Since the early 1980s, the automobile industry has been one of the main driving forces of the high-power laser industry. This industry has very strict requirements on the quality and reliability of laser sources. Compared with traditional manufacturing technology, laser technology can bring greater benefits in the fields of cutting, welding, and marking. Because laser technology is more flexible than traditional technology and easy to achieve automation, it can meet the core requirements of the entire industry.
In the beginning, lasers were only used for welding simple cylindrical parts, such as automatic transmission components of vehicles. Now, laser has been widely used in the process of processing the structure of the whole vehicle. Roof welding, door welding, three-dimensional cutting of hydroformed parts, door spring annealing, instrument panel welding, marking, etc. are just a few examples of a large number of laser applications. As the entire vehicle develops towards lightweight development, new materials, new structures, and new processes continue to emerge, constantly improving the safety performance of the vehicle. Foreign IPG, TRUMPF, Rofin, and domestic Han’s and Huagong all have large-scale deployments in the automotive field. So what are the applications of laser technology in automobiles?
Laser welding
The use of laser technology for welding has the advantages of extremely high welding speed, stable welding quality, high welding accuracy, small thermal deformation of materials, and easy integration into automated operating systems. It is widely used in modern industrial production and has an excellent reputation. Advanced welding methods. Laser welding has been widely used in automobiles, such as automobile body welding, pipe welding, automobile battery welding, and plastic welding of instrument panels. Lasers have unique advantages in terms of welding strength, welding accuracy and speed.
laser cutting
Laser cutting is also one of the most frequently used laser applications. Fiber lasers and carbon dioxide lasers can be combined with standardized 2D and 3D cutting systems to cut low carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum and other metals. When processing different workpieces of automobiles, automobile manufacturers will take advantage of multiple advantages of laser cutting, such as high cutting edge quality, low heat input, and high processing speed. Auto parts and materials containing a variety of metals, such as airbag fabrics and composite materials used in car interiors, are all cut using lasers. As a flexible processing tool, lasers can be easily integrated into robots and other automated devices, and provide solutions for the cutting of various automated components and materials.