Challenges to the interpretation of the electromagnetic feedback from laser welding

This paper considers the point that it is not possible to interpret individual weld perturbations from the raw electromagnetic feedback collected from laser weld zones. The presentation of electromagnetic data as a 3D cloud is presented as a new, useful tool in the analysis of this feedback. It is shown that there is a very low correlation between the plasma or thermal signals and the reflected light signal from the weld zone, and that a strong correlation exists between the plasma and thermal signals. It is also demonstrated that data points from a weld perturbation form a different 3D cluster to those from the stable welding process. A strategy for future real time data analysis is presented utilising a suitably shaped data cloud envelope. The rates of data fit to the various segments of such an envelope could be correlated with specific weld anomalies.