Remote fiber laser processing of zinc coated steels for automotive applications

The flexibility in terms of beam shapability and amplitude in the process parameters range offered by the emerging high power and quality active fiber lasers can be advantageously used in overcoming the well known problems in remote laser welding of zinc coated steel components in the car mass production. The paper explores the potentiality offered by an ad hoc scanner head realized for remote laser welding, making use of high power and high quality fiber laser beams. In particular the substitution of the traditional mechanical dimpling with the laser dimpling is investigated, state of art remote laser welding joints are obtained, and the laser wobbling technique is explored in order to increase the bead quality. Copyright © 2013 by ASME.