Method for welding torque converter blades to a housing using a laser welding beam

A method for making a bladed torque converter having a housing carrying multiple blades comprising the steps of:

• forming a blade having multiple tabs extending outward from the body of the blade and spaced from adacent tabs around the periphery of the blade, each blade having a first tab extending along a portion of the length of the blade;
• forming recesses in the housing aligned in rows, each row spaced from adjacent rows about the longitudinal axis of the torque converter, each recess of a row being located and sized to receive the corresponding blade tab therein, at least one recess of each row defining an edge adjacent the corresponding tab and extending along the tab;
• inserting the tabs within the corresponding recesses;
• directing a welding beam at a first surface of the housing near the recess so that the beam strikes said surface a short distance from said edge and the focal point of the beam is located on the housing below said surface;
• and
• moving the welding beam along the length of the tab while welding the housing and tab.

A method for welding a first member having a surface, a recess formed in the surface and an edge located at the recess, and second member located within the recess and spaced from the first member by a gap before welding, comprising the steps of:

• directing a welding beam at the surface of the first member near the recess so that the beam strikes said surface a short distance from said edge;
• inclining the welding beam toward the second member;
• locating the focal point of the welding beam on the first member below said surface;
• and
• heating and melting the first member with the welding beam;
• allowing molten metal from the first member to flow into the recess and to fill at least a portion of the gap below the surface;
• and
• fusing molten metal of the first and second members.