Automotive Lighting Assembly
Achieve cutting-edge aesthetics and design flexibility in your automotive lighting assemblies
Achieve cutting-edge aesthetics and design flexibility in your automotive lighting assemblies
Once purely functional, automotive lighting applications are now elements of style and design, requiring assembly technologies that can bond multiple plastics with clean, flash-free joints. Branson welding technologies from Emerson meet the challenge. Our laser, clean vibration, and pulse-staking joining and assembly technologies have the capacity to join larger and more complex 3D parts that may include delicate sensors or embedded electronics.
Essential for safety, exterior forward lights, including low and high-beam headlamps as well as fog lights, point the way toward your vehicle’s destination and enable safe driving at night and in low-light or adverse weather conditions. More and more high-beam headlamps are equipped with adaptive driving beams that provide situational road lighting while reducing glare for oncoming motorists. Other exterior forward lights include turn signals, parking or daytime running lights, and stylish, lighted bars, logos, and emblems.
GLX-4 Laser Welder
Branson GLX-4 delivers high quality, particulate free welds with exceptional speed and throughput. ideal for large lighting applications with complex geometries
GLX-3 Laser Welder
Branson GLX-3 offers simultaneous laser welding for high-aesthetic, mass production of 2D and complex 3D medium to large lighting assemblies
GVX-3HR Clean Vibration Welder
Branson Clean Vibration GVX-3HR is a proven solution that joins medium to large automotive lighting and instrument assemblies with precision and repeatability
GIX-1.5 Infrared Welder
Branson’s GIX-1.5 delivers maximized aesthetics and efficiency for small to medium automotive lighting applications
Often featuring long, graceful curves and multiple colors, external rear lights perform critical vehicle functions with style and clarity. Many larger taillight assemblies incorporate multiple lamps, enabling them to function as parking lights that mark the rear of your vehicle in dark conditions or as signaling lights that demonstrate your intentions, slowing, stopping, reversing, or turning to other motorists in daytime or nighttime conditions. High, center-mounted brake lights provide added visibility and warning to following drivers when you apply the brakes. In addition, trunk lights aid with vehicle storage, while license plate lights meet legal requirements.
GLX-4 Laser Welder
Branson GLX-4 delivers high quality, particulate free welds with exceptional speed and throughput. ideal for large lighting applications with complex geometries
GLX-3 Laser Welder
Branson GLX-3 offers simultaneous laser welding for high-aesthetic, mass production of 2D and complex 3D medium to large lighting assemblies
GVX-3HR Clean Vibration Welder
Branson Clean Vibration GVX-3HR is a proven solution that joins medium to large automotive lighting and instrument assemblies with precision and repeatability
From mirror housings to door sills, automotive side lighting has become an invaluable branding tool, enhancing not only safety and convenience but also the overall automotive design. Side-mounted fender lights or mirror-mounted lights provide added visibility as you manoeuvre past other cars or inform other drivers when you are preparing to make a turn. When darkness falls, convenient door handle lighting makes entry easier, while downward-facing puddle lights help both drivers and passengers to avoid hazards and enhance safety when entering or exiting the vehicle.
GVX-2HR Clean Vibration Welder
Branson GVX-2HR clean vibration solution offers high- aesthetics, precision, and speed and is an ideal choice for small to medium automotive lighting applications
GVX-2H Vibration Welder
The GVX-2H represents a new level of precision, speed, and consistency in vibration welding for small to medium automotive lighting applications
GIX-1.5 Infrared Welder
Branson’s GIX-1.5 delivers maximized aesthetics and efficiency for small to medium automotive lighting applications
Practical and stylish interior lights, including logos and ambient door, seat, and floor lighting, adapt to changing conditions while adding style, color, and ambience to automotive interiors. Many manufacturers are adding lighting to functional interior features, ranging from reading lights and lighted vanity mirrors to storage compartments and window and door controls. On the dashboard, distinctive and colorful instrument panel lighting illuminates the gauges, environmental controls, radio and entertainment touchscreens, and onboard navigation units.
GLX-3 Laser Welder
Branson GLX-3 offers simultaneous laser welding for high-aesthetic, mass production of 2D and complex 3D medium to large lighting assemblies
GVX-3HR Clean Vibration Welder
Branson Clean Vibration GVX-3HR is a proven solution that joins medium to large automotive lighting and instrument assemblies with precision and repeatability
GVX-2H Vibration Welder
The GVX-2H represents a new level of precision, speed, and consistency in vibration welding for small to medium automotive lighting applications
GIX-1.5 Infrared Welder
Branson’s GIX-1.5 delivers maximized aesthetics and efficiency for small to medium automotive lighting applications
Lighting features are integral to driver-assistance systems, which deliver vital information associated with vehicle speed and performance, potential hazards, driver safety and attentiveness, and passenger comfort. Common driver assistance systems may include lighted lane departure warnings, mirror or dash-mounted lane-change assistance indicators, and adaptive cruise controls that rely on radar or lidar signals. Rear-facing cameras provide both essential visibility and dynamic directional indicators to help drivers avoid pedestrians, obstacles, or other automobiles when backing up or parking.
