Disclosed is a hybrid additive manufacturing system that includes a laser system and an additive manufacturing tool, such as an arc welding type torch. The tool is configured to receive a metallic electrode wire, which is heated by a power supply to create droplets for deposition to create the part by building up successive layers of metal. The additive manufacturing system operates through coordination of the laser system to generate a laser beam, which is applied to a weld bead, and an arc welding process, which provides material for the part. A threshold value of laser intensity and/or power can be applied to the weld puddle to stabilize the arc. Through the laser beam, an arc cone position can be manipulated such that the energy into the molten pool can be redistributed.

A wire welding and grinding station (100) comprises a wire welder (112), an AC electrical motor (114) for powering a metal grinder (116), and an AC power supply (110) for supplying electrical power to both the wire welder (112) and the electrical AC motor (114). The station (100) further comprises a soft start module (118) to reduce inrush current demanded by the electrical AC motor (114) while starting. The use of the soft start module (118) allows using a battery (102) as power supply and the use of a battery as power supply has the advantage of practical movability and stable welding currents.

A method is provided for joining at least two components of a medical instrument, the at least two components are held so as to form at least one soldering gap between mutually assigned joining areas of the components, a solder material is arranged for filling the at least one soldering gap, and the arrangement of the at least two components and of the solder material is heated to a soldering temperature of the solder material, wherein the solder material is an iron-based solder. A use of an iron-based solder and a medical instrument, in particular a laryngoscope spatula, are also provided.

A method is provided for joining at least two components of a medical instrument, the at least two components are held so as to form at least one soldering gap between mutually assigned joining areas of the components, a solder material is arranged for filling the at least one soldering gap, and the arrangement of the at least two components and of the solder material is heated to a soldering temperature of the solder material, wherein the solder material is an iron-based solder. A use of an iron-based solder and a medical instrument, in particular a laryngoscope spatula, are also provided.

Provided is a laser-arc hybrid welding method that can considerably suppress spatter formation by controlling the transfer mode of droplets and that can reduce thermal effects and/or thermal deformation associated with welding by setting to a low welding current. The present invention is directed to a laser-arc hybrid welding method, where: a minimum diameter D.sub.MIN (mm) of droplets that are transferred from a steel welding wire to a molten pool generated by the gas-shielded arc welding satisfies D.sub.MIN(P/15)+(1/2) relative to a power (kW) of a laser beam generated by the laser welding; and a maximum diameter D.sub.MAX (mm) of the droplets satisfies M4D.sub.MAX/3 relative to a length M (mm) of an arc generated by the gas-shielded arc welding.

Laser hybrid welding systems adapted to identify and/or fix a weld defect occurring during a laser hybrid welding process are provided. Embodiments of the laser hybrid welding system may include one or more devices that provide feedback to a controller regarding one or more weld parameters. One embodiment of the laser hybrid welding system includes sensors that are adapted to measure the weld voltage and/or amperage during the welding process and transmit the acquired data to the controller for processing. Another embodiment of the laser hybrid welding system includes a lead camera and a lag camera that film an area directly in front of the weld location and directly behind the weld location.

Laser hybrid welding systems adapted to identify and/or fix a weld defect occurring during a laser hybrid welding process are provided. Embodiments of the laser hybrid welding system may include one or more devices that provide feedback to a controller regarding one or more weld parameters. One embodiment of the laser hybrid welding system includes sensors that are adapted to measure the weld voltage and/or amperage during the welding process and transmit the acquired data to the controller for processing. Another embodiment of the laser hybrid welding system includes a lead camera and a lag camera that film an area directly in front of the weld location and directly behind the weld location.

The present invention relates to additive manufacturing field and laser shock peening (LSP) field, in particular to a combined apparatus for layer-by-layer interactive additive manufacturing with laser thermal/mechanical effects. In the apparatus, a LSP module and a SLM module operate in alternate so as to perform LSP for the formed part in the forming process of the formed part, and thereby a better strengthening effect of the formed part is achieved. The present invention effectively overcomes the challenges of shape control against deformation and cracking of the formed parts incurred by internal stress and property control against poor fatigue property of the formed parts incurred by metallurgical defects during additive manufacturing, improves fatigue strength and mechanical properties of the formed parts, and realizes high-efficiency and high-quality holistic processing of the formed parts.

The present invention provides a method for the preparation of steel sheets to be fabricated into a welded steel blank. The method includes procuring at least one pre-coated first steel sheet and one pre-coated second steel sheet, made up of a steel substrate and a pre-coating made up of an intermetallic alloy layer in contact with the steel substrate, topped by a layer of aluminum metal or aluminum alloy or aluminum-based alloy, the first sheet having a principal face, an opposite principal face, and at least one secondary face, the second sheet having a principal face, an opposite principal face and at least one secondary face, positioning the first and second sheets, leaving a gap of between 0.02 and 2 mm between the secondary faces and facing each other, the mating of the first and second sheets defining a median plane perpendicular to the principal faces of the first sheet and the second sheet, then removing the layers of metal alloy by melting and vaporization simultaneously on the principal faces, in a peripheral zone of the sheets, the peripheral zones being the zones of the principal faces closest in relation to the median plane located one on either side of it.

The present invention provides a method for the preparation of steel sheets to be fabricated into a welded steel blank. The method includes procuring at least one pre-coated first steel sheet and one pre-coated second steel sheet, made up of a steel substrate and a pre-coating made up of an intermetallic alloy layer in contact with the steel substrate, topped by a layer of aluminum metal or aluminum alloy or aluminum-based alloy, the first sheet having a principal face, an opposite principal face, and at least one secondary face, the second sheet having a principal face, an opposite principal face and at least one secondary face, positioning the first and second sheets, leaving a gap of between 0.02 and 2 mm between the secondary faces and facing each other, the mating of the first and second sheets defining a median plane perpendicular to the principal faces of the first sheet and the second sheet, then removing the layers of metal alloy by melting and vaporization simultaneously on the principal faces, in a peripheral zone of the sheets, the peripheral zones being the zones of the principal faces closest in relation to the median plane located one on either side of it.