Laser cleaning equipment options
A variety of equipment can be used for laser cleaning in battery connection applications. Laser parameters are the key to the laser ablation process. By adjusting them, laser experts can optimize the laser process based on specific applications.
Many laser characteristics come into play when selecting the best suited laser for ablation:
Laser ablation typically uses high repetition rates and short pulses
with high peak powers, as featured with a single mode 20 W Fiber Laser for instance, which is particularly suited for laser cleaning of alumina, silicon, copper, and aluminium foils.
Examples of laser cleaning and battery welding
Figure 3 shows how laser cleaning can remove contamination from a battery can surface, significantly improving wire bond reliability. The image on the left shows the battery cell surface before laser cleaning and the image on the right shows the surface after cleaning. Figure 4 shows photos of a battery cell surface. The customer welded parts with and without fingerprints and performed a pull test. The samples subjected to laser cleaning showed significantly improved weld strength. The image on the left shows the battery cell surface before laser cleaning. Red arrow notes a fingerprint on the surface. The image on the right shows the surface after cleaning; note clean surface with no fingerprint.
Laser cleaning equipment options
A variety of equipment can be used for laser cleaning in battery connection applications. Laser parameters are the key to the laser ablation process. By adjusting them, laser experts can optimize the laser process based on specific applications.
Many laser characteristics come into play when selecting the best suited laser for ablation:
Laser ablation typically uses high repetition rates and short pulses with high peak powers, as featured with a single mode 20 W Fiber Laser for instance, which is particularly suited for laser cleaning of alumina, silicon, copper, and aluminium foils.
Additionally, fiber lasers tend to be more reliable and have better process reliability over time.
The laser will need to be integrated into a Class I, eye-safe workstation. Options might include an XY table, rotary stage, fume extraction, bar code reader, and camera systems to tailor the machine to specific processing needs. Addressing the demand for inline manufacturing cells, consider a conveyor laser processing center which will allow for improved production efficiency and reduced operator interaction.
Industry moving to laser cleaning
For EVs to replace combustion engines automobiles, the e-mobility industry must be able to produce reliable, high-quality battery packs. To improve quality and reduce costs, the industry is moving to laser cleaning technology for pre-joining processes. The cleaner the surface, the better the connections.