Laser welding in 'Transmission Production 2.0'

From dual clutches to traditional differentials: transmission technology is a key research area in the automotive industry. Through new materials and changing geometric dimensions, designers have optimized the functions of different gearboxes. Moreover, due to the increasing demand for transmission gears in many cars, 'large batches have never been seen as a new requirement for gear processing. Among the innovative processes that have been applied to improve production efficiency, laser welding is one of them. In When developing the ELC product series, EMAG's experts adopted a highly efficient integrated process. During the development process, they also targeted their rich experience in the production of many typical transmission components. (Used for transmission gear welding The processing area of u200bu200bthe ELC 160 laser welding machine. The gears will be preheated, press-fitted and laser welded in up to three stations.) 　　 The stringent requirements of typical transmission components are first of all: even the pinion gears equipped with synchronous wheels are quite complicated in design In order to be able to manufacture efficiently and accurately, the two parts are processed separately, and then press-fitting and welding processes are carried out sequentially to connect them. 'At this step, laser welding is widely used in the production of modern transmissions, Germany Dr. Andreas Mootz, President of EMAG Automation Co., Ltd. explained, “Using this process can accurately measure and concentrate the energy of the laser beam to the welding point, minimize deformation, and achieve a high welding speed. In addition, the EMAG welding method can Use solid-state lasers with higher energy efficiency. Although the efficiency of traditional carbon dioxide lasers is only 8%, EMAG experts can increase the efficiency to about 20% in their process. In other words: people can use significantly less electrical energy To achieve the same optical performance. The energy cost in production is greatly reduced. 　　 The performance of the fixed welding device is outstanding. The method that has a similar effect on the entire process is to integrate different production processes in the ELC system. At the beginning, the work spindle is loaded and unloaded. The program is automatically clamped. The different parts are then clamped and press-fitted together at the press-fitting station. In the meantime, the clamping technology used can ensure very precise positioning of the parts, thereby providing the best conditions for welding. Through fixed optics The design of the system, equipment and welding process can achieve the highest operational safety and the best optical stability. According to the workpiece or material, the parts can be induction preheated before welding and brushed after welding. In any case, All machining processes only need one clamping to complete. The complete press-fitting and welding process of a gearbox gear takes only 12 seconds, and the components of the differential can be welded in this way in up to 40 seconds. 　　Laser welding guide The example of the lightweight structure trend differential housing clearly shows that laser welding technology has also opened up more possibilities for the general research and development of automobiles: for example, for some time, automobile manufacturers have gradually replaced the differential housing with welded connections. The bolt connection with the bevel gear. The result is: the material cost is reduced, and the weight is reduced by about 1.2 kg. 'In view of the lightweight structure promoted in the automotive industry, this saving is huge. Dr. Mootz explained. Customers will benefit from EMAG's experience and knowledge. 　　The welding expert EMAG from Heubach has an impressive history of success: in the past ten years, more than 50 ELC systems have been sold. All leading car manufacturers are using these devices. EMAG is a world leader in the processing of solid-state laser equipment for transmission and powertrain components. What contributed to these achievements? “The key is that we have a lot of experience and knowledge for the processing of these parts. We understand the entire production process, from the first turning, grinding, welding, to the final ultrasonic inspection process. Dr. Mootz emphasized, “We can Ru0026D and design a complete process chain. In this way, the planning of new production workshops and the expansion of existing production workshops are greatly simplified. The overall market development is showing a positive trend. German machinery manufacturers believe that the overall market development prospects are controllable: not only are successful dual-clutch transmissions requiring more gears, traditional manual transmissions are also facing the trend of being equipped with more gears, because this will Reduce fuel consumption and improve driving comfort. 'With this in mind, we are providing a mature welding technology: on the one hand, it ensures energy-saving and high-precision manufacturing processes, on the other hand, it can help promote lightweight structures and reduce production costs. There is no doubt that this is A successful and convincing integration, Dr. Mootz concluded.