Fabrication of bi-layer PMMA and aluminum 6061-T6 laminates by laser transmission welding: Performance prediction and optimization

Laser transmission welding can be effectively used in fabrication of laminated parts. In the present work an attempt was made to fabricate a polymeric laminate structure made of polymathic methacrylate (PMMA) and aluminum 6061-T6 by laser transmission welding process. A series of laser welding experiment has been carried out to analyze effect of laser power, welding speed, focal position and axial pressure on lap shear force and weld seam width. Response surface methodology including regression analysis, analysis of variances and desirability approach function has been utilized here to analyze the processing data. It is found from the results that focal position has greatest influence on both the lap shear force and weld bead width. Optimization is also carried out in two different criteria for achieving desired welding performance. The optimization results obtained by this approach are consistent well with the results measured through confirmatory experiments. Keywords: Laser transmission welding, Polymer-metal lap joint, Response surface methodology, Optimization