Scansonic ALO3: A success-story

ALO — the laser processing optics from Scansonic — sets standards in laser soldering and welding of steel and aluminium. The 2,000th ALO3 went into operation at BMW Leipzig in September 2018. The first optics of the series was installed at Daimler in 2006.

The ALO3 is used wherever welding or soldering requires the highest precision. It is not surprising that all leading automobile manufacturers are among the users. Above all, they appreciate the fact that the optics provides perfect welding and soldering seams when joining car body parts. This is what makes clear, modern designs with clean contours of today’s automobiles possible.

Such accuracy is not taken for granted in manufacturing. Two metal parts that are to become one only fit together perfectly in an ideal world. In the real world, there are tolerances, rough edges or gaps for which a laser optics usually does not offer a clean solution.

Scansonic developed the optics of the ALO series for such challenges. Basis is a unique, patented process: tactile seam tracking. An added wire with its tip scans the exact course of the sheet metal edge and guides the joining process along the seam. Component tolerances are automatically compensated in this way. At the same time, the added wire is part of the soldering or welding process. The laser beam melts the wire tip in an ideal position to achieve a permanent and reliable joint of the two sheet metal parts with a clean seam.

Maximum flexibility

The possibilities of ALO3 are as diverse as the needs of the customers. Depending on the laser, material or field of application, the optics are adapted to their respective requirements. With the help of a product configurator and the scapacs® modular system, a customer-specific laser optic is created.

More on Scansonic and the possibilities of the ALO3.