Spatter in laser welding

Spatter, the ejection of melt from a weld pool, is a major problem whenever it occurs in a welding process. The ejection of droplets from the weld metal results in a weld with underfill, undercuts, craters, blowholes, or blowouts-all of which can have a detrimental effect on the mechanical properties of the weld. This paper presents a systematic description of the different types of spatter phenomena which occur during laser welding. A categorization system is proposed to facilitate the comparison and combination of research findings on spatter. This should allow researchers in this area to act as a more effective team in future. (C) 2011 Laser Institute of America.