Tactile laser welding & laser brazing with MPH Tactile laser optics
Laser joining has never been so flexible and user-friendly
When laser welding and laser brazing at high speeds, such as in automotive engineering, rail vehicle construction, transportation vehicle construction and shipbuilding, every second counts. There is no tactile laser optic that is more flexible and user-friendly than the MPH Tactile.
All information at a glance
Advantages of the MPH Tactile laser optics
When developing the MPH Tactile laser optics, the aim was to achieve reliable, high-quality welding and brazing results and maximum user-friendliness in tactile laser joining. You can now benefit from this in your high-speed laser welding and brazing applications.
The advantages:
- All optical elements (lenses, mirrors, protective glass) are monitored in real time and their status documented
You have an insight into the process at all times and can intervene preventively - A sophisticated maintenance and repair concept ensures maximum availability for your system
The quick-change system facilitates access directly in the laser welding cell - A control system that can be configured specifically for your systems allows you to integrate the system into any fieldbus system
Clear, simple communication and installation - You can easily integrate different systems for process visualization and process monitoring
Interfaces give you the greatest possible flexibility - You can easily expand the system with, for example, media routing, shielding gas supply and beam shaping
The modular design allows you to achieve the best possible fit for your application
Play it safe with laser welding and laser brazing, and not just in automotive engineering and body construction.
You can access the operating instructions and other technical documents directly here.
Prof. Dr. Emil Schubert, alias WELDPROF®, reports on the special features of tactile seam tracking in laser welding in automotive engineering.
Features of the MPH Tactile laser optics
Maximum flexibility and user-friendliness for a wide range of applications was the aim when developing the tactile laser optics MPH Tactile for laser welding and laser brazing. The result is a smart modular design that is characterized by the following features:
- User-friendly zoom collimation for a wide range of applications
- Sophisticated sensor concept for real-time process monitoring and preventive adjustment options
- Future-oriented real-time control with simple communication to all common fieldbus systems
- Efficient maintenance and repair concept for maximum system availability
User-friendly zoom collimation
The MPH Tactile laser optics for laser welding and laser brazing are equipped with zoom collimation. This means that the focus diameter of the laser beam can be very easily adapted to the respective requirement, e. g. when using different wire diameters. Using this technology, you can achieve different image ratios in a range from 2.7 to 5.0 with just one optical system (optics) – without complex and time-consuming, and therefore also costly, modifications to the existing laser system. This in turn means that you can cover a wide range of tasks with just one optic. In addition, the number of replacement systems (optics) required per production system can also be reduced, as each optic can be adjusted to the specific requirements.
Another advantage of the modular MPH Tactile laser optics system is that you can standardize production with the same laser optics setup. In this way, you can operate all laser systems at your international locations flexibly and compatibly.
In summary, zoom collimation offers you the following advantages:
- Only one optical system for a wide range of tasks
- One optical system achieves image ratios from 2.7 to 5.0
- Fewer replacement systems required per production line
- Production equipment can be standardized internationally
Sophisticated sensor concept
A smart sensor concept allows you to monitor the condition of each individual optical element in the beam path in real time. In the event of contamination or damage, a warning message is sent to the machine control system so that the user can prevent further errors in the process. The result is predictive operation of your system and preventive maintenance of your MPH Tactile laser optics.
In summary, the sensor concept offers you the following advantages:
- Real-time monitoring of each individual optical element in the beam path
- Contamination or damage triggers an immediate warning
- Continuation of faults is prevented
- Predictive maintenance concept
Future-oriented real-time control
The real-time control of the tactile laser optics MPH Tactile is literally the “brain” of this system. Control modules speak the respective “language” of the user and ensure communication between the laser optics and the robot. The parameters can be set using a graphical user interface, which guides you through the large number of adjustable parameters in a self-explanatory manner and at the same time allows you to read out the status of each individual system-relevant component of the laser system.
