Science Current Events | Science News | Brightsurf.com
 
Email a Friend Send to a friend
Printer Friendly Print Lasers in car manufacture

Lasers in car manufacture

July 01, 1999

Lasers play a key role in modern production - for such tasks as cutting sheet metal to size, welding containers and trimming circuit . But their potential is far from exhausted. The automobile industry is playing a pioneering role in the introduction of new laser types and machining processes. The Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT in Aachen and the Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS in Dresden are contributing to many developments in this field. At Laser 99 the Institutes presented some of their current work.

The ILT is presenting new applications for high-performance diode lasers and diode-pumped solid-state lasers. For the first time, a demonstration unit for welding plastic filter housings will show how easily compact and sturdy diode lasers can be integrated in robots. The robot arm incorporates a gripper unit and the optics for the diode laser. The laser welds the two plastic parts together with an overlap joint. In the technique applied the laser beam penetrates the upper transparent part without damaging it and is only effective on the second part which has a strongly absorbent surface. The melt produced in this thin zone gently forms a high-quality positive joint. This technique for joining plastics can be used for welding even complex geometries and areas which are difficult to access.




Hybrid processes are a specialty of the scientists working at IWS in Dresden. For instance, they combine laser technology with induction heating. Inductively boosted laser-beam welding produces crack-free welded joints even on hardenable steels and special alloys. The welding speed can reach several meters per minute. Two German car makers are already operating laser induction welding units in series production. DaimlerChrysler, for example, uses them to weld gear components for the A-Class.

For further information:
Dr. Peter Loosen
Phone: +49 2 41/89 06-1 62
Fax: +49 2 41/89 06-1 21
email: loosen@ilt.fhg.de
Fraunhofer-Institut für Lasertechnik ILT
Steinbachstraße 15
D-52074 Aachen
Presse Contact:
Axel Bauer
Phone: +49 2 41/89 06-1 94
Fax: +49 2 41/89 06-1 21
email: bauer@ilt.fhg.de
http://www.ilt.fhg.de

Dr. Jens Standfuß
Phone: +49 3 51/25 83-2 12
Fax: +49 3 51/25 83-3 00
email: standfuss@iws.fhg.de
Fraunhofer-Institut für Werkstoff- und Strahltechnik IWS
Winterbergstraße 28
D-01277 Dresden
Press Contact:
Dr. Ralf J'¤ckel
Phone: +49 3 51/25 83-4 44
Fax: +49 3 51/25 83-3 00
email: info@iws.fhg.de
http://www.iws.fhg.de

Caption: Gear component for the A-Class, laser-welded after induction preheating.
(This picture - in colour or black-and-white - can be ordered from the publisher or downloaded from the Internet)


Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft



Science Research Departments



Earth Science

Alternative Energy  |   Anthropology and Archaeology  |   Earthquakes and Volcanoes  |   Environment and Nature News  |   Global Warming  |   High-Energy and Particle Physics  |   Ozone Hole  |   Scientists Slow Light  |   Tsunami


Space Science

Astronomy and Space News  |   Black Holes  |   Chandra X-Ray Observatory  |   Extrasolar Planets  |   Hubble Telescope  |   International Space Station  |   Jupiter Galileo Mission  |   Jupiter Cassini Mission Flyby  |   Mars Exploration  |   Mars Odyssey 2001  |   Mars Global Surveyor  |   Mars Polar Lander  |   Mars Climate Orbiter  |   Mars Pathfinder  |   Meteors and Asteroids  |   Mir Space Station  |   NEAR Asteroid Probe Mission  |   Pluto Planet Debate |   Search for Extraterrestrial Life  |   Space Shuttle Program  |   Space Shuttle Mission: STS-102  |   Space Weather


Life Science

Animal News  |   Biotechnology and Genetics  |   Brain Research  |   Human Cloning  |   Dinosaur and Fossil Discoveries  |   Endangered Species  |   Gene Therapy  |   Genetically Modified Food  |   Stem Cell Research  |   Whales and Whaling
Scientific Explorer's Mind Blowing Science Kit for Young Scientists

Scientific Explorer's Mind Blowing Science Kit for Young Scientists
by Scientific Explorer

Mind blowing experiments to delight and educate young scientists! Erupt a color changing volcano.  Mix up magic ooze with a mind of its own.  Play with sand that never gets wet.  Mix safe chemicals and watch colors change before your eyes. You'll amaze yourself and your friends as you explore the science behind these truly remarkable reactions.



The Everything Kids' Science Experiments Book: Boil Ice, Float Water, Measure Gravity-Challenge the World Around You! (Everything Kids Series)

The Everything Kids' Science Experiments Book: Boil Ice, Float Water, Measure Gravity-Challenge the World Around You! (Everything Kids Series)
by Tom Robinson (Author)

Science has never been so easy - or so much fun! With The Everything Kids' Science Experiments Book, all you need to do is gather a few household items and you can recreate dozens of mind-blowing, kid-tested science experiments. High school science teach Tom Robinson shows you how to expand your scientific horizons - from biology to chemistry to physics to outer space.

