Patent ID: 9586282
Date: 2017-03-07
CPC Classifications: B23K

Claim:
1. A method of welding a joint between two workpieces, the method comprising: focusing energy onto the joint to weld the joint, the focus of the energy moving relative to the joint; vaporizing, by the energy, a zinc or magnesium constituent of any of the two workpieces; directing a gas jet, separate from the source of energy, toward a keyhole created by the welding; moving the zinc or magnesium vapor, using the gas jet, away from the keyhole; forming a pool of molten material adjacent the keyhole during operation of the energy at the joint; and pushing, using the gas jet, a portion of the molten material from a near end of the pool and from lateral sides of the pool to a far end of the pool, the far end being distal to the near end wherein the near end of the pool is an end that is closest to the keyhole.