AC-170PX (AA6014) alloys are typically used in lightweight automobile vehicles. Laser welding can be a viable tool for the assembly of components. However, porosity is often generated during aluminium welding. In this article, an investigation is reported on the characteristics of porosity formation in high-power disc laser welding of AC-170PX aluminium alloy sheets in two weld joint configurations: fillet edge and flange couch with three different filler wires of 4xxx, 3xxx and 5xxx aluminium series for each joint. Porosity, microstructures, tensile strengths and joint geometry were investigated. It has been found that the use of filler wires with higher Mg and Mn content such as AA5083 and AA3004 leads to a significant reduction in porosity to less than 1.5% in both types of joints compared with up to 80% porosity with the silicon-rich AA4043 wire. The mechanism that led to this improvement is discussed.

An investigation is reported on the characteristics of porosity formation in high power disk laser welding of AC-170PX (AA6014) alloy sheets (coated with titanium and zirconium) in two weld joint configurations: fillet edge and flange couch with AA4043 filler wire for potential automotive manufacturing applications. Porosity, macro- and microstructure characteristics, tensile strengths, microhardness, and joint geometry were investigated. It has been found that an increase in heat input and welding speed generates more porosity in both types of joints. The introduction of a 0.2 mm gap reduces porosity significantly in the fillet edge joints but it does not have noticeable effect on the flange couch joints. The mechanism of the porosity formation is discussed.

Electro-discharge machining (EDM) has been extensively employed for machining hard alloys, and its simulations have been widely conducted using finite element analysis (FEA). However, the majority of mesh-based models depended on forecasting the crater profile only based on the temperature gradient, without offering detailed data regarding the machined material properties. It is crucial to understand the behaviour of the machined material in order to accurately assess the flushing efficiency, analyse the wear on the electrode, and examine the interaction between the debris generated during machining and the remaining workpiece. This is done to ensure that no recast material is left behind after the EDM process. For the first time, a meshless smoothed particle hydrodynamics multi-phase model was implemented to gain practical insights and comprehensively understand a very intricate phenomenon that occurs within a very short time. Additionally, this approach is utilised to investigate the characteristics of the materials being machined. We utilised our SPH model to simulate both the capacitance- and transistor-based EDM of Ti–6Al–4V and AISI304 steel. Our simulation considered the temperature-dependent thermal properties and latent heats of the materials. The accuracy of our model was confirmed by comparing its results with experimental, analytical, and finite element analysis (FEA) results. The machined material was observed during its removal from the surface, and the dimensions of the resulting crater, as well as its aspect ratio and the rate at which the material was removed, were predicted with an error ranging from 2 to 22%. This error is far lower than that of the typical finite element (FE) prediction. This model lays the groundwork for a more complex model that will more accurately represent EDM and other similar manufacturing processes.