With the MPH Tactile concept, you have the option of easily upgrading your systems to Industry 4.0 level standards. This gives you a future-proof standard for your welding or brazing system.
In summary, real-time control offers you the following advantages:
- Communication interface to all common fieldbus systems
- Graphical user interface provides self-explanatory guidance through the adjustable parameters
- Real-time status of individual system-relevant components at just one mouse click
- Extended digitization concepts in accordance with Industry 4.0 standards possible
Efficient maintenance and repair concept
If an optical lens is defective, it can be replaced quickly and easily by specialists from the local ABICOR BINZEL service team directly on site. Rail-guided replacement cassettes make this work easier and enable reproducible replacement.
With a simple lens module change, your trained personnel can convert from brazing configurations with zoom collimation to welding configurations with small fixed image ratios – up to M = 1.0. This means that in most cases you no longer have to send the entire laser processing head back to the manufacturer for repairs or modifications to the optical system. This increases the availability of your system and significantly reduces the cost of logistical processing, especially across national borders.
In summary, the maintenance and repair concept offers you the following advantage:
- Fast and reproducible replacement of defective optical elements
- Easy repair or replacement at the user's premises
- Conversion from brazing configuration to welding configuration possible by simply changing the lens module
- Significantly increased availability of the system at the user's premises
Precise wire feeding for tactile laser welding
Because laser welding places the highest quality demands on the weld seams, smooth wire feeding is also essential – especially when feeding very soft filler material such as aluminum. This is where the Master Feeder System MFS-V3.1 from ABICOR BINZEL has proven itself as a fully digitally controlled and high-precision wire feeding system for series production. A comparative test carried out by an independent test laboratory with other wire feeding systems shows how well the MFS-V3.1 wire feeding system meets the very high requirements of laser welding and laser brazing in terms of constant wire feeding, load due to tensile force and general performance.
Service/contact
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FAQs on tactile laser brazing and laser welding
How does tactile laser optics work?
Laser optics with tactile seam tracking use the wire tip as a sensor to maintain the position of the laser beam on the joining edge. Lateral and axial adjustment means that the position and size of the laser spot are always constantly aligned with the wire tip – paving the way for high-quality welding or brazing at high joining speeds. At the same time, the process is only slightly susceptible to tolerances during production.
Why does ABICOR BINZEL now also offer optics for laser welding and laser brazing?
More and more automobile manufacturers, rail vehicle manufacturers and now also medium-sized metalworking companies are using the technology of tactile laser joining and are relying on ABICOR BINZEL as a system supplier, service partner and know-how provider – also for wire feeding and the associated systems. This range is constantly being expanded.
How good are the laser optics from ABICOR BINZEL?
With MPH Tactile, the next generation of tactile laser optics for laser brazing and laser welding has been developed. This was achieved in close cooperation with the high-tech company PT Photonic Tools GmbH, an ABICOR BINZEL partner from the ABICOR GROUP for high-performance laser products. The MPH Tactile is based on the functional extension of the proven modular optics system MPH – the Modular Processing Head – from PT Photonic Tools. The founding and development team behind the technology company can look back on over 25 years of success, from which many trend-setting and now proven innovations in industrial laser technology have already emerged.
Which laser optics for laser welding are user-friendly?
When developing the MPH Tactile laser optics, the focus was on reliable, high-quality results and maximum user-friendliness in tactile laser joining. Anyone who not only wants to play it safe in their production processes with tactile laser optics but also wants to be extremely flexible in terms of conversion and maintenance, will no longer want to be without the MPH Tactile from ABICOR BINZEL.
Tightness is particularly important when laser welding battery boxes for electric cars, which can be achieved by laser welding with filler wire. With the tactile laser optics MPH Tactile, you can also achieve optimum connection cross-sections without a notch effect.
For structural parts of rail vehicles, such as side walls, the transmission of forces must function optimally. The MPH Tactile produces reliable seams with the high welding speed and low distortion typical of lasers.