Bergmann & Steffen GmbH

18 Successful remote laser welding thanks to Tornadoblade® Blackbird Robotersysteme GmbH ever, the results of this study were already showing that the lifetime of the protective glass was being ex- tended many times over, the quality of the weld seams were being improved measurably, and the amount of laser output being absorbed was higher. The stu- dy was followed by an international project in 2016, in which 12 intelliWELD scanners were equipped with the Tornadoblade ® at three different European locations. The directional independence of the Tornadoblade ® has also made reorientation of the laser scanner un- necessary, which meant that several seconds of cyc- le time were saved. The reduction in compressed air means a significant saving of running. Consequently, this project was awarded an in-house sustainability prize by Opel in 2016. Thanks to the diverse, positive experiences arising from the project, Blackbird system solutions, in combination with the Bergmann & Steffen Tornadoblade ® , are now also setting the standard for future remote laser welding projects at Opel. In addition to retrofit kits, Blackbird also offers new scan systems as Tornadoblade ® -ready, for simplified connection to the Tornadoblade ® . Blackbird Robotersysteme GmbH manufactures sys- temsolutions for remote laser weldingwith scan optics. The company’s core competence is the development of high-performance control technology and intuiti- ve application software. Combined with the 2D and 3D scanning systems of its sister company SCANLAB, Blackbird provides machine builders and equipment manufacturers across the globe with a wide range of highly efficient, pre-integrated solutions for series pro- duction in the automotive industry and many others. As part of the series launch of a new generation of pas- senger car doors in 2015 at Opel, laser processing cab- ins were equipped throughout Europe with 3D welding optics - the 'intelliWELD' from Blackbird. A steep start- up curve, high cycle rates, difficult process conditions and fluctuating material qualities initially led to consi- derable challenges and the need for optimisation. Because of this, at the end of 2015 Opel decided, in collaboration with the companies Blackbird and Berg- mann & Steffen, to test the Tornadoblade ® , which was still in the development phase at that time. How-