Annular Spot Laser Welding Head Directly Outputs Annular Beam Without Annular Light Source

16 Jul,2026

In recent years, the "annular spot" technology has undoubtedly emerged as the most prominent technical trend in the laser welding sector. Boasting remarkable advantages in molten pool regulation and spatter suppression, annular spot welding technology has become a critical process solution for power batteries, hairpin motors, precision structural components and other industries. At present, most mainstream annular spot solutions in the industry rely on input from annular optical fibers or require modification of existing light source equipment at the light source terminal.

Xinghong Optoelectronics HO Series annular spot laser welding heads deliver an alternative technical approach: no annular light source input is required. A single QBH or QD optical fiber can be directly connected, and the optical conversion from Gaussian spot to annular spot is completed internally within the welding head.

I. Technical Principle: Integrated Beam Shaping Optical Path Inside the Welding Head

The core of the HO series lies in its internally integrated beam shaping and transformation optical system. After the standard Gaussian beam enters the welding head through the QBH/QD interface, it first passes through the collimating lens group to complete beam collimation, and then enters the beam transformation module composed of optical elements. This module redistributes the original Gaussian energy distribution to form an annular spot energy structure at the output end. The entire process involves only a single incident optical fiber and does not rely on an external annular light source.

This solution delivers the following engineering values:

Compatible with existing lasers: It can be directly matched with single-channel fiber lasers of any power level currently used by customers.
Simplified system architecture: No need to add a second optical fiber, and no separate drive and control channels for the annular light source are required.
Conducive to production line retrofitting: After removing the original single-spot welding head, the HO series can be directly replaced and installed. The electrical and mechanical interfaces are designed according to general standards, resulting in a short replacement and commissioning cycle.
Compatible with existing welding heads: Xinghong Optoelectronics annular spot module supports the full series of welding processing heads from 2KW to 60KW.

II. Engineering Performance: Welding Quality Elevated from "Qualified" to "Excellent"

Spatter Control

Why does traditional single-beam laser welding produce heavy spatter and unstable molten pools? Essentially, it is because the central energy of the Gaussian beam is excessively high. When the material vaporizes instantaneously, it generates enormous recoil pressure, causing molten metal to be ejected sideways — much like poking a finger directly into water, which creates large splashes and waves.

The mechanism by which annular spots suppress spatter lies in the following: the outer ring beam expands the heat-affected zone, reduces the temperature gradient of the keyhole wall and the peak value of metal vapor recoil pressure, thereby reducing the ejection of liquid metal. Correspondingly, post-weld cleaning procedures are reduced, and surrounding precision components are protected from spatter contamination. In actual production line measurements, under continuous welding conditions for aluminum and copper materials, the wiping frequency required for protective lenses due to spatter contamination is significantly and substantially reduced with the annular spot welding head, which also helps improve the overall equipment efficiency (OEE).

Penetration Consistency

Applications such as power battery tab welding and busbar stack welding impose strict requirements on penetration depth accuracy. The annular beam of the HO series forms a stable thermal-mechanical boundary around the weld spot, which buffers fluctuations caused by minor workpiece surface variations. This narrows the penetration depth fluctuation range and simultaneously reduces the risks of incomplete penetration and over-penetration.

Heat-Affected Zone Control

Precise heat input control minimizes material deformation, making it particularly suitable for thin sheets and heat-sensitive materials.

Optical System Stability

The stability of the welding head under high-power continuous laser output directly affects weld seam consistency. The HO series annular spot laser welding head adopts a fully water-cooled heat dissipation structure, combined with multi-layer protective windows and a dual-layer air knife design. This effectively controls the thermal lens effect, extends the lens maintenance cycle, and maintains long-term stability of both the focal position and spot morphology.

III. Welding Case Studies

Adopting the Xinghong Optoelectronics HO30-Y annular spot welding head for stack welding of 0.7 mm galvanized sheet and 1.5 mm stainless steel delivers uniform weld seams free of spatter, deformation and discoloration. The workpiece surface remains clean and flat, with no weld marks visible on the reverse side of the stainless steel for an aesthetically superior metal finish.

When using the Xinghong Optoelectronics HO60S-Y annular spot laser welding head for automotive component welding, the resulting weld seams are dense and smooth, with zero spatter, pores and cracks.

A pipe manufacturing workshop has deployed the Xinghong Optoelectronics HO60-I-WG annular spot welding head. The pipe weld seams are smooth and dense, formed in a single pass with no secondary grinding required.

IV. Application Scenarios

The main application scenarios of the HO series annular spot laser welding head include but are not limited to:

Production lines already equipped with single-channel fiber lasers that wish to introduce annular spot technology but do not plan to replace the light source at this stage;
Process development scenarios where rapid validation of annular spot performance is needed before deciding on large-scale deployment.

The HO series annular spot laser welding head features standard industrial interfaces and is compatible with mainstream fiber laser brands and models on the market. Both optical interfaces and mechanical mounting dimensions are designed in accordance with general specifications, enabling rapid integration into existing automated welding systems.

Conclusion

The core value of annular spot technology lies in optimizing heat input conditions by altering the spatial energy distribution, thereby improving molten pool behavior and weld quality. Achieving this goal does not necessarily require the configuration of an annular light source — the HO series provides a more cost-effective and convenient implementation path for the widespread adoption of annular spot welding processes.

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