Whitepaper

Laser applications for structural

components of EV battery pack
Contents

Battery pack structural parts 4

Remote laser welding 6
Beam shaping 7
Beam oscillation 8
Laser welding with filler wire 9

Hybrid laser welding 10

Laser cleaning and ablation 11
Beam tracking, weld depth
monitoring, weld depth
inspection 12
Conclusion 14
Whitepaper Title

Your contact person for inquiries

Image

Pierson Cheng Mauritz Möller

TRUMPF Inc. TRUMPF Laser- und Systemtechnik GmbH
47711 Clipper Street Johann-Maus-Straße 2
Plymouth Township, MI 48170 71254 Ditzingen

Phone: (734) 454-7301 Phone: +49 7156 303-34604

E-Mail: [email protected] E-Mail: [email protected]

Abstract

This whitepaper aims at providing guidelines to select laser welding and

cleaning equipment as well as process control in the context of battery box
manufacturing for battery electric vehicles (BEV) in mass production. The
battery box, as an integral part of the chassis of BEV, not only protects the
battery and BMS, but also keeps the vehicle and its passengers safe from
battery leakage, fumes, and fire; especially during a crash. For BEV makers,
about 10 to 20 percent of the total cost of a finished lithium-ion battery pack
comes from the pack stage production. Pack manufacturing costs plays an
important role in electrical vehicles’ total price. On the other side, lightweight and
safety consideration with extra structural reinforcement are essential factors in
designing and manufacturing the battery box, which can be made of either
aluminum alloys or advanced high strength steel (AHSS). Typically, a total ~30m
of weld length is necessary during the construction of a battery tray to join the
lower shield plate to the side/cross members, and brackets to BIW with
gas/water tightness. This underscores the need for a robust and productive weld
solution with good gap bridging. To meet stringent cost, lightweight, and safety
requirements, laser is a key enabling technology for battery pack structural parts
using either aluminum alloy or advanced high strength steel.

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Whitepaper Title

Battery pack structural parts and laser application overview

Selection of materials, structural design and joining process is a balance between technical performances
(strength, weight, sealing) and cost for battery box manufacturing. Aluminum alloy and steels are both
used in high volume production, whereas composite can be found in low volume, low range battery
vehicles.

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Figure 1: Top cover plate Figure 2: Tray

The top cover plate encloses the pack with good The battery tray encloses protective housing for the
sealing and electromagnetic combability (EMC). battery pack, electronics, and cooling unit.
The component can be brought into its final form TRUMPF machine systems process flat sheet
with laser cutting, edge-forming, punching, and metal by laser cutting, bending, punching dies, and
bending processes. Cathodic dip paint is removed laser welding to create a gas-tight battery tray –
to ensure safe sealing and EMC. depending on the requirements.
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Figure 3

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Figure 3: Frames Figure 4: Segmentation and cross member

The frames are normally made of profiles to support Cross members mitigate deformation during crash
high loads from impacts and dissipate the energy. impact. A stable frame is used to position the
Crash-optimized designs of flangeless connections battery module in the battery tray. TRUMPF offers a
can be implemented with the TRUMPF machine wide spectrum of solutions for many joining tasks,
portfolio. such as remote laser welding with beam shaping
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and beam oscillation, or welding with filler wire.
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Whitepaper Title

Figure 1

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Figure 5: Cooling system

The cooling system provides optimum operating temperature range. Whether plate heat exchangers, pipes, or
punch press profiles. TRUMPF offers the suitable production system for every design and material.
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Figure 6: Signal and power connections

Live connections such as busbars and copper connectors are welded energy-efficiently using a laser.
Processing times and spatter formation are minimized with BrightLine weld and TRUMPF weld depth
monitoring. Marking lasers are used for clear and permanent component marking.
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Figure 3

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Figure 6: Lower shield and reinforcement

The lower shield prevents damages to battery pack from road debris. Reinforcement is normally required to
mitigate deformation in the event of a crash. Remote laser welding is used to weld reinforcement to lower
shields.
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Whitepaper Title

Remote laser welding with BrightLine

Remote laser welding (RLW) is well established as

the automotive industry’s number one choice for
joining processes. Welding process takes place
without moving the workpiece or the focusing
optics. This greatly improves productivity and
process flexibility, making RLW a preferred solution
for welding cross members, lower shields and
battery trays. With RLW, customized weld patterns
with different shapes, orientation, and distribution
can be realized, which is necessary for joint
strength and stress optimization on battery box
structural parts joining.

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Figure 9: Customized weld pattern with Figure 8: Remote laser welding

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RLW
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Whitepaper Title

Beam shaping with BrightLine Weld

________________________________

TRUMPF’s BrightLine weld technology is Figure 1:

essentially a beam shaping method. It is realized BrightLine Weld
through the patented 2-in-1 fiber, which is made of beam shaping
the inner core fiber and outer ring fiber. Laser ________________________________

power is able to be distributed freely between the

inner core and outer ring, thus to create a
superimposed two beams into one process zone,
as illustrated in figure 10.

During deep penetration process, part of the metal

is vaporized and creates a pressured vapor at the
bottom of the keyhole. The vapor accelerates melt
pool upwards and excessive acceleration causes
loss of the material, which is, spatter. In the case of
BrightLine weld, the additional ring beam creates a
larger keyhole opening to allow metal vapor to
________________________________
escape. This also helps to create a more stable
keyhole to avoid keyhole collapse, thus avoiding Figure 2:
large pores formation. Spatter reduction
with BrightLine
At the same time, the additional ring beam Weld
________________________________
changes the dynamics of the melt pool. The metal
melt, which is accelerated to the surface direction,
receives an opposing impulse through the ring
beam and deflected to the side.

