The sturdiest vehicle doors in the world

The VW Phaeton incorporates an innovative solution using Laser-Hybrid welding from TPS Fronius for lightweight aluminium welding of door frame and panels

The VW specialists at the lightweight Aluminium centre in Wolfsburg have been successfully mass-producing doors for the Phaeton since October 2002.

These specialists are among the first users to turn an innovation from the Fronius R and D department into industrial production.

The Laser-Hybrid welding process, developed by the Austrian welding system manufacturers for industrial applications, is the joining technique of choice at VW.

The Phaeton doors consist of a frame structure of cast Aluminium, Aluminium panels and extruded Aluminium sections.

These doors give the vehicle unsurpassed side impact protection, ensuring the very high safety standards are met.

Judging by the outcome of this joint development work, the VW technicians are convinced about their solution and the "Fronius Brand" LaserHybrid welding process.

Unambiguously setting out the intended direction and the demands of this product innovation, department manager Dr Thomas Graf said: "It is our declared aim to construct the sturdiest and most rigid door, which can be found currently on a passenger vehicle anywhere in the world".

Originally laser welding was specified as the joining process.

But its advantages were matched by disadvantages: these included the relatively low gap bridgeability and the rather awkward and complicated joint geometry.

The LaserHybrid process as developed by the Austrian welding experts eliminates these disadvantages.

The outcome is crucial for the important, safety-relevant points.

The process combines laser welding and arc welding in such a way that the benefits of both supplement each other and, furthermore, additional positive synergies occur.

Manufacturers and users have improved the welding process and the required process reliability has been achieved.

Together, they have worked steadily on the fitting together of components, the determining of characteristics and the setting parameters.

The results are, on the one hand, valuable experiences in high technology welding and, on the other hand, proven by the quality of the product: Phaeton doors passed both the European crash test and also the much more demanding US standard.

For Dr Thomas Graf and his staff at VW, there is no doubt that further development points towards the Laser-Hybrid welding process and collaboration with Fronius.

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