You'll discover answers to questions like:
Is it possible to blow up a balloon without actually blowing into it?
What is inside coins?
Can a magnet ever be "turned off"?
Do toilets always flush in the same direction?
Can a swimming pool be cleaned with just the breath of one person?

Get ready to enter the laboratory and learn how to conduct cool experiments, understand scientific terms...

Scientific Explorer's Disgusting Science - A Kit for Studying the Science of Revolting Things

Scientific Explorer's Disgusting Science - A Kit for Studying the Science of Revolting Things
by Scientific Explorer

Grow your own friendly germs and fuzzy molds. Mix up a batch of coagulating fake blood. Even make a stinky intestine. learn the science behind unmentionable bodily functions while doing some truly NASTY Experiments.  Ages 8+



The Science Book: Everything You Need to Know About the World and How It Works (National Geographic)

The Science Book: Everything You Need to Know About the World and How It Works (National Geographic)
by National Geographic (Author), Marshall Brain (Foreword)

A delight for the casual reader, yet so complete and wide-ranging that science buffs and students will welcome it, The Science Book encapsulates centuries of scientific thought in one richly illustrated volume. Natural phenomena, revolutionary inventions, and the most up-to-date investigations are explained in detailed text, and 2,000 vivid illustrations—including 3-D graphics and pictograms—make the information even more accessible and amazing to discover.

The Science Book offers both a general overview of topics for the browsing reader and more specific information for those seeking deeper insight into a particular subject. Six major sections, ranging from the universe and planet Earth to biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics, encompass everything from microscopic life...

Scientific Explorer's The Magic Science Wizard's Kit

Scientific Explorer's The Magic Science Wizard's Kit
by Scientific Explorer

Cast real smoke from your fingertips, make a wizard wand, and whip up color-changing potions in your test tube laboratory. Also included are laminated cards with wizard facts, an instruction booklet with 11 activities, lab equipment, and mysterious wizard powders that will mix together to mystify you!



Scientific Explorer's Tasty Science Chemistry in the Kitchen Kit

Scientific Explorer's Tasty Science Chemistry in the Kitchen Kit
by Scientific Explorer

Who knew science could taste so good? With this kit, you’ll whip up cupcakes, cookies, candy, and more—all in the name of science! Learn what makes cakes rise, candy crystallize, and more real chemistry happen in the kitchen. Tasty Science is packed with ingredients, recipes, activity cards, a test tube laboratory, and lots more to explore the science of taste.



The Complete Book of Science, Grades 5-6

The Complete Book of Science, Grades 5-6
by School Specialty Publishing (Author)

The Complete Book of Science for grades 5 to 6 teaches children important science skills!

Children complete a variety of exercises that help them develop a number of skills in this 352 page workbook. Including a complete answer key this workbook features a user-friendly format perfect for browsing, research, and review.

Over 4 million in print! The best-selling Complete Book series offers a full complement of instruction, activities, and information about a single topic or subject area. Containing over 30 titles and encompassing preschool to grade 8 this series helps children succeed in every subject area!

...

Magic School Bus Journey into the Human Body Science Kit

Magic School Bus Journey into the Human Body Science Kit
by Young Scientist Club

The Magic School Bus and Ms. Frizzle take Young Scientists on a wild ride into the human body with these breathtaking experiments. Young Scientists bend bones, make joints, map taste buds, expand lungs, build a stethoscope, measure lung capacities and heart rates, perform the iodine starch test, spin glitter, simulate synovial fluid, create a human body poster, and much, much more! This exciting kit includes a life-size poster with eight sheets of body part stickers. So put on your seat belts, students, and get ready to discover The Human Body!

Scientific Explorer's Glow in the Dark Fun Lab Science Kit

Scientific Explorer's Glow in the Dark Fun Lab Science Kit
by Scientific Explorer

You will love setting up your own Glow in the Dark Fun Lab. Create a light
wand, make your own glow stick, and even generate a human-powered light.



What Is the World Made Of? All About Solids, Liquids, and Gases (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science, Stage 2)

What Is the World Made Of? All About Solids, Liquids, and Gases (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science, Stage 2)
by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld (Author), Paul Meisel (Author)

Did you ever walk through a wall? Drink a glass of blocks? Have you ever played with a lemonade doll, or put on milk for socks? This latest addition to the Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science series introduces the youngest readers to an important science concept: the differences between solids, liquids, and gases. Any child who wants to know why he can't walk through a wall will enjoy Kathleen Zoehfeld's simple text and Paul Meisel's playful illustrations.



© 2009 BrightSurf.com