PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN WELDING SOCIETY TO ADVANCE THE SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND APPLICATION OF WELDING vitf.uiiailJ;lilH*;siJ.iii:iHli|ili;itff|iii:iLMt1i:l;f:^i;[HMi]|i]qili:[H|»ilITTING . AND THERMAL SPRAYING Demand Select-Arc Low Alloy Electrodes Whatever your critical welding levels from 80-120 Ksi, Select-Arc can For more detailed requirement, Select-Arc has the right provide the low alloy electrode that is information on low alloy, flux cored electrode for the ideally suited to handle your selecting the Select- job. That is because Select-Arc offers a individual application. Arc low alloy, flux complete line of electrodes specially cored electrode that is formulated for welding low alloy and Select-Arc low alloy, flux cored appropriate for your specific need, call high strength steels. With your choice electrode grades include: 800-341-5215 or contact: of slag systems (T-5, T-1 and all • Molybdenum position T-1) and available in strength • Nickel • Chromium - Molybdenum • Nickel - Chromium - Molybdenum • Manganese - Molybdenum • Weathering SELECT These exceptional tubular welding electrodes are manufactured under Select-Arc's quality system, which is approved to ISO 9001, ABS-Level II, CWB 600 Enterprise Drive and the military, and are backed P.O. Box 259 by the company's unparalleled Fort Loramie, OH 45845-0259 commitment to customer service Phone: (937) 295-5215 and support. Fax:(937)295-5217 www.select-arc.com Circle No. 36 on Reader Info-Card °'v/^<:^r^ 4L.>*. *OS>*>* '"tt//,,. *** eo,., «• 7-. °<//-.. ^s/ XtonXKOQ^^lp^^ty^ e st c 9t*- ° strUcf *'*0UsX ayX *nC0l ' «ff PRODUCTS FILM PRODUCTS ILM DIGITIZERS "ircle No. 32 on Reader Info-Card INTERWATlflNfl&Al W WELDING SHOW Coining in November. Compelling seminars. Breakthrough insights. FABTECH INTERNATIONAL & AWS WELDING SHOW November 13-16,2005 McCormick Place South, Chicago, Illinois Register now for these American Welding Society Programs and Events: • Professional Program— including Education Program • Second AWS Professional Welders Competition • Conferences and Seminars • Interview with a Legend American Welding Society To register for the FABTECH International & AWS Welding Show, visit our Web site Founded in 1919 to advance the science, technology and application of welding and allied processes including joining, at www.aws.org/expo brazing, soldering, cutting and thermal spray. Circle No. 13 on Reader Info-Card i American Welding Society 2005 CONTENTSAugust 2005 • Volume 84 • Number 8 AWS Web site http:IIwww.aws.org Features Departments Washington Watchword 4 23 Guidelines for Laser Welding of Sheet Metal Proper design of sheet metal components can help you Press Time News 6 take advantage of the benefits of laser beam welding H. Zefferer and T. Morris Editorial 8 30 International Welding Fair: Schweissen & News ol the Industry 10 Schneiden 2005 Aluminum Q&A 14 A preview of the e\ ent that has been called the "Olympics of welding engineering" Brazing Q&A 16 34 A Look at Remote Laser Beam Welding New Products 18 Benefits of laser-based remote welding systems include fast cycle times and small footprints Navy Joining Center 65 J. Cann Coming Events 66 38 2005 AWS Welding Show in Review Society News 69 Welding's best was spread out for the world to see at this year's Show Tech Topics 70 A. Cullison, M. R. Johnsen, and H. M. Woodward Guide to A WS Services 83 46 Make Laser Assist Gas Delivery Flexible Various assist gas supply modes are evaluated Welding Workbook 86 R. Green New Literature 88 49 One Head Does It All Personnel 90 New technology allows one Iase r head to weld and cut D. Petring tied Hot Essen 92 52 What Makes a Winning Weld: Tips from the Pros Classifieds 94 Three top-notch welders describe their techniques for making successful welds Advertiser Index 96 K. Campbell 56 *The Fiber Laser — A Newcomer for Material Welding and Cutting A new type of laser offers another choice for deep penetration keyhole welding G. Verhaeghe 61 Anatomy of a Welding Tournament An in-depth look at what it takes to put on the Mid-West Welding Tournament H. M. Woodward Welding Research Supplement Welding Journal (ISSN 0043-2296) is published monthly by the American Welding Society for 125-s Determination of Optimal Welding Conditions S90.00 per year in the United States and posses­ with a Controlled Random Search Procedure sions. S130 per year in foreign countries: S6.00 per A controlled random search can determine the near- single issue for AWS members and S8.00 per sin­ optimal settings for weld process parameters using a gle issue for nonmembers. American Welding So­ small number of experiments ciety is located at 550 NW LeJeune Rd., Miami, FL 33126-5671: telephone (305) 443-9353. Periodi­ D. Kim et al. cals postage paid in Miami, Fla., and additional mail­ ing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes 131-s Constraints-Based Modeling Enables Successful to Welding Journal. 