AMADA WELD TECH, a manufacturer of welding equipment and systems, has expanded its range of Galvo Scanning equipment for laser welding applications.

Galvo scan heads are used in a variety of laser welding applications to facilitate quick and accurate point-to-point positioning.

The scan head consists of two mirrors, each mounted on extremely small rotary motors, called galvanometers or “galvos” for short. These two mirrors and motors are mounted orthogonally to each other such that the rotary motion of the two mirrors translates to linear motion in the X- and Y-axis.

The small size of the motors provides high-speed positioning, short settling times, and high acceleration and deceleration, which is ideal for high-speed, short-distance motion. Common uses include point-to-point positioning for multi-point welding, shape welding for hermetic seams, and beam weaving to increase the width of a weld.

The new Galvo scanning products feature intuitive software dedicated to welding and a configurable pattern that adjusts for part geometry and enhanced weld performance. An integrated safety shutter also ensures a safe work environment for operators.

The new solutions are designed to work with lasers up to three kilowatts (kW) and field sizes up to 100 x 100 millimeters. Integrate with a linear stage motion to weld at different workpiece heights or add a wobble to linear motion for the accommodation of tolerances in fit-up for seam welds.

Galvo scan head features:

• Point-to-point positioning: frequently employed where multiple welds are needed over a small area, for example, electronic connector leads. The jump speed is nearly instantaneous compared to either traditional motion stages or robotic motion, and can dramatically decrease cycle times.
• Contour welding: galvo scanning heads are adept at steering the laser beam in an XY plane to create a seam weld of any programmed shape. This is typically used for electronic package welding where a specific motion is necessary to create a hermetic seal, and for lap welding configurations where additional weld contact is required.
• Wobble: an extension of the seam welding application, in which the scanning head “wobbles” the beam in a small area to increase the melt pool. This improves the manufacturability of parts with lower tolerances on fit-up between the parts.