Laser manufacturing technology has many advantages that traditional manufacturing technologies do not have, such as low material waste, low manufacturing costs in large-scale production, programmable control according to production processes, high production efficiency in large-scale manufacturing, and access to cold working conditions High-precision manufacturing that can not be achieved by conventional technologies; adaptable to the processing object, free from electromagnetic interference, low requirements for manufacturing tools and production environment, low noise, no harmful rays and residues, and production process Little pollution to the environment.
Laser welding is an important part of laser manufacturing technology. In 1960, the United States successfully developed the world's first ruby laser; in 1962, there were reports of laser applications including laser welding; from 1971 to 1972, with the practical application of thousands of watts of CO2 laser welding equipment, laser welding took root. Changes, a few millimeters thick steel plate can be fully welded through a one-time show the great potential of high-power laser welding.
Laser welding technology was first applied to car body manufacturing in the mid-1980s and applied to shipbuilding in the mid-1990s. It was applied to the fuselage manufacturing of A380 large aircrafts in the early 21st century. Airbus applied laser welding technology instead of riveting, successfully achieving the goal of 20% weight reduction for aircraft, and made a pioneering contribution to the application of laser technology in the aviation industry. Laser welding can realize the connection of many types of materials, and has many advantages that other welding processes cannot match. Among them, the most prominent is that laser welding can connect thin alloy materials (such as aluminum alloy and titanium) that are difficult to weld in aerospace manufacturing. Alloy, etc.), and has the advantages of small component deformation, high joint quality, and good reproducibility. It can be seen that the aviation industry in the future will be an important field for the application of laser welding technology.
At present, as a leader in the development of advanced manufacturing technologies, the aviation industry is ushering in a period of new development opportunities. The aviation industry has demonstrated a high degree of integration of modern high-tech technology. Its level of development is a comprehensive manifestation of the country’s scientific and technological level, industrial level, national defense strength, and comprehensive national strength. At the same time, China’s large-aircraft project is established with new materials, modern manufacturing, advanced power, and electronics. Key technologies in the areas of information, automation, and computers have put forward more urgent needs.