Process and quality planning in laser beam welding

Ecological and economical reasons demand advanced planning procedures in manufacturing. Process planning is utilized for the set-up of the laser machine and quality planning ensures the compatibility of the welding result with the subsequent manufacturing steps. With the simulator CALAS (Computer Aided LASering) a versatile tool for process planning in laser beam welding was developed. Based on the properties of the material of the work-piece optimized processing parameters as well as the seam geometry are calculated. Furthermore, the parameters for initializing the sensors and actuators for process control are generated by CALAS. Embedded in an autonomous production cell for laser beam welding a local continuous quality control is enabled. In conjunction with generic management systems a powerful tool for comprehensive quality assurance is introduced.