US 12,240,056 B2
Ultrashort pulse laser butt welding
Dominik Bauer, Rottweil (DE); Helge Höck, Schramberg (DE); Michael Scharun, Schramberg (DE); and Manuel Schindler, Empfingen (DE)
Assigned to TRUMPF LASER GMBH, Schramberg (DE)
Filed by TRUMPF LASER GMBH, Schramberg (DE)
Filed on May 26, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/331,093.
Application 17/331,093 is a continuation of application No. PCT/EP2019/080770, filed on Nov. 9, 2019.
Claims priority of application No. 102018220447.0 (DE), filed on Nov. 28, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0276128 A1, Sep. 9, 2021
Int. Cl. B23K 26/26 (2014.01); B23K 26/0622 (2014.01); B23K 26/08 (2014.01); B23K 103/00 (2006.01)
CPC B23K 26/26 (2013.01) [B23K 26/0624 (2015.10); B23K 26/0876 (2013.01); B23K 2103/54 (2018.08)] 21 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for butt welding two laser-transparent, workpieces composed of glass, the method comprising:
obtaining first and second workpieces, wherein each workpiece comprises a top side, an underside, and side surfaces;
moving a side surface of the first workpiece into contact with a side surface of the second workpiece to form a joining surface between the two workpieces;
focusing at least one ultrashort pulse laser beam in a beam direction parallel to the joining surface of the two workpieces and focusing the at least one ultrashort pulse laser beam into a region of the joining surface to locally melt the two workpieces in the region of their joining surface, wherein the ultrashort pulse laser beam has a pulse duration of less than 500 picoseconds; and moving a laser focus of the ultrashort pulsed laser beam in or counter to the beam direction of the ultrashort pulse laser beam to produce in the region of the joining surface a butt weld seam that extends in the beam direction along an entire workpiece thickness at right angles or obliquely with respect to the top side of the two workpieces, and end before the top side and the underside.