Laser Welding of Vehicle Doors and Flaps
The laser welding of doors and flaps for cars is subject to strict quality requirements and it can be implemented with different joining geometries. In addition, different materials are used. Steel and aluminum require different welding strategies respectively. You master these challenges successfully with the use of remote laser welding.
Automotive production components, such as doors and flaps, are normally characterized by three-dimensional structures and relatively large dimensions. 3D laser scanners, which focus the laser beam fast and precisely in three dimensions, are therefore preferably used for laser welding. The machining optics can process large areas without interruption by using a robot: The on-the-fly remote laser welding is the prerequisite for an economical joining of doors and flaps.
Typical Welding Seam Geometries
The traditional joining geometries for doors and flaps can be divided into lap and fillet welds. In case of a lap weld, the processing laser is focused on the upper sheet metal and it produces a weld through into the lower sheet metal. However, the requirements for the positioning of the laser beam are not very high. These welding seams can normally be welded at high welding velocities and with a continuous robot motion of the scanner without the need for an additional seam tracing.
In contrast, the use of fillet welds enables material savings, a reduction of the required laser power and therefore also reduces the induced heat into the component. This results in very economical joints, which in turn results in a lower component weight and a lower energy consumption. The challenge for the fillet welds is to focus the laser beam accurately on the joint edge. Ideally, online seam tracking is used for this purpose, which continuously identifies the component edge and directs the laser beam along the identified edge.
Get more information about OTC technology, for example the options for the welding seam control and quality control.
Exemplary System Configuration
Laser welding of steel with lap welds
- intelliWELD II FT scan system
- SCU controller
- On-the-fly machining