The Laser Articulating Robotic System is a hot new tool used in innovative welding techniques. LARS, which directs a high-precision laser beam used for welding, is the prime project of the University's new Applied Research Laboratory.

"LARS is unique in that it's the largest laser welding robot in the U.S.," said Dave Farson, research associate at ARL.

LARS has innovated traditional robotic welding in a number of ways, said Henry Watson, head of the manufacturing science department at ARL.

"LARS gives you the ability to weld complex shapes, other than a straight line," Watson said. "It focuses and delivers a (laser) beam on the metal."

The precision with which LARS performs this task increases the quality of the weld, Watson said.

A scanning beam sites the seam to be welded by detecting the difference in reflection, Watson said. LARS directs a laser welding beam that follows closely behind the scanning beam into the seam, making the weld, he added.

The laser is capable of welding 200 inches of metal per minute, Watson said.

"This reduces re-work as a result of excess heat," he said.

The robot has a five-degree-of-freedom capability, Watson said. This means the robot moves backward, forward, and up and down. It also has a swivel 'wrist,' and a movable work platform, Watson said.

"Because of the highly focused beam, (LARS) doesn't heat up the metal as much as traditional welding," Watson said. "There is less thermal distortion."

LARS is used in projects for the Army and Navy, said Farson, who operates the robot.

One of the projects involves welding together a lightweight stainless steel and a corrugated core (similar to a cardboard box), Farson said. The material will be used on Navy ships -- perhaps in hanger doors, deckhouses and other buildings on shipdecks, Farson said, noting that the robot decreases warping that occurs with traditional techniques.

The 14-kilowatt laser makes the weld come to the robot through a system of pipes, Farson said. A series of polished copper mirrors directs the beam around corners and into the room where LARS is housed.

LARS is an example of how ARL can be used as a 'testbed' for manufacturing products, he added.

The robot is being used to test different metals to see if they can be welded by the laser in a commercial setting, Farson said.

The focus of ARL is to develop and test new manufacturing quality, to decrease the cost, increase the quality, safety and efficiency of manufacture, Watson said.