Gestamp Takes on Laser Welding for Automotive

At Gestamp, engineers have introduced two new laser-welding processes, Ges-Wire and G-Weld, as part of its overall Ges-Gigastamping product family. It designed the processes to support the development of extreme-sized, hot-stamped body-in-white (BiW) parts, while boosting automobile performance and reducing production costs. The welding processes typically are used to develop blanks from steel sheet 0.8 to 3.0 mm thick, in grades from 500- to 2000-MPa tensile strength.

Ges-Wire, developed to manufacture tailor-welded blanks (TWB) and in use at several Gestamp plants, employs a specialized filler wire during laser welding to create high-quality welds without the need to remove material coatings. The result, say company officials, is a simpler and more efficient process that replaces conventional TWB welding.

G-Weld, Gestamp officials note, is designed to replace traditional resistance spot welding of patch and overlap blanks used to stamp structural parts—the Ges-DoorRing (double door ring) for example. The recently developed remote laser-welding process, Gestamp officials tell MetalForming, is being used in prototype environments at a few plants but is ready for implementation globally. Patented by Gestamp in 2024, G-Weld employs a 2D laser head mounted on a robot within a fully automated cell. The process introduces a G-shaped weld joint and reportedly is five times faster than resistance-spot welding. It also eliminates the need for ablation, enhancing weld-seam quality and supporting large-scale industrial production.

By combining these processes, the firm says it can shorten development lead time, simplify assembly and reduce part count. The speed and stability of Ges-Wire and G-Weld promise to significantly enhance weld quality while optimizing productivity, for producing a variety of stampings including A- and B-pillars, and front and rear rails.