ESAB LAUNCHES HYBRIO HYBRID LASER ARC WELDING EQUIPMENT

The Hybrid Laser Arc Welding (HLAW) process is tolerant of variations in joint gap. The real-time Master Process Controller (MPC) fine-tunes the welding parameters 'on the fly' to ensure consistent quality and weld geometry along the length of the weld.

Hybrio™ systems are available in gantry, robotic and specialised automated configurations to suit a diverse range of industrial applications. In particular, manufacturers using high-volume industrial fabrication, moderate batch sizes and a low part mix can benefit significantly from the higher productivity and improved quality offered by Hybrio™.

The innovative Hybrio™ technology combines the deep penetration and low heat input of laser welding with the excellent weld properties and superior gap tolerance of GMAW (or MIG/MAG). Hybrid laser welding is characterised by very narrow, deep welds that are produced at very high speeds; this reduces heat input to the part and so reduces shrinkage and distortion. Hybrio™ uses GMAW in tandem with the laser, adding a relatively modest amount of filler metal, to overcome the need in laser-only welding for tightly controlled gaps. The wider weld beads produced by the GMAW process can bridge weld gaps that are three times wider than those tolerated by laser-only processes.