HIGH PRODUCTION LASER WELDING ASSEMBLY AND METHOD

摘要

A method for butt welding metallic sheets along a relatively long common seam line by providing a plurality of laser welding devices aligned above the common seam line, and effectively spaced from one another along a longitudinal axis. In a preferred embodiment, each welding device is independently adjustable in a direction parallel to a transverse axis which is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. The metallic sheets are aligned on the upper surface in abutting relationship along the seam line and clamped for welding. Each laser welds only a portion of the sheets along the seam line, and the length of the relative movement between the welding devices and the sheets is greater than the effective spacing distance between welding devices to insure that a continuous weld bead is provided along the common seam line.