Trumpf, which provides manufacturing solutions for machine tools, laser technology and the semiconductor industry, has been named a world record holder for joining steel to a depth of 14 cm (5.51 in) in one welding operation with an industrial laser. The company announced the record, which was performed in collaboration with research partners at RWTH Aachen University in Germany, announced the record on Nov. 9.

“We are excited about the potential impact this important advancement could have on the manufacturing process,” said Trumpf Business Development Manager Marc Hummel, who oversees high-powered laser applications, in an email to Plant Services. “Laser welding in a vacuum (LaVa) could significantly speed up the production of large steel and aluminum structures, such as those used in wind turbines or shipbuilding. Further down the line, the key question for asset owners will be whether the technology will deliver reliable, inspectable and maintainable structures over their full service life.”

Comparable laser processes were able to achieve welding depths of 6 cm in a single operation. In addition, large and thick-walled steel components required many separate weld passes to produce. 

The experimental welding project used a 50kW high-power laser resonator from Trumpf in a process called laser welding in a vacuum. It further differentiated itself through the use of BrightLine Weld beam-shaping technology. Despite the name, no technically complex high vacuum is required, making the technique a possible alternative to electron beam welding. 

Trumpf did not provide a timeline for when the combination of technologies might be commercially available. However, Hummel noted, the 50kW high-power laser resonator, BrightLine Weld technology and the vacuum systems used in the world record attempt are all commercially available. 

“For us, the world record is not an end in itself,” Hummel said in a press release. “What matters is the benefit to the industry. If users can manufacture thick steel components with significantly fewer weld passes in the future, they will save energy, time, and costs while increasing their productivity. This is precisely where the potential of this technology lies.”