{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,2]],"date-time":"2026-05-02T08:24:26Z","timestamp":1777710266883,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":26,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"19","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,1]],"date-time":"2025-10-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1759276800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.mdpi.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Polymers"],"abstract":"<jats:p>This study investigates the application of laser spot welding to join protective housing components in the automotive electronics industry. The PBT GF 30 components were joined using two primary configurations: a purely overlapping joint and a top-overlap joint, both autogenous (i.e., without filler material). To complement the experimental analysis, a numerical model, previously validated for a simpler joint configuration, was adapted and applied to configurations beyond the overlapping and top-overlap joint, more representative of practical automotive industry components. The results demonstrated that butt-overlap joints exhibited significantly higher strength (85% increase) than purely overlapping joints. This enhancement is attributed to the combined effect of normal and shear stresses in the top-overlap configuration, whereas purely overlapping joints rely solely on shear stress. The validated numerical model accurately predicted the experimental results, including displacement and force values. While minor deviations were observed, the numerical model\u2019s predictions converged within the average experimental values and standard deviation, demonstrating that such a model can be used to precisely design laser-welded joints for similar applications.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/polym17192662","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,1]],"date-time":"2025-10-01T09:37:21Z","timestamp":1759311441000},"page":"2662","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Experimental and Numerical Study of Laser Beam Welding of PBT-G30 for Electronic Housings in Automotive Applications"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1815-6842","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Luiz R. R.","family":"Silva","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Engenharia Mec\u00e2nica, Faculdade de Engenharia (FEUP), Universidade do Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal"},{"name":"Ci\u00eancia e Tecnologia do Esp\u00edrito Santo (Ifes), Instituto Federal de Educa\u00e7\u00e3o, Rodovia BR Norte Km 58, 101-Litor\u00e2neo, S\u00e3o Mateus 29932-540, ES, Brazil"}]},{"given":"Paulo D. P.","family":"Nunes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituto de Ci\u00eancia e Inova\u00e7\u00e3o em Engenharia Mec\u00e2nica e Engenharia Industrial (INEGI), Campus da FEUP, R. Dr. Roberto Frias 400, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Eduardo A. S.","family":"Marques","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Engenharia Mec\u00e2nica, Faculdade de Engenharia (FEUP), Universidade do Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1933-0865","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ricardo J. C.","family":"Carbas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituto de Ci\u00eancia e Inova\u00e7\u00e3o em Engenharia Mec\u00e2nica e Engenharia Industrial (INEGI), Campus da FEUP, R. Dr. Roberto Frias 400, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3272-4591","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lucas F. M.","family":"da Silva","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Engenharia Mec\u00e2nica, Faculdade de Engenharia (FEUP), Universidade do Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"327","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev-matsci-070218-010134","article-title":"Materials for automotive lightweighting","volume":"49","author":"Taub","year":"2019","journal-title":"Annu. Rev. Mater. Res."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Begum, S.A., Rane, A.V., and Kanny, K. (2020). Applications of compatibilized polymer blends in automobile industry. 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