Patent ID: 8084710

Claim:
A method for producing a spot impact weld between a first part and a second part, comprising the steps of: providing the first part, which comprises two portions as a result of a bend in the first part that imposes an obtuse internal angle between the first portion and the second portion; positioning the first part on a surface of the second part, such that the first portion of the first part lies atop the surface and the bend in the first part causes the second portion to extend away from an underlying portion of the second part at an acute angle; aligning a laser to direct the energy emitted therefrom at the second portion of the first part; and accelerating the second portion across the gap into collision with the underlying portion of the second part, removing the bend from the first part and forming a metallurgical bond between the first and second parts, the acceleration effected by directing at least one pulse of energy from the laser without use of explosives or an ablative layer.