Laser micro-welding of wire to flat geometry for dissimilar materials in an electromechanical application

In the presented study, the laser welding of wire to flat geometry for miniature electromechanical hybrid components has been investigated. Laser welding offers variety of advantages compared to the current joining processes for this application however, considering the geometry of parts to be welded also mechanical properties requirement, an accurate spatial modulation of laser beam should be implemented to achieve a sound joint. Tensile shear test and optical microscopy were employed to represent the mechanical properties and melt pool geometry of the joint. All welds were done by power modulation of the laser beam to better control the energy input at several feed rates and three different beam trajectories. Results show that the shear load of the joint can be controlled by feed rate and the trajectory of the laser beam. The material combination of the study (Nickel and CuSn6), represents solubility in solid state therefore, by defining a proper spatial modulation of the laser beam a joint stronger than base wire metal is achievable. Figure 1 represents schematics of weld components.