AUTOMOTIVE
Laser applications in automotive manufacturing
www.lasersystemseurope.com/industries/automotive
An introduction to the many ways lasers are being used in vehicle production
The automotive industry is one of the largest application areas of laser materials processing. The industry is, as described
by the McKinsey Center for Future Mobility, “a growth engine of Europe’s economy”, generating approximately 7% of the EU’s GDP in 2019[1]
.
This was, of course, before the disruption caused by the pandemic, with automotive production yet to recover to pre-Covid levels, in part due to ongoing supply chain constraints. However, growth within the European automotive sector is trending upwards.
For example, almost 8 million passenger vehicles were produced in the EU during the first nine months of 2022. This was a 5.8% increase in units compared with the same time period in 2021[2]
.
Lasers have long played a major role in optimising automotive manufacturing and thereby facilitating growth within the sector. For most vehicles, almost every area, both inside and out, will contain parts that have been processed by lasers. This is due to them offering exceptional versatility and reproducibility, with a single laser machine being capable of processing a wide array of automotive components with great precision and speed. They are extremely automatable, cost-effective and low- maintenance tools, deployed in high-throughput automotive
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production lines for applications such as cutting, welding, brazing, marking, surface treatment, drilling, 3D printing and cladding. Lasers can be used to process a wide range of complex 2D/3D automotive parts made from materials including metals, plastics, glass, rubber and textiles.
Body-in-white manufacturing One of the main stages of vehicle production in which
“E-mobility now makes up approximately 40% of the revenue of Trumpf’s laser division”
Lasers are used for cutting, welding, brazing and piercing applications in body-in-white manufacturing, when the frame of a road vehicle is assembled
lasers are applied, particularly for cutting, welding and brazing, is known as body-in-white (BIW) manufacturing. This is the stage during which the steel frame components that form the basic structure of a road vehicle are cut and joined together. Vehicle bodies, doors and
frame components are generally made from various grades of press-hardened steel – e.g. stainless steel, mild steel, high-strength steel, high/low- carbon steel or galvanised steel. Aluminium can also be used for certain components, which due to its lighter weight can help increase the fuel economy of a vehicle. Most steel car body panels will be around
g THE 2023 GUIDE TO LASER SYSTEMS LASER SYSTEMS EUROPE 13
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