Characteristic of laser-MIG hybrid welding with filling additional cold wire for aluminum alloy

The weld appearance，deposition rate，welding efficiency，stability of arc，laser keyhole characteristic，and weld property were studied by using a novel laser-MIG hybrid welding process with filling wire of aluminum alloy．The results were also compared with those by conventional laser-MIG hybrid welding process．It was found that with the suitable process parameters this novel welding process for aluminum alloy was stable and final weld bead had fine appearance．Compared to conventional laser-MIG hybrid welding process，during this novel welding process the stability of arc，the laser keyhole characteristic and the weld property were similar，while the keyhole cycle frequency and keyhole opening area had differences of 1．23%and 15．34%，respectively，and the welding efficiency increased by about 31%without increasing heat input．