New Energy Vehicles Continue to Gain Momentum: Unraveling the Laser Welding Technology Behind Power Batteries
According to incomplete statistics, from 2015 to the first half of 2017, a total of 202 new energy vehicle manufacturing projects were launched in China, involving investment of 1.0262 trillion yuan and publicly announced production capacity plans reaching 21.24 million vehicles. This represents ten times China's target of producing and selling 2 million new energy vehicles by 2020. When including projects launched in 2013 and 2014, preliminary estimates indicate that total investment in new energy vehicle manufacturing has already far exceeded 1.5 trillion yuan.
The sustained momentum of new energy vehicles has also created new opportunities for power battery manufacturers. Among the three core components—batteries, motors, and electronic control systems—power batteries account for the largest share of vehicle costs and directly determine overall performance. The precision and automation level of production equipment directly impact battery quality, efficiency, and consistency. As an advanced processing technology, laser technology is the optimal choice for manufacturing high-performance power batteries.
Different Welding Areas for Different Power Battery Types
Power battery cells can be categorized by shape into prismatic, cylindrical, and pouch cells. Pouch cells require welding at locations such as pressure relief valves, sealing welds, and electrolyte filling ports. Cylindrical cells require welding at locations such as end caps, electrolyte filling ports, and sealing welds. Beyond individual cells, laser welding is also essential for battery pack assembly, including cylindrical cell packs, pouch cell packs, and others.
Different materials require distinct welding techniques.
The casing materials primarily consist of stainless steel and aluminum, with aluminum being more prevalent. Laser welding processes vary depending on the material. Generally, laser welding aluminum poses greater challenges in terms of power requirements and may encounter issues such as raised weld marks, sparks, porosity, and internal bubbles.
Laser welding techniques vary by location
Taking cell casing sealing as an example, welding locations include top/bottom/side sealing, top vent/safety cover welding, and electrolyte filling port welding. Laser welding methods are categorized as side welding or top welding. Side welding minimizes internal cell impact and prevents spatter ingress into casing interiors, but may cause bulging that affects subsequent processes. Top welding occurs on a flat surface, demanding high precision in prior cell insertion and positioning.
For further information on laser marking machines, laser welding machines, and laser cutting machines, please visit the official website of Wuxi Top Optics Laser Technology Co., Ltd.: http://www.tollaser.com