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Welding is usually limited to materials with similar properties. Glass can be weld with glass and metal to metal. Even aluminium and steel that are both metals are not that easy to weld together because of the difference in thermal properties.
At the moment, industries producing equipments and products that involve glass and metal components, glasses and metals are often held together by adhesives which are messy to apply, can degrade and parts creep with time. Outgassing is also an issue as organic chemicals from the adhesive can be gradually released and can lead to reduced product lifetime.
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Scientists from Heriot-Watt University, UK have been able to devise an efficient means of welding glass and metal together using an ultrafast laser system.
Professor Duncan Hand, director of the EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Laser-based Production Processes at Heriot-Watt University said,
"Being able to weld glass and metals together will be a huge step forward in manufacturing and design flexibility. The new process could transform the manufacturing sector and have direct applications in the aerospace, defence, optical technology and even healthcare fields."
The scientists used Heriot-Watt laser system which uses an infrared laser to fire infrared lights of short pulses on the scale of a few picoseconds (trillionth of a second).
The parts to be welded are placed in close contact and the laser is focused through the optical material to provide a very small and highly intense spot in the tracks along the materials. This creates a microplasma which is described as being like a tiny ball of lightning inside the material that fuses the materials together.
Glass materials such as Quartz, Borosilicate glass and Sapphire have been welded with the likes of Aluminium, Titanium and Stainless steel. The scientists also tested the welds at -50°C to 90°C and they remained intact, so it is believed they are robust enough to cope with extreme conditions.
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