Operating, Maintenance, and Productivity Data from a Full Production Laser Blank Welding System

Armco Research designed and built a patented full production laser welding system that was used to produce the first laser welded blanks for automobile components in the western hemisphere. The first application in North America of a true tailored blank for a passenger car was for the 1992 Cadillac Seville center pillar inner. This paper will provide a description of the full production laser blank welding system and some operating, maintenance, and productivity data.