550 NW LeJeune Rd.. Miami. Development of a Welding Electrode Specification FL 33126-5671. for Critical Navy Applications Readers of Welding Journal may make copies of ar­ A constraints-based modeling approach reduced the ticles for personal, archival, educational or research risks inherent in developing a high-performance welding purposes, and which are not for sale or resale. Per­ electrode specification for U.S. Navy applications mission is granted to quote from articles, provided K. Sampath customary acknowledgment of authors and sources is made. Starred (*) items excluded from Cover Photo — Laser processing of 3-D parts, courtesy of copyright. TRUMPF, Inc., Farmington. Conn. WELDING JOURNAL WASHINGTON BY HUGH K. WEBSTER WATCHWORD AWS WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS OFFICE New International Standards Notification and Comment Service Offered The Climate Stewardship Act of The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has replaced its Export Alert! service with "Notify U.S." This 2005 includes a provision to new offering is intended to provide U.S. companies with the op­ portunity to review and comment on proposed foreign technical promote nuclear energy by regulations that can affect their businesses. Members ofthe World Trade Organization (WTO) are re­ authorizing a partnership to quired under the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade to report proposed technical regulations that may affect trade to develop protocols for the the WTO Secretariat, who in turn distributes them to all WTO latest reactor designs and members. United States companies can receive, via e-mail, notifications by constructing three of drafts or changes to foreign regulations for a specific industry sector and/or country. Notifications of the proposed foreign reg­ demonstration plants. ulation contain a description of the regulation, the country issu­ ing the regulation, and a final date for comments. tions. work in substations, and other special conditions and equip­ ment unique to the transmission and distribution of electrical Nuclear Energy Industry Getting a Boost energy. Key changes include new provisions specific to host employ­ Nuclear energy is being scrutinized increasingly as a positive ers and contractors, adding new requirements to protect work­ avenue for U.S. energy needs, and, equally important, an envi­ ers against flame and electric arc hazards, a requirement for em­ ronmentally clean energy source. ployers to provide flame-resistant clothing, and additional Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Joe Lieberman (D-CT) training. have introduced the bipartisan Climate Stewardship Act of 2005. which would, among other things, encourage the development and implementation of new policies that foster technological in­ Anti-Counterfeiting Legislation Introduced novation to address global warming, and promote the commer­ cialization of zero and low-emission technologies. This legisla­ United States industry has wrestled with the problem of coun­ tion also includes a provision to promote nuclear energy, specifi­ terfeit goods for many, many years, but there is clearly a percep­ cally, by authorizing a federal partnership to develop engineer­ tion, and probably the reality, that the situation is only growing ing protocols for the latest reactor designs, and then to construct worse. This is the impetus for the "Stop Counterfeiting in Man­ three demonstration plants. ufactured Goods Act" recently introduced in Congress. In addition, the recently enacted Energy Policy Act of 2005 in­ This bill would enhance criminal penalties for those who traf­ cludes several provisions favorable to nuclear energy, including fic in counterfeit products and would expand current federal • Incentives to stimulate investment in the first new nuclear power criminal prohibitions to include penalties for those who traffic in plants that the industry expects to be ordered later this decade. counterfeit labels, symbols, or packaging of any type with knowl­ • Renewal of the Price-Anderson Act, the framework for indus­ edge that a counterfeit mark has been utilized. Equally impor­ try self-funded liability insurance, for 20 years. tant, this legislation would require the forfeiture not only of any • Authorization of funding for research and development aimed the counterfeit goods themselves, but also any property used to at developing advanced nuclear power plants. manufacture those goods. • Direction to the Department of Energy to research cost- The top five offending countries of origin for counterfeit goods effective technologies for increasing the safety and security of are China, Hong Kong, Mexico, South Korea, and Malaysia. nuclear facilities. • Authorization of funding for the Department of Energy to es­ tablish an advanced reactor for hydrogen production at the Effort to Make R&D Tax Credit Permanent Idaho National Laboratory. Legislation is progressing in Congress that would be the cur­ rent research and development tax credit, which is set to expire OSHA Proposes Revised Rule on at the end of 2005, a permanent provision of the U.S. Tax Code. While Congress has invariably renewed the tax credit as it ap­ Electric Power proaches an expiration deadline, proponents argue that a per­ manent tax credit would provide the predictability and stability The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) needed.