Laser welding is increasingly used for joining lightweight materials including advanced high strength steels, magnesium alloys, aluminum alloys and composite. With respect to the excellent corrosion resistance, zinc coated steels have been widely used in the automotive industry. In this article, an overview of laser welding of zinc coated steels is presented. The issues taking place when laser welding of zinc coated steels are described. Effects of some important laser welding parameters on weld quality are discussed. Furthermore, various laser welding techniques for joining zinc coated steels at a gap-free lap joint configuration are presented. Finally, a section devoted to an innovative laser welding process newly developed at General Motors is also presented.
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