Laser Welding Technology

Dear Colleagues,

Laser welding of metals is an important technology. The advantages, such as high welding speed, high productivity, and high concentration of energy, have made laser welding attractive in many industrial applications. In reality, the joining of same or dissimilar metals together using laser welding is an extremely complicated process, which contains a large number of physical and metallurgical effects. Improvement of laser welding product quality relies on an increased understanding of laser welding process and the ways in which this process can be monitored and controlled by advanced techniques. In addition, with synergistic action of the laser beam and welding arc, laser–arc hybrid welding is also an attractive technique which offers many advantages, such as good gap bridging ability, deep penetration, high welding speed, as well as better welding process stability and efficiency.

Articles focusing on the review, investigation, and innovations of laser welding and laser-arc hybrid welding of the same or dissimilar metals are all welcome to this Special Issue of Metals. Research on seam tracking, welding process monitoring, and diagnosis based on optical, plasma, vision, and acoustical sensors, dynamic modeling of welding process, advanced control of laser welding process, numerical analysis of laser welding processes and structures, and optimal design of laser welding processes will be expected in this Special Issue. A discussion of the properties of laser weld pool, keyhole, heat transfer during laser welding, microstructure, metallurgical and mechanical properties of laser weld will be covered. Additionally, nondestructive testing for laser welding products, and intelligent methods of weld defect detection with machine learning and signal processing related to laser welding or laser–arc hybrid welding are encouraged for submission. Experimental studies and simulations of laser welding and laser-arc hybrid welding, as well as industrial applications, are of interest in this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Xiangdong Gao
Guest Editor

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