Visualization of laser back-reflection distribution during laser welding

Abstract

There are several approaches to weld quality monitoring during laser welding. Reflected laser radiation carries partial information about the welding process. Fibre lasers has usually a built-in diode to detect excessive back-reflected laser radiation to protect the laser source from damage. Reflected laser radiation measured in the laser source is compared with reflected laser radiation measured in the welding head. Moreover, coaxial high-speed imaging with a narrow bandpass filter on laser wavelength is used to visualize the reflected laser radiation. The advantage of this solution is that no additional illumination is needed and the reflected laser intensity and spatial distribution can be obtained from the image. Keyhole inlet dimensions are measured and related to the laser power. The transition between laser welding modes is studied.