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Application of Laser Processing Technology in Automobile Manufacturing
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Application of Laser Processing Technology in Automobile Manufacturing

A special issue of Coatings (ISSN 2079-6412). This special issue belongs to the section "Laser Coatings".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 December 2024 | Viewed by 15358

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Peilei Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Materials Engineering, Shanghai University of Engineering Science, Shanghai 201620, China
Interests: laser surface texturing; wire arc additive manufacturing; soldering welding; material characterization; mechanical properties; selective laser melting
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Mingwen Bai

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
Interests: surface engineering; thermal barrier coatings; thermal spraying coatings; mechanical testing; materials characterization; oxidation and corrosion
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Yingtao Tian

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Engineering, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YW, UK
Interests: laser welding, laser material processing in body-in-white and lithium-ion battery manufacturing; additive manufacturing; digital manufacturing; advanced material joining technologies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, laser-based material processing has attracted extensive attention from the manufacturing industry due to its high efficiency, flexibility, and productivity. Its applications include laser welding, cutting, inserting additives, drilling, forming, coating, ablation, texturing, polishing, and adding other materials (including metal, ceramics, polymers and natural materials). Considering the recent boom in the transition to electric vehicles, the automotive industry constantly demands higher efficiency and lower costs in manufacturing so that electric cars and lithium-ion products become more affordable. In order to achieve this, laser-based material processing can be applied to rigorously promote the manufacturing of battery-powered products at a lower cost.  Laser welding technology is also able to significantly improve the impact and fatigue resistance of the vehicle body and enhance the quality of the vehicle. Laser-based additive manufacturing (e.g., laser powder bed fusion and laser powder/wire direct deposition) provides a crucial new opportunity to produce high-quality functional parts without geometric constraints in the field of automobile manufacturing.

This Special Issue is dedicated to publishing original research and high-quality review articles that are related to the latest progress in laser processing and automobile manufacturing. The potential topics of this Special Issue include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Applications of laser welding technology in automobile manufacturing.
  • The creation of lightweight automobile structures enabled by laser welding.
  • Laser-based processing for lithium-ion battery-related applications.
  • Improving automobile parts through laser additive manufacturing and topology optimization.
  • The laser marking of production materials used in automobiles.
  • Research on new laser cutting technology in the field of automobile manufacturing.
  • Application of laser welding technology to recycled metals in automotive manufacturing.
  • Life cycle assessment of laser welding in electric vehicles.

Prof. Dr. Peilei Zhang
Dr. Mingwen Bai
Dr. Yingtao Tian
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Coatings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • laser welding
  • laser additive manufacturing
  • lightweight automobile manufacturing
  • laser cutting

