A review on laser transmission welding of thermoplastics

Thermoplastics are widely used in industry and life fields. Laser transmission welding (LTW) provides a solution to improve comprehensive performances of different thermoplastics. This paper reviews LTW process of thermoplastics according to classification of composition and structure of materials, such as the fiber-reinforced thermoplastics (FRP), polycarbonate (PC), acrylonitrile/butadiene/styrene (ABS), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). The effects of typical laser parameters, such as laser power and scanning speed on the welding strength of materials, are discussed. The impact of reinforcement or additive on the laser welding process is also elaborated. As an auxiliary to experimental tools, the modeling and simulation methods involved in the welding process are also presented and it is concluded that finite element method (FEM) is the primary techniques employed in modeling and simulations. Response surface methodology (RSM) and artificial neural network (ANN) have also shown advantages in the welding research. Mixed method (MM), which combines various kinds of modeling and simulation methods, can be employed to obtain optimized process parameters more efficiently. In general, still, significant research is needed to improve the welding quality of thermoplastics by combining experiments with modeling and simulations.