Improving Laser Welding Efficiency on Hydraulic System Parts
When an industry-leading manufacturer needed to improve their process of laser welding essential parts for the safe operation of heavy-duty vehicles, they turned to the powerful surface preparation advantages of Plionyx.
Hydraulic-powered lifting systems are made up of several components that must work under extreme pressure. Vehicles such as dump trucks, roll-off trailers, and garbage trucks regularly shift loads that can weigh thousands of pounds—and it takes a sturdy hydraulic system designed with unbreakable parts to make it happen. This is why it is vital to achieve a strong and successful weld during the fabrication of metal products at the heart of this system.
Previously, this customer was using an inefficient process to join the two metal components that would become the final product: first, a machining center to create the metal parts, followed by a chemical wash system to prepare the metal surfaces for welding by removing dust, oil residue, and other contaminants that could inhibit the weld strength. Next, the parts moved on to a robotic laser welding center. Although this is an industry-standard process, the customer was seeing a scrap rate of about 20% as parts were rejected from the production line after the welding stage. Something needed to change.
In early 2024, while attending a trade show, a representative from the manufacturer learned about the speed and effectiveness of atmospheric plasma surface cleaning and the advantages of the Plionyx system compared to other open-air plasma systems. Impressed with the game-changing potential of Plionyx to make their laser welding process more reliable and efficient, they began evaluating how to automate their pre-weld surface cleaning process using this plasma technology. Plionyx involved its sales, field support, and technical teams, led by Director of Research and Development Jeff Piascik, PhD, to provide technical guidance during the evaluation and testing stages.
The surface cleaning results were amazing. By skipping the chemical wash step and immediately plasma-treating the CNC-machined parts before laser welding them together, the customer was able to reduce part re-work and virtually eliminate scrap parts due to bad welds! Rather than scrapping 20% of these parts, they began seeing a production efficiency rate of about 99.5%.
The customer has started with 3 Plionyx plasma systems on one production line, and they plan to add additional plasma surface treatment stations to their facility as further investments are made to automate the facility and processes.
Top 3 Customer Wins:
- Increased production efficiency: Went from 20% scrap rate to 99.5% production efficiency—eliminated virtually all waste.
- Financial benefits: No more need for expensive procurement or disposal of hazardous chemicals used in solvent wash tanks; Reduced cost of recycling and disposing of scrap metal; Greater profit margins resulting from fewer defective parts.
- Employee health and safety: Plasma treatment of surfaces is a superior solution to traditional surface prep `methods that expose operators to chemicals, dust, or fumes.
Do you need a fast-working surface preparation solution to make your manufacturing process more efficient? Let Plionyx do the heavy lifting through the power of plasma. Contact us to determine just how much value we can add to your process.