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 21435 KiB  
Article
Investigation of the Inhibition Mechanism of Process Porosity in Laser-MIG Hybrid-Welded Joints for an Aluminum Alloy
by Yucheng Xing, Feiyun Wang, Yong Zhao, Juan Fu, Zhenbang Sun and Daxing Zhang
Coatings 2024, 14(11), 1376; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings14111376 - 29 Oct 2024
Viewed by 485
Abstract
In this paper, 4 mm thick 7075 aluminum alloy was utilized for conducting laser-MIG hybrid welding tests to investigate the correlation between the dynamic behavior of keyholes and process-induced porosity. Additionally, the generation and inhibition mechanisms of process porosity were elucidated. Utilizing a [...] Read more.
In this paper, 4 mm thick 7075 aluminum alloy was utilized for conducting laser-MIG hybrid welding tests to investigate the correlation between the dynamic behavior of keyholes and process-induced porosity. Additionally, the generation and inhibition mechanisms of process porosity were elucidated. Utilizing a high-speed camera test system of our own design, the formation position and movement characteristics of keyholes in the molten pool under different welding parameters were captured using a “sandwich” method. The dynamic behavior of keyholes during the hybrid welding process was analyzed, and the porosity of each welded joint was quantified, revealing an intrinsic relationship between keyhole dynamics and aluminum alloy laser-MIG hybrid welding porosity. The findings indicate that variations in the defocusing amount can influence both the morphology and stability of keyholes in the molten pool, consequently impacting welding porosity. The dynamic behavior of keyholes under different defocusing amounts can be categorized into five types: no keyhole formation, collapse of the keyhole root, complete instability of the keyhole, instability of the keyhole root, and stability of the keyhole. At a defocus of +12 mm, stable keyholes were observed, and no defects in the welded joints were identified. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Laser Processing Technology in Automobile Manufacturing)
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16 pages, 15828 KiB  
Article
Effect of Heat Treatment on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Titanium Alloy Fabricated by Laser–Arc Hybrid Additive Manufacturing
by Yuhang Chen, Juan Fu, Lilong Zhou, Yong Zhao, Feiyun Wang, Guoqiang Chen and Yonghui Qin
Coatings 2024, 14(5), 614; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings14050614 - 13 May 2024
Viewed by 1177
Abstract
The tailored thermal heat-treatment process for Ti-6Al-4V alloy manufactured by laser–arc hybrid additive manufacturing can achieve desired microstructures and excellent mechanical properties for components. The effects of different heat treatment regimens on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti-6Al-4V alloy manufactured by laser–arc [...] Read more.
The tailored thermal heat-treatment process for Ti-6Al-4V alloy manufactured by laser–arc hybrid additive manufacturing can achieve desired microstructures and excellent mechanical properties for components. The effects of different heat treatment regimens on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti-6Al-4V alloy manufactured by laser–arc hybrid additive manufacturing are investigated in this study. Utilizing optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, we analyze the variations in microstructure with changes in heat-treatment parameters and explore the reasons for the changes in mechanical properties under different solutions’ treatment temperatures and cooling rates. The microstructure of Ti-6Al-4V alloy fabricated via laser–arc hybrid additive manufacturing was primarily composed of Widmanstätten α plate structures and a small amount of acicular martensite α′ within columnar β grains that grew outward from the substrate along the deposition direction. Following solution treatment and aging heat treatment, the microstructure transitioned to a typical high-performance net basket structure with significantly reduced α plate thickness, leading to noticeable enhancements in sample ductility and toughness. Specifically, when the solution treatment and aging treatment regimen was set at 950 °C for 1 h, followed by air cooling, and then aging at 540 °C for 6 h with subsequent air cooling, the average grain size decreased by a factor of two compared to the as-deposited samples, while the impact toughness increased by 66.7%. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Laser Processing Technology in Automobile Manufacturing)
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13 pages, 3042 KiB  
Article
The Effect of Precipitates on the Stress Rupture Properties of Laser Powder Bed Fusion Inconel 718 Alloy
by Jinhong Du, Wenhao Cheng, Yiming Sun, Rui Ma, Hongbing Liu, Xiaoguo Song, Jin Yang and Caiwang Tan
Coatings 2023, 13(12), 2087; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings13122087 - 14 Dec 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1296
Abstract
Improving the high-temperature stress rupture properties of Inconel 718 (IN718) alloys is crucial for enhancing aircraft engine performance. By using the laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) technique, IN718 alloys were crafted at varying volumetric energy densities (VED) in this study. The dendrite growth [...] Read more.
