In the modern industrial field, the importance of welding technology is self-evident, and handheld laser welding, as an advanced welding method, is gradually emerging in the manufacturing of nuclear power equipment, playing a unique and critical role.

Nuclear power equipment has extremely high requirements for welding quality, as it is crucial to the safety and stable operation of the entire nuclear power plant. Although traditional welding methods have their own advantages, they also have some limitations that are difficult to overcome. For example, some conventional welding methods are unable to meet the increasingly complex manufacturing requirements of nuclear power equipment in terms of welding accuracy, heat affected zone control, and welding efficiency. The emergence of handheld laser welding is like a timely rain, bringing new solutions to the manufacturing of nuclear power equipment.

The principle of handheld laser welding is based on a high-energy density laser beam as a heat source, which is focused on the surface of the workpiece to be welded through a focusing lens, instantly melting the metal and achieving welding. Its advantages are very significant. Firstly, it has high precision. The laser beam can accurately act on the welding part, achieving fine welding of small components. This is undoubtedly an ideal welding method for components with complex structures and extremely high dimensional accuracy requirements in nuclear power equipment. For example, in some key components of nuclear reactors, there are numerous delicate pipelines and connecting parts. Handheld laser welding can accurately complete the welding task, ensuring the sealing and structural integrity of the welding joints.

The heat affected zone of handheld laser welding is extremely small. During the welding process, the energy of the laser beam is concentrated, generating heat only in a very small area, so that the performance of the surrounding materials will not be greatly affected by overheating. This characteristic is crucial for the metal materials of nuclear power equipment, as nuclear power equipment is exposed to harsh environments such as high temperature, high pressure, and high radiation for a long time, and the mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of the materials must be maintained well. Handheld laser welding effectively avoids the problem of material performance degradation caused by a large heat affected zone.

From the perspective of welding efficiency, handheld laser welding also has excellent performance. Compared to some traditional manual welding methods, it has a faster welding speed and can greatly shorten the manufacturing cycle of nuclear power equipment while ensuring quality. The operator only needs to hold the welding equipment and weld the workpiece flexibly like operating a regular welding gun. It can also be adjusted according to different welding positions and angles, making it convenient to deal with various complex welding conditions in nuclear power equipment manufacturing.

In practical nuclear power equipment manufacturing applications, handheld laser welding has shown great skills. For example, in the manufacturing of pressure vessels in nuclear power plants, the numerous welds inside require high-quality welding processes to ensure safety. Handheld laser welding can accurately weld the inner walls, connecting pipes, and other parts of pressure vessels in narrow spaces, ensuring that the quality of the weld meets extremely high standards. For example, in the manufacturing of steam generators, handheld laser welding can efficiently and high-quality complete the densely packed pipeline welding work, effectively reducing the occurrence of welding defects.

Of course, the application of handheld laser welding in nuclear power equipment manufacturing is not without challenges. On the one hand, its equipment cost is relatively high, which to some extent limits its large-scale popularization and application. On the other hand, there is also a high requirement for the technical level of operators, who need to undergo professional training to proficiently master this welding technique and ensure high-quality completion of welding.

However, with the continuous advancement of technology and the gradual reduction of costs, as well as the continuous improvement of industry requirements for the quality of nuclear power equipment manufacturing, the application prospects of handheld laser welding in the field of nuclear power equipment manufacturing are very broad. It is expected to become one of the mainstream choices for welding processes in nuclear power equipment manufacturing in the future, providing strong technical support for the safe and efficient development of China's nuclear power industry, helping to create safer and more reliable nuclear power equipment, and enabling clean energy to better serve the public.