The present invention relates generally to an improved laser welded work piece, such as an automotive body panel, and a system and method for the manufacture thereof. The invention is also directed to an improved system for manufacturing the welded work piece including an improved laser welder and a laser weld inspection device and system.

Laser welding system

A laser cutting device (5), comprising a material feeding means (A) for feeding a sheet-like material (11) in a feeding direction, a processing head (B) capable of radiating laser beam toward the material, a head moving means (C) for moving the processing head in a material feeding direction X and a material lateral direction Y, an upstream side support means (belt conveyor mechanism F) for supporting the material on the upstream side of the lower part of the processing head and increasing/decreasing the support area (R2) of the material in the feeding direction according to the movement of the processing head in the feeding direction, and a downstream side support means (belt conveyor mechanism E) for supporting a part cut on the processing side of the lower part of the processing head and increasing/decreasing the support area (R1) of the cut part in the feeding direction according to the movement of the processing head in the feeding direction.

Laser cutting device, laser cutting method, and laser cutting system

A method for butt welding metallic sheets along a relatively long common seam line by providing a plurality of laser welding devices aligned above the common seam line, and effectively spaced from one another along a longitudinal axis. In a preferred embodiment, each welding device is independently adjustable in a direction parallel to a transverse axis which is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. The metallic sheets are aligned on the upper surface in abutting relationship along the seam line and clamped for welding. Each laser welds only a portion of the sheets along the seam line, and the length of the relative movement between the welding devices and the sheets is greater than the effective spacing distance between welding devices to insure that a continuous weld bead is provided along the common seam line.

High production laser welding assembly and method

A welded metal container for a sheath 1 or 1A of gas insulated switch gear comprises a trunk pipe 2, 21 and a branch pipes 3, 31, 32 welded to the trunk pipe 2,21 by arc welding A or laser beam welding LB and flanges welded to the each end portion of the trunk pipe 2, 21 and branch pipes 3, 31, 32 by the laser beam welding After the arc welding A, the ends of trunk pipe 1, 21 and branch pipes 3, 31, 32 are machined precisely and flanges 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4f and 4g are welded to the end portions of the trunk pipe 2, 21 and branch pipes 3, 31, 32

Structure of metal container having trunk pipe and branch pipe, and manufacturing method and apparatus therefor

The device of this invention is to prevent the buckling of steel sheets and positional discrepancy between steel sheets by grasping and butting the front and rear ends of sheets by means of clamping means on a joining device carrier. For this purpose, a pair of joining device carrier (3) are moved on rails (8) mounted at both sides of rolls (9) for conveying steel. The rear end of the preceding steel sheet (1) and the front end of the following steel sheet (2) are grasped by the clamping means (4 and 5) on the joining device carrier, respectively. The clamping means (5) is moved close to the clamping means (4) by using a movable frame so that the steel sheets (1, 2) are butted together.

Butting device for joining running steel sheets

A method, for butt-welding steel strips using a laser beam are disclosed, in which opposite ends of preceding and succeeding steel strips fed continuously are cut and the cut end edges thus formed are welded by butt welding using a laser. The cutting and butting at the time of welding are effected with one edge of the preceding steel strips adjacent to the opposite ends of the succeeding steel strips aligned to be parallel with the center line of travel of the continuous processing line. When effecting the alignment, the preceding or succeeding steel strip is attracted by an electromagnetic chuck on a work table in the continuous processing line and is pulled by the chuck toward a reference block provided with an alignment edge parallel to the center line of travel of the processing line to bring the edge of the sheet into contact with the reference block. The alignment is done in this state.

