Fibre laser trials conducted by JK Lasers have proved their suitability to the welding of aluminium and copper as used in lithium ion batteris in electric cars.
Electric cars are powered by lithium ion batteries, which are smaller and lighter than traditional vehicle batteries. However, these batteries are constructed from a combination of materials, posing a particular challenge when welding.Fortunately, tests conducted by JK Lasers have proven that their portfolio of fibre lasers are capable of welding together the aluminium and copper found within these components.
The trials, conducted using a single mode JK fibre laser, demonstrated that the laser's high beam quality and brightness, can achieve consistent, defect-free joints at higher speeds – features which are crucial for most battery manufacturers. The laser's small spot size also produced narrow welds, which minimised the formation of brittle intermetallics.
In addition to the physical properties that the results show a fibre laser can attain, the compact footprint and low power consumption of these lasers ensure that the manufacturing process is just as economical as the resulting vehicle.
