Coherent and II-VI: Innovating Automotive Laser Welding
December 17, 2020 by Coherent
Announcing Supply Agreement for Turnkey Automotive and Electrification Welding Solution
Yesterday, we announced a supply agreement with II‐VI Incorporated to enable faster process development and streamlined production services for automotive laser welding applications.
The agreement will support a range of applications, including high-strength alloy welding for automotive body-in-white applications and mass production copper welding for electrification applications.
More efficiency, Lower TCO
The combination of II-VI’s advanced laser processing heads and the Coherent Adjustable Ring Mode (ARM) fiber laser technology delivers power adjustment and beam positioning on the fly to produce optimal welds with the highest quality at a very high speed and over large working areas, increasing the efficiency and decreasing the cost of ownership.
As an additional convenience, Coherent and II-VI customers will receive a single point of contact throughout the development and deployment of the welding sub-systems combining the Coherent ARM fiber lasers and the II-VI RLSK and HIGHmotion 2D remote laser processing heads. Our integrated Industry 4.0-ready solution and superior service ensures maximum productivity on our automotive customers’ manufacturing lines.
State-of-the-art remote laser welding
Laser welding is an integral part of the automotive manufacturing process, and this announcement reflects a significant innovation over conventional solutions. “System builders will get the best of both companies’ advanced technologies, with the logistical simplicity of a single source,” said Jarno Kangastupa, Managing Director, High-Power Fiber Lasers Business Unit, Coherent. “The advanced optics and smart software of II-VI’s laser processing heads enable customers to fully leverage the Coherent ARM laser with unique ability to control, in real-time, the laser beam shape and power distribution with great precision and over a wide dynamic range, delivering the state of the art in remote laser welding.”
As Senior Vice President, Laser Devices and Systems Business Unit, II-VI Dr. Karlheinz Gulden said, “The Coherent ARM laser and the II-VI remote laser processing heads each utilize unique designs that are very effective in suppressing back reflections, thus enabling extremely high-quality welds in reflective materials such as aluminum and copper, which are nowadays widely used in automotive, including in e-mobility applications. This combination enables a constant laser power level of up to 8 kW, which is beneficial for many copper and aluminum applications.”
State-of-the-art remote laser welding
Laser welding is an integral part of the automotive manufacturing process, and this announcement reflects a significant innovation over conventional solutions. “System builders will get the best of both companies’ advanced technologies, with the logistical simplicity of a single source,” said Jarno Kangastupa, Managing Director, High-Power Fiber Lasers Business Unit, Coherent. “The advanced optics and smart software of II-VI’s laser processing heads enable customers to fully leverage the Coherent ARM laser with unique ability to control, in real-time, the laser beam shape and power distribution with great precision and over a wide dynamic range, delivering the state of the art in remote laser welding.”
As Senior Vice President, Laser Devices and Systems Business Unit, II-VI Dr. Karlheinz Gulden said, “The Coherent ARM laser and the II-VI remote laser processing heads each utilize unique designs that are very effective in suppressing back reflections, thus enabling extremely high-quality welds in reflective materials such as aluminum and copper, which are nowadays widely used in automotive, including in e-mobility applications. This combination enables a constant laser power level of up to 8 kW, which is beneficial for many copper and aluminum applications.”
Related Resources
