The use of Taguchi method to optimize the laser welding of sealing neuro-stimulator

Titanium has high strength-to-weight ratio, corrosion resistance, excellent weldability and well biocompatibility. It is applied in various fields, such as medical and aerospace industry. Laser welding is major joint technology for titanium sealing in medical field. It is difficult for sealing thin titanium shell of the neuro-stimulator by laser lap welding. The key point for welding quality is the combination of laser welding parameters. In this paper, the effects of the Nd: YAG laser welding parameters is discussed and analyzed at first, and then a novel application of Taguchi's matrix method is proposed to optimize the selection of laser seal welding thin titanium shell, including the main parameters such as laser power, welding speed, defocusing amount and shield gas, finally the manufacture process for sealing neuro-stimulator is confirmed. The results show that Taguchi method has optimized process parameters of the laser welding on sealing thin titanium shell of the neuro-stimulator, and the device is equipped properly in medical treatments.