TY - CHAP A1 - Maiwald, Frederik A1 - Kroth, Lea A1 - Laskin, Alexander A1 - Hierl, Stefan A1 - Schmidt, Michael T1 - Enlarging the process window in absorber-free laser transmission welding of polymer foils using tailored laser intensity distribution T2 - Procedia CIRP N2 - Absorber-free laser transmission welding enables precise and clean joining of polymer foils without absorbent additives or adhesives. It is well suited for applications in medical technology and food industry, which impose high demands on process reliability. To achieve a large process window and thus a reliable process, a homogeneous weld seam temperature is desirable. For this purpose, the intensity distribution of the laser beam is adapted locally by refractive beam shaping optics. Using a donut-shaped intensity distribution, the weld seam temperature is homogenized. Thus, the process window for welding polypropylene or polyethylene foils is enlarged up to a factor of 4 compared to a conventional, Gaussian-shaped distribution. This enables the reliable welding of even 85 µm thin foils, which could only be welded to a limited extent with a conventional laser intensity distribution. Y1 - 2024 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procir.2024.08.159 N1 - accepted by publisher VL - 124 SP - 489 EP - 493 PB - Elsevier ER -