ity caused by shunting.
As a welding technology which accesses the weld
from one side, laser welding is also an important candidate
technology. Recently, a high efficiency welding
technology called remote laser welding (Fig. 4) was
developed thanks to progress in laser oscillators and
peripheral hardware such as optical systems, and the
technology has been applied widely, both in Japan and
other countries9). While many issues for laser welding
technology remain to be solved, such as the cost of the
equipment, safety countermeasures, etc., it is expected
to be possible to satisfy both improved stiffness and
reduced sheet thickness by application of high tensile
strength materials by a changeover from point welding
in resistance spot welding to continuous/linear welding10).
Moreover, expanded application of laser welding
is also expected in the future by selection of laser welding
methods suited to respective parts, for example,
application of laser arc hybrid welding to auto chassis
parts, remote laser welding to the door area, etc.