#Target weld in wings 3d series

#Target weld in wings 3d series

The carmaker claims this technology delivers several benefits: the precise positioning of the laser beam in relation to the welding edge considerably reduces the risk of hot cracking, because the heat input can be closely controlled the size of the gap between parts being joined can immediately be determined and effectively filled the high feed rate of the laser beam and low energy use also help to the reduce carbon dioxide emissions associated with the process.Īudi says remote laser welding results in a 95% saving on recurring costs in series production because it eliminates the need for the costly process controls associated with conventional laser welding. In order to join certain aluminium parts, Audi employs remote laser welding, an approach it says makes it unique among other premium car manufacturers. Aluminium parts – in the form of nodes, extruded profiles and sheets – make up 58% of the body of the A8. These parameters are used to control the servo-actuator and the force sensor, enabling the thermal expansion of aluminium during welding to be managed and ensuring the formation of homogeneous weld nuggets.įord’s F-150 line avoids RSW in favour of adhesives, rivets, flow drill screws, clinching and laser weldingĪfter extensive laboratory testing, Ford has installed around 80 Aro stations in the F-Series production lines, which weld a total of more than 74 million spots per year.Īudi sees the RSW of aluminium as a highly versatile joining process, but it also uses other welding technologies in order to join the aluminium components of the spaceframe for its latest A8. Aro says that iBox manages all of the welding parameters, allowing the welding force to be synchronised with the welding current. For RSW to be successfully employed to join aluminium, the force applied to the electrodes must be precisely controlled.

This technology comprises very-high-force servo guns with built-in force sensors and dedicated process controllers (called iBoxes). However, the carmaker has decided to use RSW to join some of its aluminium sub-assemblies, and to ensure that these welds are robust, it uses robotic welding technology from Aro. It uses adhesives from Dow Automotive Systems, self-pierce rivets (SPR) from Henrob, Semblex flow drill screws, clinching and laser welding to join the body of the pickup truck. For the production of its aluminium intensive F-150, Ford avoids the use of RSW almost entirely. These problems are not insurmountable, though. Furthermore, the fact that aluminium forms a corrosion-resistant oxide on its surface becomes a disadvantage when it comes to welding, as the reaction of the oxide during the welding process quickly contaminates the spot-welding tip, reducing its life. This means the electric parameters (current and voltage) must be controlled more precisely in a narrower time window, and per-weld energy costs are increased. Meanwhile the electrical resistance of aluminium drops rapidly during the spot-welding process.Īs a result of these factors, the welding current must be two-to-three times higher than is needed for steel and the welding time must be cut by two thirds. It possesses roughly twice the thermal expansion of steel, which can lead to it cracking. Compared with steel, the melting point of aluminium is significantly lower, but it demonstrates a higher thermal conductivity.

The use of resistance spot welding (RSW) is ubiquitous in the automotive industry, but using this technology to join aluminium structures presents a number of challenges. AMS Automotive Evolution Summit On-Demandįor the A8 body, Audi says remote laser welding results in drastic savings on recurring costs in series production of a structure that is 58% aluminiumĪs carmakers increasingly adopt aluminium to reduce the weight of their vehicles, they must adapt their bodyshops in order to join components made from this lightweight metal – both with other aluminium parts and those made from different materials.