Question on 904L laser welding

[Rahul718]

Hey all,

I’m very intrigued by the laser welding possibilities and was curious about one particular aspect. When the wire steel is melted on the base steel (case), is the base steel melted in the process? Or is the wire steel just melted on top of the base steel? Based on what I was able to understand, it’s the former, and the base steel is also melted in the process. Is this the case?

Are laser weld repairs considered permanent?

Thanks in advance!
Rahul

[Dirt]

Originally Posted by Rahul718

Hey all,

Are laser weld repairs considered permanent?

Thanks in advance!
Rahul

Yes, laser welding is indeed considered and is in fact absolutely permanent.
The filler material is fusion welded to the parent/base metal in a similar manner to the GTAW process, with the key difference being that laser welding is extremely focused and only suited to the smallest scale work.
Rolex are even able to laser weld their Gold metals and i understand that they use the exact same filler metal as their base/parent metal with part numbers assigned to the respective filler metals for ordering it in from the Mothership.

[Tools]

Originally Posted by Rahul718

. . . When the wire steel is melted on the base steel (case), is the base steel melted in the process? Or is the wire steel just melted on top of the base steel? . . .
Are laser weld repairs considered permanent?

Thanks in advance!
Rahul

If the base metal is not melted, it's not welding, it's soldering, a different process using a filler that melts at a relatively low temperature, kind of like hot epoxy.

Welding is fusing the base metal together along with a like filler, if necessary.

[Rahul718]

Thank you both, appreciate the input!