Five Major Laser Welding Technologies in Automobile Manufacturing
Laser welding technology features high process efficiency and excellent flexibility. In the automobile manufacturing process, it is applicable to the welding of auto bodies and various auto parts. It reduces the overall weight of auto bodies, improves the accuracy of body assembly, and meets the automotive industry’s demands for lightweight design and enhanced safety performance. Meanwhile, it cuts down assembly and stamping costs in automobile manufacturing and boosts the integration level of auto bodies.
1. Laser Autogenous Welding
In laser welding technology, laser autogenous welding refers to the process where two or more workpieces are fused into a single solid piece through melting and subsequent solidification, achieving a valid weld. This welding method requires no welding flux, thus saving welding costs. In actual operation, the laser beam rapidly raises the surface temperature of the weld area to its boiling point; metal vaporization then forms a keyhole. The keyhole stops deepening when the recoil pressure of the metal vapor balances the surface tension and gravity of the molten metal. Laser deep penetration welding is completed as the stable-depth keyhole solidifies and closes. Currently, laser autogenous welding is widely used in automobile manufacturing, commonly for the tailor welding, assembly welding of auto bodies and the welding of various parts.
2. Laser Wire-Filled Welding
The principle of laser wire-filled welding in laser welding technology is to add specific welding filler metal into the weld joint, which is melted by the laser beam to form a welded joint. Compared with traditional non-wire-filled welding methods, laser wire-filled welding has distinct advantages: it expands the application scope of laser welding, enables the welding of thick plates with relatively low power, and delivers superior welding results. It is important to note that in the application of laser wire-filled welding, both the filler wire and the base metal must be melted. This creates a keyhole in the base metal, allowing the filler wire and base metal to fully mix and form a new composite molten pool. The composite molten pool differs significantly from the original filler wire and base metal, which can remedy certain performance defects of the base metal itself. Using a filler wire with a rational composition ensures the weld joint has high wear and corrosion resistance.
3. Laser-Arc Hybrid Welding
Laser-arc hybrid welding in laser welding technology combines a laser heat source with an electric arc, which act together on a single molten pool to achieve welding. In the production of Audi’s vehicle series in Germany, the laser-arc hybrid welding process is applied to the welding of the all-aluminum body—one of the most critical components. The all-aluminum body is for the second-generation luxury Audi A8 series, designed to optimize impact safety and resistance to torsional deformation. The weld joints formed by laser-arc hybrid welding meet all these design requirements, exhibiting high toughness, superior strength and deep penetration. To meet customers’ high expectations for this model, every manufacturing detail is refined to ensure the highest build quality of the vehicle. The narrow weld joints of laser hybrid welding are suitable for workpieces with strict aesthetic requirements, eliminating the need to fill the corner joints on the top of the body frame with plastic strips. In the light vehicle manufacturing field, all the aforementioned requirements and special conditions must be satisfied, and the production of all-aluminum bodies imposes even stricter standards for these requirements.
4. Laser Remote Welding
Aided by a high-speed scanning galvanometer head, laser remote welding in laser welding technology enables long-distance processing and welding of parts with laser beams of varying power. Thanks to its unique technical advantages, it is now widely applied in the welding of panoramic sunroofs for Mercedes-Benz and side panels for Volkswagen and Audi. The application of laser remote welding in automobile manufacturing currently offers the following advantages:
(1) High positioning accuracy and fast welding speed, meeting the production demands of automobile enterprises.
(2) Adaptable welding for different structural strength requirements and customizable weld joint shapes.
Laser remote welding has high requirements for materials and equipment, however. It cannot reduce the weld penetration when welding thick components, resulting in low shear strength at the weld joint.
5. Laser Brazing
Laser brazing technology in laser welding technology boasts the advantages of an aesthetic finish, excellent hermeticity and high weld joint strength. Laser brazing equipment usually integrates a brazing processing head into a robotic arm. The laser beam is focused on the joint of the sheet metal, melting the brazing wire (e.g., copper-silicon brazing wire) to join the components together. The success of this processing method lies in its joint strength close to that of welded joints, as well as the aesthetic appearance of its welds. Weld joints formed by laser brazing are renowned for their high hermeticity and smooth, clean finish, meaning the brazed products require almost no rework. For example, auto bodies can be directly painted after cleaning.
For the automobile manufacturing industry, each of these laser welding technologies has its unique application value. Selecting the appropriate welding method for different parts of an automobile helps improve the overall manufacturing quality, while also meeting the automobile enterprises’ demands for welding cost and efficiency.
Post time: Jan-26-2026
