Multitalented LasersWhy and where Lasers are
used in Industry
A presentation for
SubCon 2005
by
Stephen Ainsworth
26th May 2005
Where are Lasers used inIndustry?
• Research and Development
• Communications
• Computers and Electronics
• Cutting
• Welding
• Hardening and Surface Treatment
• Marking
• Measurement
• Bar Code Reading
• Part Present Sensing
Why are Lasers used inIndustry?
• Flexibility
• Non Contact process
• Single sided accessonly required
• Very Small HeatAffected Zone
• Low Maintenance
• Long Service Life
• Simple low costfixturing required
Which Industries use Lasers?
• Virtually every Industry in the World usesLasers in some aspect of their process,whether in development, data storage,communications, manufacture, packaging,distribution or point of sale –
• from nano-technology to shipbuilding.
• So let us look at the Automotive Industry toprovide some examples
Combustion Research
• By directing a beam of Laser Light intothe combustion chamber of an internalcombustion engine – you can:– investigate the path of the flame front
– Assess the degree of fuel atomisation achieved
– Measure the temperature profile within the chamber
– Analyse the chemical content of the exhaust gasesproduced
• Research directed to improve EngineEfficiency, improving Fuel Economy andreducing Emissions
Automotive Electronics
• Development of “Drive by Wire” Systems
• Fibre Optic communication betweendevices using data bus architecture– To reduce system power required
– To eliminate faults caused by reduced voltage
– Reduce weight and complexity of wiring looms
• Faster system response
• Increase Feature Content withoutdegrading performance or increasingweight
Body in White Assembly
• Lasers are used in each of the key areasof BIW assembly– Production of Tailor Welded Blanks
– Cutting
– Welding
– Marking
– Surface Preparation
– Non Contact Measurement
Tailor Welded Blanks
• Use Laser Welding to produce Steel or AluminiumBlanks ready for Press or Hydro Forming
• Allow different material specifications, treatmentsand thicknesses to be mixed in one Blank
• Allow use of Design for Manufacture principles
• Reduces the number of panels and joints within abody shell structure
• Allow predictable and repeatable crashperformance of critical parts
What is the benefit of TailorWelded Blanks?
• Elimination of reinforcement panels
• Simplification of Assembly
• Reduction in weight
• Reduction of Cost
• Improved N.V.H. performance
• Reduced sealing requirement
• Ideal tool for Design for Manufacture
Tailor Welded Blank Examples
Oversize Blanks Possible
Tailored Blanks for Hydroforming
• Can use folded sheet or tube– Laser Welded seam allows use of dissimilar materials
and varied thickness
• Opportunity for self location in form
• Significantly reduces the part count
• Hydroformed parts give optimal crashperformance– Allows closer correlation between simulation and
reality
Hydroformed blank example
Laser Cutting
• Flatbed 2D Cutting– For producing blanks
– For producing flat components
– For cutting Trim Materials• Plastic
• Leather
• Fabric
• Pressboard
• Wood
• 3D Laser Cutting
2D Flat Bed Cutting
• 30m/min cutting speeds mean that thiscan be competitive with conventionalblanking dies
• Flexibility of Laser allows– Quick introduction of modifications
– Quick change from one part to the next.
• Very small heat affected zone allows veryclose nesting of parts to be done– Maximises material utilisation
2D Flatbed Cutting Examples
Applications of 3D Laser Cutting
• Trimming 3D Panels
• Adding features to panels
• Cutting Hydroformed components
• Cutting Plastic and SMC Mouldings
• Cutting accurate features in assemblies
• Reducing aperture variation
• Late Model Customisation
Advantages of 3D Laser Cutting
• Non Contact Process
• Access from one side only
• Flexibility
• Access to any surface of Panel
• Simple low cost fixturing
• Same unit can process differentmaterials
• Ability to produce accurate fine feature
• Cost effective at low and high volumes
Trimming Panels
• Used to replace Trim Tools for lowvolume applications– Economic up to 12000 units per annum
• Allows difficult or delicate areas of theDrawn Shell to be trimmed
• Allows early introductions ofmodifications
• Allows easy manufacture prototypepanels
Replace Trim Tools withLaser Cutting for Low Volumes
Car set of 18 panels – 3000 sets per annum
Total Project Cost:Trim Tools - £ 2255000Laser Cutting - £ 1840000
£120Cost/panelset
£45Cost/panelset
£400,000Total£1,715,000Total
£ 50,000Fixturingetc.
