Laser processing in automotive industry
Safety, comfort, energy saving and environmental protection have always been the theme of the development of the world's automobile industry. Laser technology is one of the main processing methods in modern automobile production. Its development is also centered on this topic and combined with the characteristics of the profession itself. of. The automotive industry is one of the most widely used laser processing applications. According to statistics, 50%-70% of parts and components in developed countries in Europe and the United States are manufactured using laser processing. There are currently thousands of low-power lasers for inspection and rapid prototyping in the automotive industry.
Laser welding has become the standard in the automotive industry. Laser welding of car body panels can weld metal plates of different thicknesses with different surface finishes and then stamp them so that the panel structure can be made to achieve the most reasonable metal combinations.
With the emergence of high-power carbon dioxide lasers, metal surface treatment processes have made great progress. Among them, a wide range of application technologies include laser coating, laser alloying, laser polishing, and laser shock hardening. Laser surface treatment has been widely used in the manufacture of automotive engine seats, roof shells, and frames.
In the production of automotive parts, such as the heat treatment of steel sleeves, crankshafts, piston rings and gears, after laser heat treatment, no post-processing is required and can be sent directly to the assembly line for installation.
The combination of laser processing computer numerical control and flexible manufacturing technology has been widely used in the manufacture of automotive molds. Laser cutting, laser surface treatment, laser heat treatment and other process technologies have shortened the original production mold cycle from 28 weeks to 4-6 weeks, which meets the need for rapid vehicle modification.
Laser rapid prototyping systems generally use: carbon oxide gas or argon gas lasers, use computers to convert complex three-dimensional objects into two-dimensional layers, and then use the idea of ​​“integration†to sinter thermoplastic thermoplastic powder or adhesive substrate sheets. Point, line structure parts of the surface (layer), and then formed layer by layer. Laser rapid prototyping technology enables new products to be put on the market as early as possible, which greatly improves the application ability and product competitiveness of auto manufacturers.
The future of laser processing
In modern society, the role of information is more and more important. The faster, more accurate, and richer the information the person has, the more the person has mastered the initiative and thus has more chances of success. The emergence of lasers has triggered an information revolution. From VCDs and DVDs to laser photocopying, the use of lasers has greatly increased the efficiency and convenience for people to save and extract information. The "laser revolution" is of extraordinary significance and has become the most competitive globally. One of the attractive economies. China has great potential for domestic demand. As long as it expands domestic demand, the economy is expected to continue at a high speed. At present, China’s demand for upgrading the level of equipment manufacturing and promoting the optimization and upgrading of industrial structure is still very urgent; laser technology and industry as a key supporting technology still have much room for development. Laser manufacturing equipment technology will be in information, energy, transportation, and electronics. In the pillar industries such as metallurgy and machinery , they will be applied more deeply, which will in turn increase the independent innovation capability of these industries, form new economic growth points, and play a major role in enhancing market competitiveness.