Improving the high-temperature stress rupture properties of Inconel 718 (IN718) alloys is crucial for enhancing aircraft engine performance. By using the laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) technique, IN718 alloys were crafted at varying volumetric energy densities (VED) in this study. The dendrite growth mode, reinforcing phase distribution and high temperature stress rupture properties of various VED samples were investigated. The results showed that the stress rupture life and the uniform elongation of the samples both first increased and then decreased with the increase in VED. When the VED was 60 J/mm3, the maximum rupture life and elongation of the sample were 43 h and 3.8%, respectively. As the VED increased, the angle of dislocation in the dendrite decreased while the spacing between primary dendrite arms increased, resulting in an increase in the size and volume fraction of the Laves phase. Following a heat treatment, the δ phase would nucleate preferentially around the dissolved Laves phase causing an increase in the volume fraction of the δ phase with the increase in VED. The creep voids readily formed around the δ phase are distributed along the grain boundaries, while the inhomogeneous δ phase and fine grains facilitated crack initiation and propagation. Furthermore, a significant quantity of the δ phase consumed the Nb element, thereby hindering adequate precipitation in the γ″ phase and causing cracks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Laser Processing Technology in Automobile Manufacturing)
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13 pages, 4853 KiB  
Article
Effect of Alternating Magnetic Field on the Organization and Corrosion Resistance of 2205 Duplex Stainless Steel Narrow-Gap Laser-MIG Hybrid Weld Head
by Zhenxing He, Yong Zhao, Juan Fu, Fugang Chen, Guoqiang Chen and Yonghui Qin
Coatings 2023, 13(12), 2000; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings13122000 - 24 Nov 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 905
Abstract
In this study, an alternating magnetic field is applied in the narrow-gap laser-MIG hybrid welding of 2205 duplex stainless steel with a thickness of 25 mm to achieve the purpose of balancing the ration of the two phases, refining the grains and improving [...] Read more.
In this study, an alternating magnetic field is applied in the narrow-gap laser-MIG hybrid welding of 2205 duplex stainless steel with a thickness of 25 mm to achieve the purpose of balancing the ration of the two phases, refining the grains and improving the corrosion resistance. With the help of OM, EBSD, TEM, and other microstructural analysis methods, the organization evolution of a 2205 duplex stainless steel narrow-gap laser arc hybrid weld under the effect of alternating magnetic field is revealed. The corrosion resistance of the welded joints is investigated by electrochemical tests. The results show that the use of a 40 mT applied alternating magnetic field can not only effectively inhibit the generation of porosity and unfused defects in the weld, but also that the addition of an alternating magnetic field improves the ratio of austenite to ferrite in the weld, and the ratio of the two phases is increased from 0.657 without a magnetic field to 0.850. The weld grain preferential orientation is affected by the magnetic field, and the weld austenite grains are shifted from the Goss texture to the Copper texture. Under the electromagnetic stirring effect of the applied magnetic field, the average austenite grain size decreased from 4.15 μm to 3.82 μm, and the average ferrite grain size decreased from 4.99 μm to 4.08 μm. In addition, the effect of the alternating magnetic field increases the density of twins in the organization. Electrochemical test results show that the addition of an alternating magnetic field increases the corrosion potential by 75.2 mV and the pitting potential by 134.5 mV, which indicates that the corrosion resistance of the cover-welded specimens is improved by the effect of an alternating magnetic field. The improvement in corrosion resistance mainly depends on the austenite grain refinement and the increase in the austenite content. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Laser Processing Technology in Automobile Manufacturing)
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8 pages, 2532 KiB  
Communication
Refining Micron-Sized Grains to Nanoscale in Ni-Co Based Superalloy by Quasistatical Compressive Deformation at High Temperature
by Hui Xu, Yanjun Guo, Jiangwei Wang, Ze Li, Lu Wang, Xiaohui Li and Zhefeng Zhang
Coatings 2023, 13(8), 1325; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings13081325 - 28 Jul 2023
Viewed by 1112
Abstract
Compressive deformation was carried out in an Ni-Co-based superalloy with relatively low stacking fault energy (SFE) at 725 °C and a strain rate of 10−2 s−1; the underlying micromechanisms were investigated under true compression strains varying from 0.1 to 1.0. [...] Read more.
Compressive deformation was carried out in an Ni-Co-based superalloy with relatively low stacking fault energy (SFE) at 725 °C and a strain rate of 10−2 s−1; the underlying micromechanisms were investigated under true compression strains varying from 0.1 to 1.0. It was found that dislocation slipping accompanied by stacking fault (SF) shearing dominated the compressive deformation under the strain of 0.1 and 0.2. As the strain increased to 0.3 and 0.4, microtwinning was activated and then interacted with dislocations, leading to the formation of dislocation tangles or blocky distorted region. When true strain was further increased to 0.6, abundant subgains (SGs) with polygonous shape appeared and then transformed into nanograins as true strain increased to 1.0. It is demonstrated that high strain and microtwinning are the prerequisites for the evolution of nanograins in the deformed Ni-Co-based superalloy. High strain can produce plentiful dislocations and distorted micro-sized SGs; then the microtwins sheared these distorted regions and refined the micro-sized SGs into nanoscale, which subsequently transformed into nanograins with further deformation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Laser Processing Technology in Automobile Manufacturing)
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Review

