Due to increasing workpiece variety, declining lot sizes and shorter life time cycles of products conventional manufacturing has to be replaced by a closed processing chain. A new type of manufacturing concept for the production of the 21st century is lined out by the design of an "Autonomous Production Cell". This concept combines a high degree of automation with a high degree of flexibility. In comparison to former concepts the user is at all times integrated into the manufacturing procedure. Applied to and designed for manufacturing with laser radiation the Autonomous Production Cell includes several functions. Based on minimum input data (e.g. CADdata, planning data) the tool path and process planning is performed, the open control system architecture allows the integration of several sensors for process monitoring and process control. With the interaction of these components a closed loop quality control is developed. In this context an integrated process control for laser beam welding is introduced, that allows the control of more than one process factor.
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