Laser welding is a popular process for fabricating tailor-welded blanks, especially in automotive applications where different thicknesses of materials are often joined. This is due to the high precision and control that laser welding offers, which allows for deep penetration welding even with dissimilar materials or different thicknesses.
The process is fast, produces a clean weld, and requires minimal heat input, making it ideal for the automotive industry where strength and dimensional accuracy are critical.
While gas welding, arc welding, and friction welding are also common in various industries, they are not as commonly used for tailoring welded blanks with dissimilar thicknesses in automotive applications as laser welding. Laser welding is specifically well-suited for this purpose.
Thus, the correct answer is (B) laser welding.