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32 pages, 12698 KiB  
Review
Application of Laser Welding in Electric Vehicle Battery Manufacturing: A Review
by Junbo Feng, Peilei Zhang, Hua Yan, Haichuan Shi, Qinghua Lu, Zhenyu Liu, Di Wu, Tianzhu Sun, Ruifeng Li and Qingzhao Wang
Coatings 2023, 13(8), 1313; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings13081313 - 26 Jul 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4347
Abstract
Electric vehicle battery systems are made up of a variety of different materials, each battery system contains hundreds of batteries. There are many parts that need to be connected in the battery system, and welding is often the most effective and reliable connection [...] Read more.
Electric vehicle battery systems are made up of a variety of different materials, each battery system contains hundreds of batteries. There are many parts that need to be connected in the battery system, and welding is often the most effective and reliable connection method. Laser welding has the advantages of non-contact, high energy density, accurate heat input control, and easy automation, which is considered to be the ideal choice for electric vehicle battery manufacturing. However, the metal materials used for the electrodes of the battery and the connectors used to connect the battery are not the same, so the different materials need to be welded together effectively. Welding different materials together is associated with various difficulties and challenges, as more intermetallic compounds are formed, some of which can affect the microstructure, electrical and thermal properties of the joint. Because the common material of the battery housing is steel and aluminum and other refractory metals, it will also face various problems. In this paper reviews, the challenges and the latest progress of laser welding between different materials of battery busbar and battery pole and between the same materials of battery housing are reviewed. The microstructure, metallographic defects and mechanical properties of the joint are discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Laser Processing Technology in Automobile Manufacturing)
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26 pages, 3359 KiB  
Review
Crack Formation Mechanisms and Control Methods of Laser Cladding Coatings: A Review
by Mingke Li, Kepeng Huang and Xuemei Yi
Coatings 2023, 13(6), 1117; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings13061117 - 17 Jun 2023
Cited by 29 | Viewed by 5168
Abstract
Laser cladding, a novel surface treatment technology, utilizes a high-energy laser beam to melt diverse alloy compositions and form a specialized alloy-cladding layer on the surface of the substrate to enhance its property. However, it can generate substantial residual stresses during the rapid [...] Read more.
Laser cladding, a novel surface treatment technology, utilizes a high-energy laser beam to melt diverse alloy compositions and form a specialized alloy-cladding layer on the surface of the substrate to enhance its property. However, it can generate substantial residual stresses during the rapid cooling and heating stages, due to inadequate selection of cladding process parameters and disparities in thermophysical properties between the clad layer and substrate material, leading to the formation of various types of cracks. These cracks can significantly impact the quality and performance of the coating. This paper presents a comprehensive review of crack types and their causes in laser cladding coatings, and identifies that three primary sources of residual stresses, thermal stress, organizational stress, and restraint stress, are the fundamental causes of crack formation. The study proposes several strategies to control coating cracks, including optimizing the coating layer material, refining the coating process parameters, incorporating heat treatment, applying auxiliary fields, and utilizing numerical simulations to predict crack initiation and propagation. Additionally, the paper summarizes crack control methods for emerging structural materials and novel preparation processes. Lastly, the paper analyzes the prospects, technical approaches, and key research directions for effectively controlling cracks in laser cladding coatings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Laser Processing Technology in Automobile Manufacturing)
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