Coherent beam combining - Beam characterization of a new 14 kW CBC laser source and first results on copper welding

Laser welding is a widely used process in the manufacturing industry. However, current beam oscillation approaches improve process stability but are limited in scanning frequency and variation of intensity profiles. Coherent beam combining (CBC) is a technique that provides unique intensity profiles by combining multiple laser beams into a single beam. Beam shaping with almost every conceivable intensity distribution are available at MHz range frequency. Process approaches considering physical material properties are conceivable. This paper presents experimental results using 14 kW CBC-IR laser source focusing on beam characterization and process development on copper material. Initial welding trials using different beam shapes at frequencies up to 10 MHz were conducted to investigate process stability. The paper provides an overview of the intensity distributions successful for copper welding using CBC approach.