20 kilowatts of laser welding technology combined can greatly improve the speed of industrial production and assembly, will benefit GE Energy, aviation, oil and gas and transportation services
Author: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Ventures
April 26, Shanghai - GE Global Research Center recently released a set of high-power laser arc hybrid welding system (HLAW), the technology is expected to completely change the future of industrial products manufacturing.
20 KW high-power, so that upon release of the system has become North America s largest high-power laser-arc hybrid welding equipment. Strong power to the welding speed increased dramatically --- the use of other techniques need to complete up to six 1-inch thick welded steel plate, the system only a single channel to complete the welding operations. For example: welding compared to the traditional way, if you use GE technology, welding new HLAW aircraft carrier USS Saratoga, you can save nearly 800 tons of weld metal, 80% of the welding time. Currently, GE is exploring the technology into its manufacturing infrastructure, including oil and gas, power generation, aviation and rail industries.
"With the advanced manufacturing tools and processes into manufacturing, manufacturing is increasingly become a high-tech technology to meet the higher quality, faster and lower cost of production needs. GE Global Research headquarters in charge of manufacturing technology Luana Lorio said, "HLAW GE technology is being developed to improve its manufacturing competitiveness, raise their performance to a new level of part of the next generation of manufacturing tools. "
For metal, the welding is essential, in fact, all the metal parts of the manufacturing process are inseparable from welding. Meanwhile, the manufacturing process of welding is the most time-consuming one. Moreover, the welding of high-intensive production methods occupy an important position, usually with the processing of these products to the final sales far apart. It also led directly to the product transport complex and expensive. Breakthrough technology, such as GE new HLAW system will eventually break the traditional model, used to solder components less time, while reflecting manufacturing consistency.
Lorio stated: "This new laser platform s flexibility to change our traditional welding mode, for example, now we can venture to imagine, in the sales market for welding products, which completely overturned the traditional welding mode, but also to the difficulty and cost of transport greatly reduced. "
How it works:
GE high-power laser arc hybrid welding system combines a laser welding and arc welding techniques. High-power fiber laser welding makes HLAW devices once the thickness of more than 0.5 inches of steel, welding speed of more than 6 feet / minute. The traditional multi-channel welding process, the new technology to meet higher quality requirements. In order to better improve the technology, GE electric and laser science disciplines, scientists spent decades of effort. GE s development of laser technology for over 50 years of history and has been applied to many fields.
From aircraft engine blades to the blade surface of the laser drilling of laser treatment to reinforce the first application of its durability, GE as a pioneer for laser applications in the manufacturing process for a number of research and development. Laser technology is also used for welding the filament lighting, generators, and a spacer layer chip components in the X-ray tube. In recent years, GE developed new uses for lasers include: precision parts inspection, repair the generator components and solar photovoltaic panels processing.
New HLAW system inherited GE advanced technology into the manufacturing process to the concept. Currently, the global investment in R & D center is more than 100 manufacturing and testing a variety of related research and development projects, making way for new development. October 2009, GE built in Michigan, advanced manufacturing and software technology center. The center will change the next generation of GE industrial products manufacturing. GE Global Research in the joint efforts, the center will become the new GE technology from the laboratory to the manufacturing strategy over the success of the most important part of the welding.