Laser joining of ceramics in liquid phase

Abstract:

The only way to join ceramic bodies- even with complicated geometries- effectively without deterioration of their excellent properties is by a process with a liquid or a liquid like phase or a diffusion bonding process. We report the successful employment of laser beams for the joining of ceramic bodies to each other and to metal specimens. Our two-laser-beam welding method, an additive-free process in liquid phase, allows to join bodies of fusible ceramics, e.g. of alumina parts, resulting in a strength of 85 % of the bulk material. Furthermore for the first time we present results on laser welding of alumina with niobium. By this method parts of various shapes can be joined in only a few minutes without furnaces. The achieved results in combination with the general advantages of laser material processing, like narrow seams, high process flexibility, high productivity and a high degree of automation, proof this technology ideally suited for industrial application.

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