A novel thermal sensor applied for laser materials processing

In materials processing heat input into parts is a major issue. To reduce heat impact, temperatures can be evaluated to optimize processes i. e. for low distortion, low dilution or small heat affected zones. For the first time a new sensor which combines ratio pyrometry with 2D-resolved measurement is applied for laser processing. The advantages of independence of emissivity and attenuation of the thermal radiation together with 2D-temperature information are demonstrated on laser cladding. The temperature distribution at the parts' surfaces available with quantitatively high precision. This information was successfully applied to validate FEM-based temperature field simulations. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B. V. Selection and/ or peer-review under responsibility of the German Scientific Laser Society (WLT e.V.)