Car manufacturers increasingly rely on laser technology for processing high-strength steel. Whether it is used for Welding Electrode, cutting or surface treatment, the economic advantages of laser processing are further reflected.

High-strength steel in the automobile industry has been more widely used, which makes the car to further reduce manufacturing costs. The reason is that the use of high-strength steel to reduce the car assembly part number of parts, thus reducing production costs, reduced vehicle weight, and ultimately makes the car's fuel consumption can be reduced.

Laser welding application - handling wear-resistant surface

New type of steel used has not been easy, there is no obstacle. In order to obtain high strength or ultra high strength properties, usually in the auto parts molding pressure during hardening. Austria's Graz University of Technology Institute of mold and shape "CoolTool" project is carried out research in this area. The program includes a process for hardening and tempering pressure mold processing system, which use improved technology, can be more economical for the diboride hardened alloy steel for pressure. The geometry of the cooling channel filled in the same mold as the internal network to optimize the cooling and heating capabilities, shortening the processing cycle.

Mold usually made of cast iron materials, its low cost and ease of secondary processing, but there is a low surface strength, abrasion resistance and poor, it is necessary to withstand the high load region, covered by a layer of high hardness materials, laser powder welding can complete this operation. Facts have proved that the laser powder welding is a good way to complete this process. TRUMPF Laser Systems have also been studies of this process, and developed a direct metal powder deposition equipment (DirectMetalDeposition, DMD).

In this process, the metal powder to the direction coaxial with the laser beam is fed into the laser pool in the surface, without preheating of the workpiece. Metal powder together with the matrix material to form a mixture of high-strength wear-resistant metallurgy. Compared with conventional sintering, laser powder deposition has unparalleled advantages: a small amount of heat input, increased hardness and reduced surface crack; hardness of limited distribution within the coating, the friction coefficient is good; minimal deformation of the matrix material, the residual stress in the molding will not cause cracks. And laser powder deposition can be used to automate production.

3D Laser Cutting - irreplaceable method

Trimming is a high-strength steel another challenge. Three-dimensional laser cutting for sheet metal forming the cutting edge, especially for the strength of steel up to 1500MPa, because there is no other alternative processing methods. In this case, the user does not need to cut the expensive stamping equipment and equipment investment. Because in the processing of these high-hardness materials, equipment, dies or traditional tool life will be shortened, and laser cutting will not have to consider these issues, also has installed a short time, the flexibility to replace the product or sample and so on.

TRUMPF has been used in three-dimensional laser products TruLaserCell Volkswagen Passat B Side cutting, of course, including trimming. B Side from the hot molded of high strength steel, its hardness is high but also under a lot of stress. High-strength steel side panels of the system B increased resistance to impact force, improve vehicle safety. This is despite the high cost of high-strength steel, but the car manufacturers still prefer to use reason.

Laser welding - efficiency, flexibility, economy

High-strength steel can be laser cut, can also be used for welding. Mig Electrode more efficient, more economical, but also greatly enhance the quality of welding. However, higher accuracy of laser welding and laser investment cost is also relatively high.