A tailored welded blank produced from at least two blank parts, where at least one is a press-hardenable manganese-boron steel and at least one has a coating of aluminum or an aluminum-based alloy. The parts are welded by laser-beam welding or hybrid laser/gas-metal-arc welding, while retaining the coating, using shielding gas and a filler wire having in % by weight: C: 0.41 to 0.9; Si: 0.4 to 4; Mn: 0.4 to 3; optionally Cr: 0 to 10; and with optional alloying of one or more of: Mo: 0.01 to 1.0; B: 0.0008 to 0.0040; Ti: 2.5×B<=Ti<=5×B; V: 0.01 to 0.4; Nb: 0.01 to 0.2; W: 0.01 to 0.2; the remainder Fe and unavoidable impurities. The high proportion of C and Cr or additionally or alternatively of Mo, V, Nb and/or W enables hardening by carbide formation in a weld-seam region after welding.

A tailored welded blank produced from at least two blank parts, where at least one is a press-hardenable manganese-boron steel and at least one has a coating of aluminum or an aluminum-based alloy. The parts are welded by laser-beam welding or hybrid laser/gas-metal-arc welding, while retaining the coating, using shielding gas and a filler wire having in % by weight: C: 0.41 to 0.9; Si: 0.4 to 4; Mn: 0.4 to 3; optionally Cr: 0 to 10; and with optional alloying of one or more of: Mo: 0.01 to 1.0; B: 0.0008 to 0.0040; Ti: 2.5×B<=Ti<=5×B; V: 0.01 to 0.4; Nb: 0.01 to 0.2; W: 0.01 to 0.2; the remainder Fe and unavoidable impurities. The high proportion of C and Cr or additionally or alternatively of Mo, V, Nb and/or W enables hardening by carbide formation in a weld-seam region after welding.

A welding apparatus according to one embodiment includes an irradiation device and nozzle. The irradiation device irradiates a surface of an object with an energy beam. The nozzle is provided with a first channel through which a shield gas flows and a second channel apart from the first channel and through which a gas flows, and the nozzle moves in an irradiation direction. The nozzle includes an end facing the surface and an outer face connected to the end and located in the irradiation direction with respect to the first channel. The end is provided with a first opening that communicates with the first channel and allows discharge of the shield gas toward the surface. The outer face is provided with a second opening that communicates with the second channel and allows the gas to be discharged away from the outer face in the irradiation direction.

A welding apparatus according to one embodiment includes an irradiation device and nozzle. The irradiation device irradiates a surface of an object with an energy beam. The nozzle is provided with a first channel through which a shield gas flows and a second channel apart from the first channel and through which a gas flows, and the nozzle moves in an irradiation direction. The nozzle includes an end facing the surface and an outer face connected to the end and located in the irradiation direction with respect to the first channel. The end is provided with a first opening that communicates with the first channel and allows discharge of the shield gas toward the surface. The outer face is provided with a second opening that communicates with the second channel and allows the gas to be discharged away from the outer face in the irradiation direction.

The disclosure provides a method for preparing a multiple-material variable-rigidity component by efficient collaborative additive manufacturing, relates to the technical field of additive manufacturing. In the disclosure, the method comprises: pretreating a component structure model and dividing the component structure model into a lightweight part with complex pore structures and a solid part that needs to be manufactured rapidly; preparing the lightweight part by a selective laser melting prototyping; performing a surface treatment on the prepared lightweight part to obtain a treated lightweight part; preparing the solid part on the treated lightweight part by a wire arc additive manufacturing, to obtain a component.

The disclosure provides a method for preparing a multiple-material variable-rigidity component by efficient collaborative additive manufacturing, relates to the technical field of additive manufacturing. In the disclosure, the method comprises: pretreating a component structure model and dividing the component structure model into a lightweight part with complex pore structures and a solid part that needs to be manufactured rapidly; preparing the lightweight part by a selective laser melting prototyping; performing a surface treatment on the prepared lightweight part to obtain a treated lightweight part; preparing the solid part on the treated lightweight part by a wire arc additive manufacturing, to obtain a component.

A method for the preparation of steel sheets for fabricating a welded steel blank is provided. The method includes procuring at least two pre-coated steel sheets, each having a pre-coating of an intermetallic alloy layer, topped by a layer of aluminum metal or aluminum alloy or aluminum-based alloy. The sheets have a principal face, an opposite principal face, and at least one secondary face. The sheets are positioned so a gap between 0.02 and 2 mm exists between the secondary faces. The secondary faces face each other. The positioning of the first and second sheets defines a median plane perpendicular to the principal faces. Layers of metal alloy are removed 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.

A method for the preparation of steel sheets for fabricating a welded steel blank is provided. The method includes procuring at least two pre-coated steel sheets, each having a pre-coating of an intermetallic alloy layer, topped by a layer of aluminum metal or aluminum alloy or aluminum-based alloy. The sheets have a principal face, an opposite principal face, and at least one secondary face. The sheets are positioned so a gap between 0.02 and 2 mm exists between the secondary faces. The secondary faces face each other. The positioning of the first and second sheets defines a median plane perpendicular to the principal faces. Layers of metal alloy are removed 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.

The assembly and welding mill for production of pipes includes a tubular billet feed device with a roller table having a longitudinal axis and passing through the assembly and welding stand with radial hold-down roller beams intended for reduction of a tubular billet that travels along the roller table and a longitudinally oriented guide knife, a carriage with rollers enabling rotation of the rollers on the inner surface of the tubular billet being moved through the assembly and welding stand. On the supporting elements of assembly and welding stand there is a laser welding head or a laser-arc hybrid welding head that can travel in transverse and vertical directions and around longitudinal axis. The carriage is rigidly connected with the supporting elements of the assembly and welding stand through a vertically oriented and longitudinally directed connecting knife. The guide knife is intended for tubular billet positioning through opening of edges at 12 o'clock position and is mounted on the supporting elements of the assembly and welding stand configured to enable vertical travel and fixation. On the carriage, there is a hold-down roller facing upwards that can travel in vertical direction to act on the edges of tubular billet from the inner side, while one of the roller beams is installed vertically that can act on the tubular billet edges from the outer side. Technical result: application of a root weld with laser technologies with guaranteed alignment of tubular billet edges regardless of size.

A method of producing a 3D article by additive manufacture is provided. The method includes the steps of: forming a meltpool in an already-existing part of the article, and moving the meltpool relative thereto; feeding a directed feedstock into the moving meltpool to deposit and fuse a layer of material on the already-existing part; and repeating the forming and moving and feeding steps to build up successive layers of material. In performance of the forming and moving step: a first energy source impinges at a first region of the already-existing part which moves with and leads the meltpool, whereby the first energy source initiates the formation of the meltpool; and a second energy source impinges at a second region on the already-existing part which moves with and follows the first region, whereby the second energy source grows the lateral width of the meltpool before the feedstock is fed therein.