# US 12,759,074 B2 · Methods for joining two blanks and blanks and products obtained > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,759,074 B2 - Document ID: US12759074B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/201,646 - Filed: 2023-05-24 - Published: 2023-09-21 - Granted: 2026-10-13 - Earliest claimed: 2015-12-18 - Assignees: Autotech Engineering S.L. - Applicants: Autotech Engineering S.L. - Inventors: Elisenda Vila I Ferrer; Pedro Rubio; Mireia Illana Gregori; Antoine Riquelme - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12759074B2 ## CPC - B23K 26/0608: {in the same heat affected zone [HAZ] (B23K26/0613, B23K26/0619 take precedence)} - B23K 26/0676: {into dependently operating sub-beams, e.g. an array of spots with fixed spatial relationship or for performing simultaneously identical operations} - B23K 26/211: with interposition of special material to facilitate connection of the parts - B23K 26/26: of rectilinear seams - B23K 35/0238: {layered} - B23K 35/0261: {Rods, electrodes or wires} - B23K 35/282: {Zn as the principal constituent} - B23K 35/286: {Al as the principal constituent} - C21D 6/004: {containing Cr and Ni} - C22C 38/02: containing silicon - C22C 38/04: containing manganese - C22C 38/44: with molybdenum or tungsten - C22C 38/48: with niobium or tantalum - B23K 26/0093: {combined with mechanical machining or metal-working covered by other subclasses than B23K} - B23K 2101/185: {Tailored blanks} - B23K 2101/34: Coated articles {; Surface treated articles} - B23K 2103/04: Steel {or steel} alloys - B23K 2103/08: Non-ferrous metals or alloys - B23K 2103/10: Aluminium or alloys thereof - C21D 2211/008: Martensite - B23K: SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM - C21D: MODIFYING THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF FERROUS METALS; GENERAL DEVICES FOR HEAT TREATMENT OF FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS METALS OR ALLOYS; MAKING METAL MALLEABLE, e.g. BY DECARBURISATION OR TEMPERING (surface treatment of metallic material involving at least one process provided for in class C23 and at least one process covered by this subclass C23F17/00; unidirectional solidification of eutectic materials or unidirectional demixing of eutectoid materials C30B) - C22C: ALLOYS (treatment of alloys C21D, C22F) ## Abstract Methods for joining a first blank and a second blank, at least one of the first and second blanks comprising at least a layer of aluminum or of an aluminum alloy or a layer of zinc or of a zinc alloy. The method comprises selecting a first portion of the first blank to be joined to the second blank, and selecting a second portion of the second blank to be joined to the first portion, and welding the first portion to the second portion. The welding comprises using a filler metal laser beam and a welding laser beam, and displacing both laser beams in a welding direction to melt and mix a filler wire material with the melted portions of the two blanks. The present disclosure further relates to blanks obtained by any of these methods and to products obtained from such blanks. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for joining a first blank and a second blank, the method comprising: selecting a first portion of the first blank to be joined to the second blank, and selecting a second portion of the second blank to be joined to the first portion; wherein the first blank, the second blank, or both the first blank and the second blank comprise a boron steel substrate with a coating of aluminum or aluminum alloy, and the first portion being an edge of the first blank and the second portion being an edge of the second blank; melting the first portion and the second portion to create a weld pool; supplying a melted filler wire into the weld pool, the filler wire being made of a filler material for stabilizing the austenitic phase of a weld seam made by the weld pool based on an added amount of the filler material in proportion to an amount of the aluminum or aluminum alloy in the weld pool; homogenously mixing the melted filler material with the aluminum or aluminum alloy along the entire thickness of the first or second blanks; and heating, at a temperature, the first and second blanks to create an austenitic phase of the weld seam such that the added amount of the filler material promotes stabilization of the austenitic phase of the weld seam at the heating temperature; wherein a first laser beam is configured to directly melt the filler wire, and not the first portion and the second portion of the blanks, into the weld pool such that the filler wire is melted exclusively by the first laser beam, and a second laser beam is directed at the first portion and the second portion of the blanks and not the filler wire for melting the first portion and the second portion of the blanks and for mixing the aluminum or aluminum alloy with the filler material such that the aluminum or aluminum alloy is homogeneously mixed with the filler material and the boron steel substrate throughout an entire thickness of the first or second blank. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein using the second laser beam comprises displacing the second laser beam in an oscillating manner to mix the first portion and the second portion of the blanks with the melted filler wire. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein using the second laser beam comprises using a twin-spot laser beam to melt the first portion and the second portion and to mix the first portion and the second portion of the blanks with the melted filler wire. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the first laser beam generates a spot having a size equal to a diameter of the filler wire. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the first and second laser beams are generated by a single laser head. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the first laser beam is generated by a first laser head and the second laser beam is generated by a second laser head. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the first laser beam generates one spot and the second laser beam generates one or more spots and the first and second laser beams generate spots arranged substantially in line with a welding direction. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein using the second laser beam comprises generating a twin-spot comprising spots, and wherein the spots of the twin-spot are arranged substantially perpendicularly to a welding direction. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method according to claim 8, wherein the spots of the twin-spot either precede or follow a spot of the first laser beam in the welding direction. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the first laser beam generates one spot and using the second laser beam comprises generating a twin-spot comprising spots, wherein the spots of the twin-spot and the spot of the first laser beam are arranged collinearly in a welding direction, and wherein the spot of the first laser beam is arranged between the spots of the twin-spot. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the filler material consists of iron, 0%-0.3% by weight carbon, 0%-1.3% by weight silicon, 0.5%-7% by weight manganese, 5%-22% by weight chromium, 6%-20% by weight nickel, 0%-0.4% by weight molybdenum, and 0%-0.7% by weight niobium, and optionally a negligible amount of an unavoidable impurity. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the filler material consists of iron, 0%-0.03% by weight carbon, 2.0-3.0% by weight molybdenum, 10%-14% by weight nickel, 1.0%-2.0% by weight manganese, 16%-18% by weight chromium, and 0%-1.0% by wight silicon, and optionally a negligible amount of an unavoidable impurity. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the filler material comprises at least one or a combination of nickel, chromium, or manganese. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) A method for forming a product, the method comprising: forming a blank according to the method of claim 1 by joining the first blank and the second blank and forming a weld seam, heating the blank, and hot deforming and subsequently quenching the heated blank. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the product is a structural component of an automobile. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein a tensile strength of the weld seam is equal to a tensile strength of the first or second blank. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The method according to claim 14, wherein a tensile strength of the weld seam is equal to a tensile strength of the first or second blank.