Open Access

Production of optical and medical devices makes high demands on cleanliness, precision, visual appearance and reliability. Advantages of laser transmission welding – contactless input of energy, high precision, no adhesives and no particle formation – can be fully exploited for this use. For absorber-free welding, lasers emitting in the polymers’ intrinsic absorption spectrum between 1.6 μm and 2 μm are used. Focusing the laser beam with high NA provides large intensity gradients inside the specimen and enables selective fusing of the joining zone without affecting the surface. Since a molten upper surface leads to visible and palpable irregularities and causes warpage, the verticalexpansion of the weld seam is crucial. To meet the high quality and reliability required in the medical and optical industry, online monitoring of the seam is necessary. The aim of this work is the localization and evaluation of the weld seam using pyrometry. First, the emitted thermal radiation is computed, enabling signal analysis regarding origin and spectrum. Thus, assessment of measurement spectrum and forecast of the signal in dependence on seam shape and position is possible. Finally, welding tests with Topas 8007-04 are performed at 200 mm/s feed rate and monitored with 100 kHz. The comparison of tracked data with thin-cuts demonstrates that weld seam localization by pyrometry is possible, enabling online assessment of the process.

Optical and medical devices made of transparent polymers are gaining popularity because of its cost advantages. The manufacturing technology must be able to meet the high demands of these applications. Advantages of laser transmission welding – contactless input of energy, precision, no adhesives and no particle formation – can be exploited here. For absorber-free welding, lasers emitting in the polymers‘ intrinsic absorption spectrum are used. Focusing the laser beam with high NA enables selective fusing of the joining zone. Since a molten upper surface leads to visible and palpable irregularities, the lateral expansion of the weld seam is monitored in this work. Welding tests with 1 mm thick plates of COC are performed and monitored by pyrometry. Distances between seam and surface measured in thin cuts and are compared with the pyrometer signal. This shows that the localization of the weld seam is possible and proper and faulty parts can be distinguished by pyrometry.

Laser transmission welding is a well-known joining technology for thermoplastics, providing reliable and hermetical sealing without adhesives or particle formation. The main advantages of laser-based energy input - high precision, no additional adhesive and no particle emission - are essential for medical and optical applications. To obtain sufficient absorption in visually transparent polymers, thulium fibre lasers emitting in the polymers’ intrinsic absorption spectrum are used. Optics with high numerical aperture provide large intensity gradients inside the specimen, enabling selective fusing in the joining zone. Although the basic feasibility has already been demonstrated, the welding process lacks stability and productivity. Aim of this work is the determination of optimized settings for a fast and reliable welding process. Thus, the interplay of process parameters as well as their impact on the seam are analysed by thermal simulations. Calculated settings are verified by welding tests with COC, PA6 and PETG, using a fixed-focus optics and a 3D laser scanner with up to 200 mm/s feed rate.