Process Monitoring in Laser Welding
Locate the seam, monitor the process, check quality
In laser welding, stable processes are key to quality, efficiency, and reproducible results. Even minor deviations in focus position, component tolerances, seam position, welding geometry, or penetration depth can affect the quality of the joint. Process monitoring helps identify such deviations early on and reliably assess weld quality in series production.
Precitec supports industrial laser welding processes with technologies for monitoring, inspecting, and controlling relevant process parameters. Depending on the application, process signals can be captured inline, weld seams can be visually inspected, penetration depths can be measured, seam positions can be detected, or welding parameters can be adaptively adjusted. This provides users with greater transparency into the ongoing process and a solid foundation for quality assurance, documentation, and process optimization.
Why is process monitoring important in laser welding?
In automated production lines, welding processes must run consistently and stably—often with high production volumes, short cycle times, and challenging materials. Process monitoring ensures that quality deviations are detected not only on the finished component, but already during or immediately after the welding process.
This reduces scrap, minimizes rework, and supports a traceable evaluation of every weld. This transparency is a decisive advantage, particularly in safety-critical applications such as e-mobility, automotive body construction, lightweight construction, electronics, and medical technology.
What tasks does process monitoring involve?
Process monitoring in laser welding can serve various purposes—before, during, and after the welding process. The technology used depends on the component, material, quality requirements, and production environment.
Pre-Process: Seam Guidance
Seam tracking identifies the actual joint location and supports precise guidance of the laser along the seam position. This allows for better control of component tolerances, clamping deviations, and varying seam geometries.
In-Process: Online Quality Monitoring
Online quality monitoring captures relevant process signals during laser welding and highlights deviations in real time.
In-Process: Penetration Depth Measurement
Weld penetration depth measurement monitors how deep the weld penetration is into the material—an important quality factor for safety-critical joints.
In-Process: Gap Filling and Adaptive Process Control
Gap bridging and adaptive process control support applications with varying component tolerances and joining conditions—with or without filler wire, depending on the component, material, and process.
Post-Process: Weld Seam Inspection
Seam inspection visually inspects laser weld seams and helps detect visible or geometric defects. This allows for the automated evaluation and documentation of weld seam quality.
Additional Information
Depending on the welding task, various Precitec solutions are used—ranging from inline monitoring and penetration depth measurement to seam guidance and scanner-based laser welding, all the way to optical seam inspection.
Laser Welding Monitor LWM – monitors the process inline and detects deviations using AI.
Precitec IDM – measures the penetration depth directly during the process.
WeldMaster Systems – support seam guidance, process control, and automated laser welding.
ScanWelder – enables fast, flexible remote laser welding.
ScanMaster Plus – combines scanner-based processing with precise beam guidance and AI-assisted evaluation.
SeamControl – visually inspects weld seams and evaluates seam quality using AI.