The invention relates to a method for producing an axle housing of a vehicle axle, by means of integrally connecting an axle tube (1) to an axle shaft (2) which is positioned on the longitudinal axis (L) of the axle tube, is equipped with bearing surfaces (3) for mounting a vehicle wheel, and has a tube cross-section facing said axle tube (1) which is substantially the same as the tube cross-section of the axle tube. In order to develop a welding method for the production of an axle housing that consists of an axle tube and an axle shaft secured thereto, which method is optimised in terms of the dynamic loads to which the axle housing is typically subjected in a driving operation, the method comprises the following steps: •—arranging the axle tube (1) and the axle shaft (2), with the abutting surfaces of their tube cross-sections positioned coaxially to one another, in a workpiece receiving portion of a welding installation (10), said welding installation additionally comprising an arc welding device (11) and a laser welding device (12) which is operated in parallel, •—continuously miming a weld seam (20) in the peripheral direction of the tube cross-sections, both welding devices (11, 12) being directed, actively and from the outside, onto substantially the same peripheral section of the abutting surfaces, wherein the laser beam (S) meets the outside (14) of the tube at right angles, and intersects the longitudinal axis (L) of the axle tube (1), and •—stopping running the weld seam (20) once this has passed over a peripheral angle of at least 360°. A corresponding axle housing is also disclosed.

A pulley assembly having a body, a shaft mount and a plurality of bolts is disclosed. The body is aligned to the shaft mount by providing a tight tolerance between a shoulder portion of the bolt and a neck portion of a counter sunk hole formed in the body. Additionally, an outer surface of the body may have a pattern of friction lines or patches formed by fusing particulate matter to the outer surface with heat generated by a laser beam.

A pulley assembly having a body, a shaft mount and a plurality of bolts is disclosed. The body is aligned to the shaft mount by providing a tight tolerance between a shoulder portion of the bolt and a neck portion of a counter sunk hole formed in the body. Additionally, an outer surface of the body may have a pattern of friction lines or patches formed by fusing particulate matter to the outer surface with heat generated by a laser beam.

The method of metal-thermoplastic resin direct bonding is characterized by comprising a first step for irradiating a surface of the metal material with a pulse laser under an oxidizing atmosphere to form a surface modification region, a second step for causing the thermoplastic resin material to abut against the surface modification region to form a bonding interface, and a third step for heating up the bonding interface by laser irradiation to achieve bonding, the first step including forming metal oxide particle clusters obtained when metal oxide particles having a particle diameter of 5-500 nm to be continuously bonded at the surface modification region, so that the maximum height (Sz) of a surface of the metal oxide particle clusters is 50 nm-3 .Math.m.

A laser machining method includes the steps of: outputting a laser beam to the workpiece at a laser power low enough not to melt or oxidize the workpiece to measure reflected light of the laser beam; selecting a laser power suitable for melting or oxidizing the workpiece based on a measured value of the reflected light; determining whether or not the workpiece can be melted or oxidized based on the selected laser power; when the workpiece can be melted or oxidized, outputting a laser beam to the workpiece at a laser power high enough to melt or oxidize the workpiece; outputting again a laser beam to the workpiece at the low laser power to measure reflected light of the laser beam; and checking the degree of the melting or oxidization of the workpiece based on a measured value of the reflected light to determine whether or not to start laser machining.

A laser machining method includes the steps of: outputting a laser beam to the workpiece at a laser power low enough not to melt or oxidize the workpiece to measure reflected light of the laser beam; selecting a laser power suitable for melting or oxidizing the workpiece based on a measured value of the reflected light; determining whether or not the workpiece can be melted or oxidized based on the selected laser power; when the workpiece can be melted or oxidized, outputting a laser beam to the workpiece at a laser power high enough to melt or oxidize the workpiece; outputting again a laser beam to the workpiece at the low laser power to measure reflected light of the laser beam; and checking the degree of the melting or oxidization of the workpiece based on a measured value of the reflected light to determine whether or not to start laser machining.

A method for joining two joining partners includes applying a coating to at least one of the two joining partners so as to be arranged between the two joining partners before joining and joining the at least two joining partners to one another using ultrashort laser pulses of a laser beam of an ultrashort pulse laser. At least one joining partner is substantially transparent to the ultrashort laser pulses of the ultrashort pulse laser, and the coating comprises physical properties similar to at least one joining partner and/or a chemical constituent similar to at least one joining partner.

Apparatus (20, 22) and a method for mechanically joining a steel sheet portion (28 or 32) of advanced high strength steel to a metallic sheet portion (30 or 34) is performed to a light-safe extent by a detector assembly (106) during the mechanical joining that may be clinching, clinch riveting, full-punch riveting or self-piercing riveting.

Apparatus (20, 22) and a method for mechanically joining a steel sheet portion (28 or 32) of advanced high strength steel to a metallic sheet portion (30 or 34) is performed to a light-safe extent by a detector assembly (106) during the mechanical joining that may be clinching, clinch riveting, full-punch riveting or self-piercing riveting.

A method of processing a plate-shaped workpiece includes a sheet affixing step of laying a thermocompression bonding sheet on a surface of the workpiece and heating and pressing the thermocompression bonding sheet against the workpiece to affix the thermocompression bonding sheet to the workpiece, a laser beam applying step of applying a laser beam having a wavelength absorbable by the workpiece to another surface of the workpiece along a projected dicing line established thereon, thereby processing the workpiece along the projected dicing line, and a sheet joining step of pressing the thermocompression bonding sheet while reheating the thermocompression bonding sheet to soften the same, so that the thermocompression bonding sheet is joined up by closing dividing grooves or through holes made in the thermocompression bonding sheet when the workpiece is processed in the laser beam applying step.