"The main advantages of contour welding is the flexibility that the process offers with virtually any welding path able to be programmed," explains Steven Kocheny, applications engineer for laser technology at Leister Technologies LLC (Schaumburg, IL). He says contour welding is the most common laser process.
Line welding refers to the use of a laser line for welding. Instead of focusing the light emitted from the diode module to a spot, the light is collimated and shaped into a line. Simultaneous welding utilizes one or more laser lines to produce a weld along a part’s contour.