Robot-Assisted Busbar Laser Welding (patent pending)

Рет қаралды 20,071

2 жыл бұрын

This laser welding technology (patent pending) was developed to meet demanding production requirements for EV batteries, where a single laser welding machine can replace multiple wire bonding machines. It is without a doubt the fastest welding process in the industry. Here's how it works.
While a single, high-power laser head performs all the welding, robot arms apply pressure on welded surfaces to guarantee zero gap between the busbar and the cell terminals. Using multiple robots makes the best use of the high-power laser system, as it optimizes the laser's work time.
Busbars are directly welded to cylindrical cells instead of connected via wires with ultrasonic bonding. The force applied to the busbar is dynamically monitored. An integrated vision system also detects each cell's exact position to account for any positioning variations. Welding quality is monitored real time using laser welding monitors (LWMs).
More info: www.laserax.com/batteries
Contact a Laserax expert: www.laserax.com/ask-expert
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Пікірлер: 21

@amal23997 2 ай бұрын

How do you ensure weld quality without melting the gas cut? Isn't the heat affecting it?

@Laserax 2 ай бұрын

Hi there! With laser welding, using a shield gas is not always needed to achieve a high weld quality. The metal melts and cools much faster (almost instantly), so there is a lot less time for contaminants and oxygen to penetrate the welds. Still, using a shield gas like Argon is always beneficial. When we develop a laser welding process, we start without a shield gas and aim to achieve the best welding quality this way. We then add a shield gas afterwards, if needed.

@user-yh4tp5jh4o Жыл бұрын

Very nice solution! What is the limit of the efficiency of this system? Does it depend on the moving speed of the SCARA robot or the laser beam?

@Laserax Жыл бұрын

Hello @user-yh4tp5jh4o! It depends on the type of material, the welding thickness, the laser, the robots, and such factors. For most applications, the laser is limited by the robots, and multiple robots can be used to maximize the laser's uptime. You can contact us using the form on this page to discuss your application: www.laserax.com/contact-us

@amal23997 2 ай бұрын

What is the weld strength for the neagative terminal welding?

@Laserax 2 ай бұрын

The weld strength varies greatly based on the materials being joined, their thickness, the laser power, and other parameters. Each application is unique and comes with different requirements, so it's impossible to give general numbers. We can reach 200N of shear strength and more. You can find examples of weld strengths here: www.laserax.com/battery-laser-welding-applications As you can see, they vary a lot. If you have a battery welding application and need help, please contact our experts here: www.laserax.com/contact-us

@amal23997 2 ай бұрын

@@Laserax Thank you for your information

@sarangkulkarni3233 Жыл бұрын

How do you ensure contact between bus bar and battery terminal?

@Laserax Жыл бұрын

Hello Sarang! The SCARA robots you see in the video move clamping tools with pressure sensors to confirm that the right pressure was applied on every cell and ensure zero gap. This clamping design is flexible and adaptable for various module designs and cell types.

@jianyang2214 Жыл бұрын

What is the battery model and have you considered the flatness of the battery rim? Thankyou.

@Laserax Жыл бұрын

Hello Jian! Yes, we take into account the battery cell's negative shoulder (or rim). Some cells have a round shoulder, some have a flat shoulder, and others are in between. The shoulder's shape differs based on the battery's model and specification. The one shown in the demo has flat shoulders.

@jianyang2214 Жыл бұрын

@@Laserax interesting 🤔 which models have flat shoulder and which models have a round shoulder? The round shoulder must be more difficult to weld.

@Laserax Жыл бұрын

@@jianyang2214 You're absolutely right! Actually, round shoulders are more challenging for any joining technology. That's because the contact point between the cell and the busbar/collector plate is harder to reach, so precision is even more important. For the models of batteries, I don't have the answer unfortunately. I hope this was helpful!

@dusselElite Жыл бұрын

Have you considered doing all at once or are there technical limitations?

@Jessev741 Жыл бұрын

That's not how LASERs work

@Laserax Жыл бұрын

@dusselelite724 Good question! There are indeed technical limitations. The first one is that the laser beam, by definition, needs to be focussed on a single location to do its work. It allows it to concentrate a lot of energy in a small area. Now, it is possible to treat different areas at the same time, but you need multiple laser heads to do that. But you cannot treat all areas at once. In the laser head, mirrors move the laser beam very quickly over the work area. These mirrors are called galvo mirrors. The second limitation is that the laser head can only "see" a certain work area. We call this its field of view. For this reason, depending on the part size, you may need to move the laser head using a gantry system.

@kumkumi963 Жыл бұрын

@@Laserax Sorry, may I know what is the principle/method you use protective gas for this? how you blow the gas and exhaust ? thank you.

@Laserax Жыл бұрын

@@kumkumi963 To prevent oxidation of the welds, some manufacturers use a shield gas (like argon) in combination with laser welding. While using a shield gas is not always needed to achieve the required weld quality, it is always beneficial, as it helps reduce the number of defects in the welds. A good practice we use at Laserax is to develop the laser welding process without a shield gas and aim to achieve a good welding quality this way. If shield gas is added afterwards, it will only benefit the process. We use the shield gas demanded by the manufacturer. If you want to discuss an application, you can contact us using the form on this page to discuss your application: www.laserax.com/contact-us

@henrymunnich1648 4 ай бұрын

What type of lab testing does Laserax do to validate weld quality?

@Laserax 4 ай бұрын

Hi Henry! I assume you mean during laser process development as opposed to in the production line. We use a range of tests and measurements to validate weld quality during process development/optimization. The most common ones are cross-section images (SEM), mechanical resistance (force tester), electrical resistivity (four-wire Kelvin measurement), laser weld monitoring data (light reflection), depth of penetration (SEM), and aging tests.

@henrymunnich1648 4 ай бұрын

@@LaseraxVery cool. Thanks for sharing, this is the craziest welder I have ever seen.