ANDRITZ Soutec is your specialist for laser welding and resistance welding systems

A “zero gap” condition between two blanks is the ideal concept, but in reality, this is almost impossible to achieve.

On the one hand, the solution lies in the perfect detection and measuring system to measure the gap width and its position. On the other hand, in an almost “zero gap” condition prior to welding, the gap either needs to be closed or filled with the exact amount of material lacking.

With a specially developed measuring system based on the combination of gray image technology and laser triangulation, the gap and position of the laser beam accuracy is localized to +/-0.02 mm. That is 4 to 5 times more accurate than other measuring systems on the market. Thus, the lack of material caused by the shear-to-break ratio or by the tension in the sheet metal can be detected exactly.

If it is possible to compensate for the lack of material by means of a filler wire, a uniform seam profile (defined: convexity or concavity) can be achieved. With laser welding using the legendary keyhole process, Soutec has achieved another technological milestone, which opened the door to outer skin tailored blanks.