• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Technology Engineers
• /
• v.24 no.1
• /
• pp.31-37
• /
• 2015

A laser line welder using a solid-state laser (Yb:YAG) has been manufactured for joining ultra-thin cold-rolled steel coils in steelworks. The coils to be welded primarily range from 0.15 to 0.3 mm in thickness and 800 to 1,100 mm in width. Because the steel plate is extremely thin, it is very important to control the stop positions of the clamp at cutting and welding points. In this study, both hydraulic proportional control valves and LVDT sensor embedded cylinders were used to precisely control and monitor the positions of clamps with complementary stoppers. As a result, the positions could be controlled within an error of ${\pm}30{\mu}m$. Erichsen cupping tests on the welded joints show that the Erichsen index ranges from 4.4 to 4.6 mm. Furthermore, the tensile strength of welding points is comparable to that of the base metal.