Growing EV battery market demands better joining solutions: Wobble laser Welding is the best

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Laser Beam Welded Joints for Lithium-Ion Batteries

The growing electrification of vehicles and tools increases the demand for low resistance contacts. Today&#;s batteries for electric vehicles consist of large quantities of single battery cells to reach the desired nominal voltage and energy. Each single cell needs a contacting of its cell terminals, which raises the necessity of an automated contacting process with low joint resistances to reduce the energy loss in the cell transitions. A capable joining process suitable for highly electrically conductive materials like copper or aluminium is the laser beam welding.

Over the past years, the demand for large battery packs for electric vehicles (EV) has steadily increased with the ongoing electrification of the transportation sector and a growing demand for greater ranges. State of the art EV battery packs consist of a large quantity of cells connected in series to achieve the desired voltage level and in parallel in order to enable higher charge- and discharge-currents.
For example, the EV Tesla Model S comprises of total count of over type 18,650 battery cells inside its battery pack. A single defective connection can lead to failure or a reduction in performance.
The quality of the joint has a decisive influence on the sustainability and safety of electric vehicles:  Increased resistance at a welded joint causes more heat loss at this spot and leads to an increased electrical and thermal load on the individual cells, which in turn can lead to failure or accelerated aging.

Laser beam welding is a promising technology to contact battery cells enabling automated, fast and precise production of conductive joints. In comparison to other conventional welding techniques, such as resistance spot welding, the laser beam welding has a reduced thermal energy input. Compared to ultrasonic welding, the laser beam welding technique does not induce a mechanical force. The resulting transition resistances are in the range of the basic material resistances. The overall performance of the battery pack is therefore improved by the reduction of the ohmic resistance of the joints and heat loss inside the battery cell.

High currents must flow through the welds between battery cells in order to deliver the electricity needed to power a battery electric vehicle. These welds are the bottleneck of the electric circuit. Electrical resistance causes the temperature in the welds to raise when a current is conducted. This temperature increase may be harmful to lithium-ion battery cells. Therefore, larger weld areas which are created with our wobble laser system, and thus lower resistance.  Thewelds made by wobble welding system increase the mechanical strength of the welds drastic, and reduce the temperature and thermal stress at the joints. Considering this, Wobble Laser Welding is much more suitable for battery tab joining than other types of welding.

Furthermore, laser beam welding produces a small heat-affected zone. Hence, it is crucial to understand how much heat is generated in the weld and whether the heat can damage the battery. Lithium-ion batteries must operate within a safe and reliable operating area, which is restricted by temperature and voltage windows. Exceeding the restrictions of these windows will lead to rapid attenuation of battery performance and even result in safety problems.

In the context of production, laser beam welding is well suited to be integrated into almost fully automated production lines in the manufacturing process of battery packs and EVs. 

How Our High-Performance Laser Welding Machines Benefit Customers

Here at All Metals Fabricating, we believe in serving our customers to the highest standard of excellence. When the industry standard shifted from traditional welding to laser welding, we put our money where our mouth is to provide top-of-the-line laser welding services.

Our high-power handheld laser welding machine is a jack of all trades, improving efficiency across the board. And our lithium battery module laser welding machine is a master of one, highly specialized to build battery modules without damaging the battery.

For more Battery Laser Welding Machine supplierinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.

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Investing in laser welding services has a higher upfront cost for us than providing traditional welding services. But AMF understands the value of a long-term investment. 

The Society of Manufacturing Engineers estimates that for 0.5&#; thick material, laser welding is up to 50x faster than MIG welding&#;and even faster when you add in the post-processing required to achieve a clean MIG weld. That translates to serious benefits for us and our customers.

The Jack of All Trades for Laser Welding Services

In , we acquired our first handheld laser welding machine, the IPG W Fiber Laser Welder from IPG Photonics. Even in the hands of an amateur, this machine does everything a traditional welder can with cleaner, faster results. 

The IPG W Fiber Laser Welder is easy to use and provides the durability of a TIG weld at the speed (or faster) of MIG welding. It&#;s suitable for a range of welding jobs and effective for completing high-volume orders with consistent, secure welds.

Welding is a skilled trade that takes years to master. But a handheld laser welding machine eliminates the need for extensive training and allows even inexperienced users to achieve perfect welding beads effortlessly.

We won&#;t be replacing our highly skilled welders with this machine. However, the American Welding Society estimates the US will face a shortage of about 400,000 welders by . This investment guarantees that we can provide consistently high-quality welding results for our customers, even in a shortage.

The Master of Welding Battery Modules

We custom-ordered our second laser welding machine to meet the rising demand for renewable energy storage solutions. Battery modules are a key component of the microgrids and battery cabinets that support solar and wind energy&#;and fabricating them happens to be one of our specialties. In fact, we ordered this laser welding machine straight from a battery manufacturer. 

The lithium battery module laser welding machine is specifically designed for welding aluminum busbars to batteries. Most welding methods generate excessive heat that can damage the battery. But the high-wattage laser used in our machine generates minimal heat, eliminating this risk almost entirely. 

This machine is fully automated and essentially performs similarly to  a spot welder; however, it is able to fuse components from 12-18&#; away. It&#;s pre-configured for 16-battery and 4-battery modules and can be programmed for custom configurations as needed. Best of all, it can perform at lightning speed&#;one weld per second! 

When it comes to battery storage solutions, AMF is proudly ahead of the curve. And we plan to stay there. 

Want to put our advanced laser welding machines to the test on your next project? Request a quote today!

For more information, please visit Battery Laser Welding Machine export.