Welding processes are becoming increasingly important in modern production technology. Two of the proven processes are hot gas and laser welding of plastic components. The latter can be divided into three categories: Laser Transmission Through Welding (LTTW), Transparent Transparent Welding (EvoClear Welding) and Absorbing Absorbing Welding (Evo2Step Welding).
There are many factors to consider when choosing the right welding technology. In this article, we would like to summarize the decisive advantages of the Evo2Step welding process from the “Absorbing Absorbing Welding” category compared to hot gas welding.
PRECISION
An outstanding feature of Evo2Step welding is the ability to precisely adjust the energy input along the welding contour – especially at critical intersections. In hot gas welding, several nozzles are used, which can be controlled individually or in groups. These must be set individually for completely defined sections of the contour, but targeted adjustment in sensitive areas is not possible.
In contrast, the Evo2Step laser enables precise energy input anywhere along the welding contour and thus prevents overheating on T-shaped contours, for example.
HANDLING
Another key advantage of Evo2Step welding is the fact that components are immediately warm to the touch after the welding process and the welding process can continue without interruption. In comparison, the entire assembly becomes very hot during hot gas welding, meaning that it cannot be touched everywhere after welding and a long cooling time is required.
DESIGN
Design flexibility is another advantage of the Evo2Step welding process. Parts that are designed for hot gas welding can be easily processed using the Evo2Step process. There is no need for rethinking, expensive training, etc. You can benefit directly from the advantages of Evo2Step laser plastic welding.
Of course, Evosys is still available to answer any questions you may have during the development and design phase – contact Evosys directly for free and non-binding tips, information and design reviews for your application.
PREMONTAGE
Internal components can be mounted before the welding process. Due to the precise energy input only into the welding seam of the joining partners, the rest of the assembly remains cold in the Evo2Step process, so that internal elements such as sensors and/or filters can be correctly inserted before laser welding in the Evo2Step process. This opens up completely new possibilities in the design and production planning of typical assemblies.
QUALITY
Visibility during the welding process is essential for quality assurance. With the Evo2Step, it is possible to use a thermal camera, which allows precise monitoring of the welding process so that the temperature of the entire weld seam can be evaluated during the heating phase. On the other hand, there is no visibility during hot gas welding, which makes process control more difficult.
FLEXIBILITY
The flexibility of the Evo2Step welding process is enormous. With just two new tool holders and a few programming operations, the welding contour can be set or adjusted quickly and easily. Holders for Evo2Step laser welding are relatively simple in design, which makes them very inexpensive to manufacture and available at short notice.
This contrasts with the higher costs associated with hot gas welding, as specific hot runners and nozzles are required in addition to the holders. Rapid adjustment or realignment is not possible here.
AVAILABILITY
With the Evo2Step, changeover from one assembly to another can take place immediately after production of an assembly and, as usual with Evosys machines, only takes a few minutes so that production can continue immediately. Cooling times for the tools, as with hot gas welding, are not required.
AUTOMATION
Automation of the welding process is also very easy to implement with the Evo2Step. Whether stand-alone solutions, integration systems or laser modules, the tried-and-tested Evosys technology offers the right automation solution for every application from a single source or in cooperation with the automation specialist of your choice. Specific requirements such as cycle time, traceability and process monitoring are of course taken into account in every concept. Simply contact us for your suitable solution from our pool of standard or specific automation solutions.
COSTS
Regardless of the automation solution, with laser plastic welding from Evosys you benefit twice over from significantly reduced operating and energy consumption costs.
Laser welding does not require any additives, whereas hot gas welding, as the name implies, requires additional gas for the welding process. This is also clearly noticeable in the energy costs per year, which are well into the 5-digit range per machine for hot gas welding. With Evo2Step laser welding, these costs are generally less than 10% in comparison.
Summary
In summary, the Evo2Step welding process offers a number of advantages over hot gas welding: from the precise adjustment of the energy input and the immediate further processing of the components to the high level of flexibility and efficiency. In addition, the energy costs are extremely low at less than 10% compared to hot gas welding.
Anyone looking for a modern, flexible and efficient welding process will find numerous effective, customized and flexible solutions in the field of laser plastic welding at EVOSYS.
