Patent ID: 8217300

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a vehicle structure including a laser welded fastener, the method comprising: providing a first panel and a second panel to be joined to one another, the first panel having a predetermined thickness; determining a thickness of a flange of a fastener to be welded to the first panel based on the thickness of the first panel; forming projections axially extending from a first surface of the flange; positioning the first panel in engagement with the second panel to provide access to the first panel by a laser beam; laser welding the first panel to the second panel; engaging the projections with a surface of the first panel to space apart the first surface of the flange from the surface of the first panel; initiating laser welding by directing a laser beam toward one of the flange of the fastener and the first panel; venting gas from an area between the first surface of the flange and the surface of the first panel; and laser welding the flange to the first panel at a location on the flange spaced apart from the projections.