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This paper presents a hybrid approach based on Taguchi method and desirability function analysis to optimize the laser transmission welding process. The Taguchi L25 orthogonal array, for a four factor five level design, is used for the study. The welding parameters, namely: laser power, welding speed, stand-off distance and clamp pressure are optimized with considerations of multiple quality characteristics including weld strength and weld width. The multiple quality characteristics are then combined into a dimensionless measure of performance called composite desirability function to simplify the optimization procedure. Subsequently, analysis of variance (ANOVA) is performed to determine the significance of parameters and to identify the optimum levels of parameters based on the composite desirability function. The confirmation experiment at the optimal levels shows that the targeted multiple quality characteristics can be significantly improved to achieve more desirable levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]