Laser beam oscillation welding for automotive applications

Laser beam oscillation, applied one- or two-dimensional to the actual welding process, influences the welding process in terms of compensation of tolerances and reduction of process emissions like spatter and melt ejections that occur in industrial applications, such as in body-in-white manufacturing. If the welding process could be adapted to these tolerances by the momentarily demanded melt pool width to generate sufficient melt volume or to influence melt pool dynamics, e.g. for a better degassing, laser welding would become more robust. However, beam oscillation results are highly dependent on the natural frequency of the melt pool, the used spot diameter and the oscillation speed of the laser beam. The conducted investigations with an oscillated 300 mm laser spot show that oscillation strategies which are adjusted to the joining situation can bridge gaps to approximately 0.6 mm at metal sheet thickness of 0.8 mm. However, the complex behaviour of the melt pool has to be considered to generate proper welding results. This work puts emphasis on showing aspects of beam oscillation in fillet welding in lap joints.