£350,000Capital Cost£1,715,000CapitalCost
Trim Tools Laser Cutting
Adding Features to Panels
• Cutting features in Panels in Car Line– Allows optimised positioning of blank in Die
– Reduces or eliminates need for complex Cam Dies
• Cutting true shapes in panels
• Allows easy derivatisation from standarddrawn shell– Eliminates need to interrupt die run to pull punches etc.
• Reduces work in progress
Aperture Cutting Example
Cutting Hydroformed Parts
• Cutting Self Jigging Features– To locate parts together for assembly
– To locate brackets in place on surface ofhydroformed parts
• Produce location holes and Slots inparts– Allows trim panels to be assembled straight to
assemblies
• Cutting features or complex shapes inparts
Cutting Hydroformed Parts
Cutting Joints in Tubes
Cutting Plastic Mouldings
• Access from one side only– Can cut and trim blow mouldings
• Fuel Tanks
• Ability to cut in 3 dimensions
• YAG Lasers require Plastics to be inoculated toabsorb YAG Laser wavelength
• SMC panels can be trimmed– Eliminates Dust Hazard of Mechanical trimming
• Quicker and more flexible than Hot Wire trimming
• Care must be taken to control fume hazard
Late Model Customisation
• Keep Assembly as standard as possible aslate as possible in the process
• Produce derivatising feature at last possibleopportunity
• Reduce scheduling to a minimum
• Reduce Inventory and simplify Press Cycle
• Optimise Assembly Design for L.M.C.– Removal of cut slugs
– Access for Laser Head
Late Model Customisation
Laser Welding
• 2 types of Laser Welding– With Filler Wire
– Without Filler Wire
• Laser Brazing
• Hybrid Welding Systems– Plasma Assisted
– TIG Assisted
– High Frequency Induction Assisted
Applications of Laser Welding
• Seam Welding
• Stitch Welding
• Spot Welding
• Remote Welding
• Laser Brazing
Applications of Laser Welding
Advantages of Laser Welding
• Single sided access only required– Success based on fit up of parts
– Zinc coated parts must have escape route for zinc vapour
• Non contact process
• Small Heat Affected Zone gives more penetration depthcontrol– No “Show Through”
– Less removal of Zinc Coating
• A 30mm Laser Welded Stitch gives 30% betterperformance than conventional 50mm spaced spotwelds
• Narrower flanges can be used– 19mm standard width can be reduced to 8mm
• Reduced weight
• Reduced Cost
Manufacturing Costs
•VW Golf Mark IV Body!1.4 metres of Laser Welding!4500 Resistance Spot Welds
•VW Golf Mark V Body!74 metres of Laser Welding &Brazing!1500 Resistance Spot Welds
25% reduction in Manufacturing TimeMuch higher Torsional Rigidity
Laser Welding Examples
Welding in Cosmetic Areas
• Narrow weld means it can be easilyhidden by finisher– Weld width is 0.9t to 1.2t max (where t is thickness of
thinnest material in stack)
• Controllability of penetration depthmeans that it is possible to weld withoutshow through on cosmetic side– Welding direct to pre-painted panels possible
• Laser Brazing can produce joints that donot need finishing– New VW Polo/Golf/Passat Roof to Bodyside joint
– Drop Panels on Bootlids and Tailgates
Application of Laser Brazing
• Laser Beam melts brazing wire from separatewire feed mechanism
• Ideal for making joints in areas of poor fit up, orwhere good sealing is required– Gap can be up to 1.5 times wire diameter
• Primarily used where peel is the most likely formof failure in crash (i.e. Roof Joints)– Brazed joints yield before failure in peel
• Excellent for cosmetic joints– Bootlid/Tailgate drop panel joints