GPX-150 PulseStaker
Branson GPX-150 enables you to join complex, delicate, and sensitive components with embedded electronics. Ideal for small to medium part sizes
GVX-2HR Clean Vibration Welder
Branson GVX-2HR clean vibration solution offers high- aesthetics, precision, and speed and is an ideal choice for small to medium automotive lighting applications
GVX-2H Vibration Welder
The GVX-2H represents a new level of precision, speed, and consistency in vibration welding for small to medium automotive lighting applications
This video provides an overview of Branson plastic joining solutions for various automotive lamp applications.
Lighting & High Aesthetic Value Finishes
Center Tail Lamp Assembly
Branson Laser welding solutions. A particulate-free process that delivers exceptional aesthetics and enhances design freedom, Scalability and faster cycle times improve yield rates.
Branson vibration welding is an energy-efficient technology that optimizes productivity on assembly lines. Our new Clean Vibration Technology (CVT) creates cleaner welds with less flash and particulate than ever before.
Branson vibration welding is an energy-efficient technology that optimizes productivity on assembly lines. Our new Clean Vibration Technology (CVT) creates cleaner welds with less flash and particulate than ever before.
This video provides an overview of Branson plastic joining solutions for various automotive lamp applications.
Lighting & High Aesthetic Value Finishes
Center Tail Lamp Assembly
Branson Laser welding solutions. A particulate-free process that delivers exceptional aesthetics and enhances design freedom, Scalability and faster cycle times improve yield rates.
Branson vibration welding is an energy-efficient technology that optimizes productivity on assembly lines. Our new Clean Vibration Technology (CVT) creates cleaner welds with less flash and particulate than ever before.
Branson vibration welding is an energy-efficient technology that optimizes productivity on assembly lines. Our new Clean Vibration Technology (CVT) creates cleaner welds with less flash and particulate than ever before.
Frequently Asked Questions
Several trends are shaping the future of automotive lighting, driven by advancements in technology, regulations, safety standards, and consumer preferences. Some prominent trends include:
LED Adoption: Manufacturers are increasingly replacing traditional halogen and HID lights with LED solutions to improve energy efficiency, longevity, and design flexibility.
Matrix/Adaptive Lighting: Matrix LED headlights and adaptive lighting systems dynamically adjust the direction, range, and intensity of the light beam to improve visibility and safety while minimizing glare for other road users.
OLED Integration: Thin and flexible, Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED) technology offers innovative design possibilities for interior ambient lighting, taillights, and display systems.
Smart Lighting Features: Automotive lighting is evolving beyond illumination to include intelligent features such as adaptive high beams, glare-free matrix headlights, dynamic turn signals, and welcome lighting sequences. These smart lighting features enhance driving comfort, safety, and aesthetics while aligning with emerging autonomous driving technologies.
Personalization and Customization: Consumers are demanding personalized lighting options, and automakers are responding by offering customizable LED ambient lighting, color-changing accents, and signature lighting designs tailored to individual preferences.
Emerson has an array of Branson joining technologies suitable for automotive lighting, including:
Laser Welding: Laser welding uses laser bundles and part-specific waveguides to heat the contours of the entire weld joint simultaneously. Then, the mating parts are compressed together to complete the welds. The use of custom waveguides enables rapid, high-volume production, even when parts have very complex 3D geometries.
Clean Vibration Welding: Clean Vibration Technology (CVT) is a gentle, two-step joining process. Unlike ordinary vibration welding, which uses aggressive frictional motion to heat opposing part surfaces, CVT employs an infrared emitter to pre-heat opposing parts instead. Only then are the heated parts compressed under gentle vibration to complete the process. Like laser welding, CVT can join diverse plastics, completing strong joints with minimal stress and vibration on the parts.
PulseStaking: PulseStaking technology enables varied components to be joined to molded plastic structures, making it an ideal solution for connecting small or fragile parts into automotive lighting assemblies. Unlike conventional hot-tool processes, which can damage or melt nearby part structures, PulseStaking relies on a special tip that heats and instantly cools. Such precise heat control enables the process to stake closely spaced part features without heat-related damage.
Infrared: Contoured Infrared Technology (CIT) is an excellent solution for producing clean, particle-free joints with high mechanical load requirements. During the CIT process, the two-part halves are held in position near an infrared-emitting platen, which pre-heats the weld area only, with no damage to the inner parts. Once plasticized, the platen is removed, and the halves are brought together and allowed to re-solidify under pressure, producing a strong, clean, particle-free weld.
