause turbulence in the weld pool with small deviations in the pointing direction.
(lasma formation is not a limiting factor in d:!"G laser welding, due to the different
wave length compared to CO2 laser radiation. Therefore argon is often used assist gas for
d:!"G laser welding in industries fed via a co4axial no%%le. The assist gas flow is in the
range of ': to 8: l5min. the purity of helium and argon should be at least ;;.;;<.
Therefore high purity regulators are recommended.