Method and apparatus for cutting and welding steel strips

An apparatus, for butt-welding steel strips using a laser beam are disclosed, in which opposite ends of preceding and succeeding steel strips fed continuously are cut and the cut end edges thus formed are welded by butt welding using a laser. The cutting and butting at the time of welding are effected with one edge of the preceeding steel strips adjacent to the opposite ends of the succeeding steel strips aligned to be parallel with the center line of travel of the continuous processing line. When effecting the alignment, the preceding or succeeding steel strip is attracted by an electromagnetic chuck on a work table in the continuous processing line and is pulled by the chuck toward a reference block provided with an alignment edge parallel to the center line of travel of the processing line to bring the edge of the sheet into contact with the reference block. The alignment is done in this state. The work table is capable of being moved along the continuous processing line. A revolving table supports the work table.

Method and apparatus for cutting welding steel strips

A method for cutting and welding steel belts and an apparatus thereof, wherein both of the preceding and succeeding steel belts fed continuously are cut at the ends thereof facing each other, said steel belts being butt-welded with sections thereof formed by said cutting as surfaces to be joined. In said cutting and welding, cutting and joining for welding are carried out in such a condition that one of side edges at the end of the steel belts is set so as to be parallel to the center line of a continuous processing line wherein said cutting and welding are carried out as described above, and further, in setting said side edge, the preceding or succeeding steel belt is attracted by means of an electromagnetic chuck within a work table of the continuous processing line, causing the preceding or succeeding steel belt to be drawn toward the side of a reference block disposed in parallel to said center line, so that one of the side edges of the preceding or succeeding steel belt is abutted on the reference block. In bringing said sections into face-to-face contact prior to welding, the preceding steel belt is attracted and held by the electromagnetic chuck on the work table with one of side edges being set in such a manner as stated above, while a part of the end of the succeeding steel belt is lifted so as to have a loop-like shape, causing the section thereof formed by cutting to be inclined downward with respect to the section of the preceding steel belt so that both ends come into contact with each other.

Method and device for cutting and welding steel belts.

PURPOSE:To simplify the removing work of a scrap and to execute it as a continued work in a series of welding works, by removing a scrap by the advance of a metallic strip. CONSTITUTION:Opposed end parts 1a, 2a of a preceding plate 1 and a following plate 2 are superposed on lower clamp bases 8, 9 of the preceding side and the following side, and thereafter, clamps 3, 4 descend and clamp said parts. Subsequently, a rotary wheel cutting body 6 is made to descend, run in a plate width direction and cuts the plate. After cutting, both the preceding and the following clamps 3, 4 are made to ascend, the preceding plate 1 is advanced to a downstream side by a pair of moving clamps 5, and at the same time, the scrap 1b of the following plate placed on is also moved and removed. On the other hand, the following plate 2 is moved backward a little to an upstream side, and thereafter, advanced to the downstream side, and the scrap 2b of the preceding plate 1 is removed. After the scrap has been removed, a cutting plane of the following plate 2 is butted to the cutting plane of the preceding plate 1, a laser welding torch is run along the same passage as the running passage of the rotary wheel cutting body 6, and a laser welding is executed satisfactorily.

Laser butt welding method for metallic strip

PURPOSE:To increase an abutting accuracy by making the cut face of the preceding steel sheet coincided with a welding torch traveling line by using an image sensor, then by arranging both cut faces so as to minimize the gap with the succeeding sheet cut face. CONSTITUTION:A preceding sheet 1 is transferred by a roller 10 and the rear end part thereof is cut by a cutting device 6. The cut face of the preceding sheet 1 is made coincident with the traveling line of a welding torch 5 with enlarging observation by using an image sensor by forming clamps 3, 3' in unclamping state. The succeeding sheet 1' is then transferred by a lead-in roller 10 and the cut face thereof is abutted to the cut face of the preceding sheet 1. In this case, the gap between both cut faces is made minimum by using the image sensor and sheets 1, 1' are clamped by the clamps 3, 3' as well. The generation of the deformation and slippage of the sheet is eliminated thus and the butt accuracy is increased.

Noda Kazuo

Papers

Method and apparatus for cutting and welding steel strips

Method and apparatus for cutting welding steel strips

Method and device for cutting and welding steel belts.

Laser butt welding method for metallic strip

Method for abutting wide and thin steel strips