– Roof joint on new VW Polo/Golf/Passat
VW Polo Roof Joint
Laser Brazing Examples
Laser Brazing System for Closures
Laser Brazed Decklid
Opel/Vauxhall Vectra Tailgate(note use of Diode Laser)
BMW 5 Series bootlid
Laser Spotwelding
• Single Sided Access only required
• Can be single spot or series of stitchwelds
• Beam Delivery fibres can easily be builtinto fixturing– Simplifies clamping design
• Works with any Fibre Delivery Laser
• Excellent for giving handling strength toAdhesive Bonded Structures– Reduces effect of adhesive cure time on process
Laser Spotwelding
Laser Spotwelding
Remote Welding
• Relatively new process– Based around moving optics
– Stationary part allows optimised clamping
• Particularly suited to welding aroundbodyside door apertures and doors
• Gives flexibility to line to allow randommodel mix down line– Saloon, Hatchback, Coupe, Estate
Remote Welding Cell
R
a b
!y
+!y
+!x
Z
!x
(x,y,z)
x
y
Principle of Remote Welding
Remote Welding application
Application of Hybrid Welding
• Plasma– Particularly for Aluminium
• Faster weld speed
• Superior deposition rate
• TIG– Steel process for high metal deposition rate
• High Frequency Induction– For deep welds in Steel (25mm plus)
– For welding dissimilar steels for shafts etc.
Laser Hardening
• Used on Press Tools to significantlyreduce manufacturing time and costs
• Used to harden precise areas of acomponent without distortion
• Hardening patterns can be optimised toallow a combination of Hardness andLubrication retention
• Allows the optimisation of materialusage
Laser Hardening Application
Surface Preparation
• Principally used to prepare surfaces foradhesive application– To roughen surfaces
• To provide key for adhesives
– To clean surfaces• Of Mill Oil
• Of Storage protection
• Of coating materials
Laser Marking
• Used to mark components– Stress free indelible mark produced by Laser
– 3D Bar Codes being used to combat counterfeit parts
• Produce Bar Code labels for Production Control
• Produce statutory labels on “Just in Time” Basis
• Marking Airbag number through windscreen
• Marking Instrument Binnacles through clearcover
• Deep marking VIN number onto StatutoryIdentity Plate
• Flexibility of Laser allows same Laser to Mark,Scribe or Cut (widely used in PackagingIndustry)
Laser Marking
Non contact measurement
• Uses Laser Cameras to measure– Form
– Critical characteristic dimensions
– Apertures
• 7 second cycle time allows in cyclemeasurement
• Allows “Best Fit” to be calculated forDoor Assembly, and door positioned tosuit.
Non contact measurement
Individual Component Manufacture
• Lasers are used to– Reduce waste
• Allows near net shape parts to becombined
– Reduce costs
• Material Costs
• Manufacturing time
• Reduced Inventory
– Optimise material specification
– Improve Quality
– Improve durability
– Improve design
• Reducing Component Size
Laser Welded ComponentAssembly Examples
3rd Motion ShaftAssembly
Laser Weldedwith HighFrequency
Induction Pre-Heating
AutomaticTransmission Drum
AssemblyLaser Weldedwhere shown
Conclusion
• Numerous Laser Applications within Industryin all Types and Tiers of Manufacturing
• New practical applications being developed allthe time
• Take Up is limited by lack of knowledge ofprocess both in Design and Manufacturing– Seen as a risk process
• Component and assembly design is key toimproved take up
• Technologies used can be easily applied toany Industry– From Clothing and Jewellery to Ship Building
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