Present state of applying diode laser in Toyota Motor Corp.

Masaki Terada; Hideo Nakamura

doi:10.1117/12.486492

3 March 2003 Present state of applying diode laser in Toyota Motor Corp.

Masaki Terada, Hideo Nakamura

Proceedings Volume 4831, First International Symposium on High-Power Laser Macroprocessing; (2003) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.486492
Event: LAMP 2002: International Congress on Laser Advanced Materials Processing, 2002, Osaka, Japan

Abstract

Since the mid-1980s, Toyota Motor Corporation has applied CO₂ lasers and YAG lasers to machine (welding, piercing, cutting, surface modifying etc.) automobile parts. In recent years diode lasers, which are excellent in terms of cost performance, are now available on the market as a new type of oscillator and are expected to bring about a new age in laser technology. Two current problems with these lasers, however, are the lack of sufficient output and the difficulty in improving the focusing the beam, which is why it has not been easy to apply them to the machining of metal parts in the past. On the other hand, plastics can be joined with low energy because they have a lower melting point than metal and the rate of absorption of the laser is easy to control. Moreover, because the high degree of freedom in molding plastic parts results in many complex shapes that need to be welded, Toyota is looking into the use of diode lasers to weld plastic parts. This article will introduce the problems of plastics welding and the methods to solve them referring to actual examples.

Citation Download Citation

Masaki Terada and Hideo Nakamura "Present state of applying diode laser in Toyota Motor Corp.", Proc. SPIE 4831, First International Symposium on High-Power Laser Macroprocessing, (3 March 2003); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.486492

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