CO2 Laser Welding of Titanium.

This paper describes the technical merits of CO2 laser welding of titanium using a simple shielding system. The results of CO2 laser welding for titanium plates showed that excellent mechanical properties were obtained without after-shielding. From the thermal analysis during the laser welding process, it was determined that the temperature of both the welding zone and the heat-affected zone rose rapidly and then fell rapidly. Thus, atmospheric contamination (i. e, oxidation and nitriding) during laser welding was less than that during TIG (tungsten inert gas) arc welding.