Prima Power Laserdyne Contributes to Anoka Technical College

Prima Power Laserdyne recently presented a Zeiss high resolution microscope to the welding program leaders of Anoka Technical College as the college expands its robotic and laser welding program. Initiated in the Fall Semester 2020, the program is designed for students with a basic welding background who want to advance their career.

"As a 40-year leader in developing laser cutting, drilling and welding technology, Prima Power Laserdyne is committed to support the training of the manufacturing leaders of tomorrow," said a company spokesperson. "High quality welding can be very challenging taking into account the wide range of materials frequently welded as well as tight metallurgical specifications required in many industries. Everything from high carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum and dissimilar materials, etc.-have different welding requirements."

Using the Zeiss microscope with a wide zoom range and high resolution will enable Anoka Technical College's instructors to enhance the welding skills and understanding of the process at the metallurgical level. The ability to analyze welds is key to understanding and correcting porosity, cracking and other adverse effects that can occur in the weld and heat effected zone and compromise the quality of the weld. The microscope enables students to closely examine internal cross sections of welds for potential problems and thereby correct the welding process. Training and knowledge at this metallurgical level allows students to produce high quality welds consistently and contribute to a future employer's manufacturing capabilities.

The Science of Laser Welding has Grown

Jay Gerdin, Anoka Technical College Welding Instructor, explained that industry is finding it difficult to get experienced welders with both welding skill and an understanding of the metallurgical process that occurs during welding. It is one of the drivers behind Anoka Technical College's expanded robotic and laser welding program. "Learning the correct use of the metallurgical microscope will allow students to better understand the metallurgy of different metals using different welding processes," said Gerdin.

"We have an ideal collaboration with industry partners like Prima Power Laserdyne," Gerdin continued. "We needed to teach and add laser welding to our program. We have also added robotic welding on three different types of industry-standard robots: ABB, FAN and OTC. We will continue to add more equipment, machines and welding processes in the future. After learning the programming language for each machine, students will then gain hands-on learning experience. And now that we have Prima Power Laserdyne on board with the donation of the metallurgical microscope, we are able to analyze the weld characteristic, heat effected zone and check for porosity in the weld. The microscope also allows students to evaluate pulse characteristics of laser weld programs for size and aspect ratio. This allows students to see how their work conforms to American Welding Society (AWS) standards."

Collaboration and Sharing is a Win-Win Situation

Chris Rasmussen, Applications Engineering Manager for Prima Power Laserdyne, said, "Having technicians and operators knowledgeable in laser welding is critically important for U.S. manufacturing. Being able to share our 40+ years of laser processing and laser welding with Anoka Technical College laser welding program is a benefit to the students who graduate with the fundamentals in laser welding and to the manufacturers who hire them. It is a win-win for everyone."

Anoka Technical College is one of the first to offer its program with a focus on laser welding and professionals dedicated to teaching students real-world practices that can be applied widely across the industry. The large presence of high-tech manufacturing in the metro area and other parts of the country provides students with significant future opportunities. Prima Power Laserdyne is located near Anoka Technical College in Brooklyn Park, MN. That presents more opportunities for future collaboration between both organizations to provide career training that evolves as fast as the technology itself.

Prima Power Laserdyne manufactures and markets LASERDYNE systems for precision laser cutting, welding, drilling and additive systems for aerospace, automotive, medical device and other manufacturers of 2D and 3D components.

For more information contact:

Anoka Technical College

1355 West Highway 10

Anoka, MN 55303

763-433-1100

www.anokatech.edu

Prima Power Laserdyne

7105 Northland Terrace North

Brooklyn Park, MN 55428

763-433-3700

lds.sales@primapower.com

www.primapowerlaserdyne.com