Laser welding method of oil filters for automatic gearbox

摘要

The fluid filter comprises two housing sections and a laser weld bead. The housing sections form an interior chamber with a receiving filter media and two circumscribing flanges comprising synthetic resin material that are in a registered, abutting relationship at a circumscribing juncture. The laser weld bead couples the flanges to provide a fluid seal circumscribing the filter. The fluid filter (10) comprises two housing sections (14,16) and a laser weld bead. The two housing sections form an interior chamber with receiving filter media. The sections have two circumscribing flanges composed of synthetic resin material with the first flange composed of material transmissive of laser light and the second opaque to laser light and meltable upon exposure. The flanges are in a registered, abutting relationship at a circumscribing juncture. The laser weld bead at the juncture couples the flanges to provide a fluid seal circumscribing the filter. Independent claims are also included for the following (a) a fluid filter manufacturing apparatus (12), comprising a robot arm (50), a programmable processor coupled with the operable robot arm to control the movement, a laser (54) coupled with the operable robot arm to emit a laser beam (58), and a fixture (56) configured to hold a filter; and (b) fluid filter production.