Laser welding is widespread and finding new applications

High weld speed
Minimum heat deposition and deformation
Automotive
   o Body panels (tailor-welded blanks)
   o Body-in-white assembly
   o Component assembly
Weld integrity and dimensional control are critical
Current quality control based on process monitoring
   o Indirect
   o No guaranteed correlation with final condition of weld
Automated inspection after weld is completed is preferred


Spot welding is critical process for auto body assembly

Weld area and strength are critical
Inspection techniques are currently unreliable
Weak bonds are very difficult to detect


Solution: laser ultrasonics

Noncontact
Fast areal scanning
Small laser spots provide high spatial resolution
High bandwidth enables accurate measurement of bond strength