Ultrasonic Welding: Ultrasonic welding uses high-frequency ultrasonic vibrations to create frictional heat at the joint interface, causing material melt that enables plastic parts to fuse together. Fast and efficient, ultrasonic welding produces strong, hermetic seals without adhesives or fasteners. It is often used for welding lens covers, housings, and brackets.
Hot Plate Welding: The mating surfaces of the parts are heated using a hot plate or heated platen until they soften, then they are pressed together to form a strong bond as they cool. Hot plate welding is suitable for joining large or irregularly shaped plastic components with consistent, high-strength welds.
Laser plastic welding is excellent for high-value, high-aesthetic applications, including interior and exterior automotive lighting. Laser welds create strong, hermetic seals without causing flash or particulates, ensuring lens clarity and consistent distribution of lighting for safety and convenience. Laser-welded joints also provide smooth, nearly seamless contours critical to executing distinctive product styling.
Emerson provides two types of Branson laser welding processes: Simultaneous Through-Transmission Infrared® (STTIr®) and Quasi-Simultaneous laser welding.
Simultaneous Through-Transmission Infrared® (STTIr®) laser welding uses laser bundles and part-specific waveguides to heat the contours of the entire weld joint simultaneously. Then, the mating parts are compressed together to complete the welds. The use of custom waveguides enables rapid, high-volume production, even when parts have very complex, 3D geometries.
“Quasi-Simultaneous” laser welding uses a programmable laser/mirror assembly to trace-heat surfaces, so it readily adapts to a more varied part mix. This process enables manufacturers to use a single, flexible welding platform to join a wide array of 2D parts, simple 3D parts, and small assemblies without the need for dedicated, part-specific waveguides.
Laser plastic welding and hot plate welding are both widely used to join lighting assemblies. Hot plate welds can be used on 3D parts such as rear lamp assemblies when vibration or clean vibration technologies are not applicable. However, hot plate welding is giving way to laser welding due to several factors:
Compared to hot plate welding, laser welding offers greater precision — both in applying heat energy and using electrical energy. Laser welding localizes the application of heat to the weld joint more precisely, so it ensures greater consistency in plastic melt and weld depth, typically measured in tenths of a millimeter. By comparison, hot plate welding heats the joint surfaces of parts to a greater depth, typically about 1.5 mm. The difference in melt depth means that laser welds can accommodate parts with less cross-sectional depth in weld joint areas, or with internal components that are located closer to the weld joint without the risk of damage. With laser welding, it is also possible to adjust heat intensity at different areas of the weld line, increasing or decreasing as needed in specific areas of the joint. This is very difficult to do with the heated tools typical of hot plate welding.
Laser welding also consumes less energy than hot plate welding since laser welding consumes energy only when a weld is taking place. By contrast, hot plate tooling must be continually heated, resulting in continuous energy consumption, even when the tooling is idle.
Finally, laser welds are completed in roughly half the time as hot plate welds since they melt less of the cross-sectional depth of parts. For the same reason, parts that are designed for laser assembly utilize less plastic material, resulting in material savings for the manufacturer.
Plastic assemblies play a significant role in lightweighting strategies due to their ability to replace heavier metal components. Here's how lightweighting and plastics assembly intersect in automotive manufacturing:
Material Substitution: Because plastics offer a high strength-to-weight ratio compared to traditional materials like steel or aluminum, automakers can significantly reduce vehicle weight while producing lightweight structural components, body panels, interior trim, and functional parts.
Hybrid Material Construction: Plastics can be integrated with other lightweight materials such as carbon fiber, composites, or aluminum to create hybrid structures that offer superior strength, rigidity, and durability.
Thin-Wall Injection Molding: Thin-wall injection molding enables the production of lightweight plastic parts with reduced wall thicknesses while maintaining mechanical properties and dimensional accuracy in components such as interior panels, dashboard trim, and underbody shields.
Structural Plastics: Advanced engineering plastics with high strength, stiffness, and impact-resistance properties can be utilized for manufacturing lightweight structural components in automotive applications. Plastics joining technologies such as welding bond structural plastic parts and assemblies, ensuring structural integrity and durability under dynamic loading conditions.
Integrated Assemblies: Plastics assembly facilitates the integration of multiple components into single assemblies, reducing the overall number of parts and fasteners in a vehicle. Integrated assemblies streamline assembly processes, minimize assembly time, and contribute to weight savings by eliminating redundant components and reducing material usage.
Overall, lightweighting strategies in automotive manufacturing leverage plastics assembly techniques to achieve significant weight reductions, improve fuel efficiency, reduce emissions, and enhance overall vehicle performance while meeting stringent safety and regulatory requirements.