As a result, with the combined effect on keyhole

and melt pool dynamics by introducing a
superimposed ring beam, it is shown in test that up
to 90% of the spatter can be reduced.

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Whitepaper Title

Beam oscillation ___________________________

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Figure 11:
Illustration of
beam oscillation
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One drawback of RLW is it cannot weld across effective solution to improve keyhole stability and
gaps in butt joint seams as there is no way of maximize weldability of aluminum alloys and some
adding filler material. The new wobble method AHSS. Marco cracks can be effectively avoided by
overcomes this problem, in that the laser beam the use of fillet lap joint configuration, shown in the
doesn’t just move along the gap in a straight line, it picture below. However, random micro cracks are
oscillates from side to side. Moving the beam in a still found with certain materials. Fig 12-14 below
spiral motion melts material to the left and right of shows welding result comparison with beam
the gap and broadens the melt pool. The liquid shaping only, oscillation only, beam shaping and
metal replaces additional filler materials like oscillation combined on 6xxx series aluminum.
welding wire, and bridges even larger gaps.
___________________________
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Laser beam oscillation with a high brightness, high
Figure 12:
intensity laser beam, opens up new possibilities of
Beam shaping
improving the welding process in terms of ___________________________
________________________________

compensation of larger tolerances, reduction of

porosity, increased aesthetics of weld seam and
process stability. In some cases, autogenous
welding of materials that normally require filler wire
is possible with oscillation welding. The
combination of beam shaping and beam oscillation
with autogenous RLW joining process is an

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Figure 13: Figure 14:

Beam oscillation Beam shaping and oscillation
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Whitepaper Title

Laser welding with filler wire

Autogenous laser welding is preferred in automotive manufacturing. However, certain high alloy materials
and difficult applications require the use of filler material in the battery box welding process, including but
not limited to the following reasons:

_________________________
_______________________________

Weld porosity – pores which are trapped in the Figure 15:

melting pool reduce weld strength, durability and Laser welding
water/gas tightness;
with filler wire
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Part fit-up – manufacturing tolerances of extruded

profiles or stamped AHSS with large spring-back
may lead to poor part fit-up.

Micro cracks – Although macro cracks are greatly

mitigated by combination of beam shaping and
oscillation, micro crack sometimes still present for
some alloys because of high thermal stresses
during solidification.

Laser welding with filler wire is a multi-parameters

process, weld quality is affected by laser beam and
filler wire interaction, in which the wire feed speed
and angle is critical for a successful welding _____________________
________________________________

Figure 16:
TRUMPF has put its experience in laser welding TruLaser Weld
with filler wire in the so called “FusionLine” 5000 system
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_____________________
technology with its TruLaser Weld system. Both
weld and filler wire parameters were developed
and optimized to produce good quality welds
without cracking or porosity, with correct weld
geometry, and closes gaps up to 1 mm wide.

Laser welding with filler wire is able to deliver

crack-free weld and bridge larger part-to-part gap.
However, it also increases system complexity,
reducing welding speed, and adding more _____________________
________________________________

consumables cost. Figure 17:

Laser welding
cross section with
filler wire
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_____________________

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Whitepaper Title

Hybrid laser welding

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Figure 18:
Hybrid laser
solution with
TRUMPF laser
and optics
integrated
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Hybrid laser welding refers to processes in which has partnered with several premier arc welding
laser welding is combined with other arc welding suppliers to provide hybrid laser welding solutions
methods. The arc acts on the surface and provides for over 20 years. We are able to support you to
a broader seam and bridge gaps. The laser meet the challenges in hybrid welding of battery
delivers the high power densities needed for the box parts.
deep welds and enables high welding speeds. This, ________________________________

in turn, reduces heat input and distortion. In terms Figure 19:

of welding challenging materials, such as 6000 Hybrid laser
series Aluminum alloy and AHSS that are widely welding
used in battery box structural parts, hybrid welding schematics
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has flexible control of heat input into material. It
gives the user the option to optimize heat input and
cooling rate by adjusting laser and MIG/MAG torch
parameters, to avoid overly weakening or
hardening the fusion area. The use of filler wire
does not only bridge gap but also gives the welder
a direct influence on metallurgical properties, to get
rid of micro cracks and improve weld toughness. As ________________________________

a result, hybrid laser welding is well suited for long Figure 18:
seam welding on relatively thicker and high A typical hybrid
strength structural components, such as cross laser welding
member and frames, which requires deep cross section
penetration and good gap bridging capabilities. ________________________________

However, the increasing mechanical complexity of

combining two process remains a challenge. The
interaction between laser and arc requires a deep
understanding of both process to optimize relative
setting of several process parameters. TRUMPF

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Whitepaper Title

Laser cleaning and ablation

Welding and adhesive bonding require clean A typical laser cleaning system used in battery box
surfaces free of debris, oils, and corrosion. application consists of a nanosecond pulsed laser
Cleaning the surface prior to the welding or gluing combined with scanning optics. The scanner
process is critical to maintain battery box welding makes closed contour movement in endless loop
quality and gas/water tight sealing. In addition to and it is synchronized with robot movement.
that, cathodic dip paint (CDP/KTL) on battery box Depending on robot movement direction, the
frames and cover plates must be removed for scanner movement can either be programmed as
electromagnetic compatibility (EMC). linear lines or circular movement.

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Figure 21:
Laser cleaning
principle
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In figure 22, a high power short pulsed laser system with PFO scanner optics mounted on a robot is used
to remove CDP coating on battery box cover plate. In this fully automated process, CDP coating ablation
rate of 30cm2/s is possible.

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Figure 22: Figure 23:

Laser ablation of CDP painting Benefits of laser cleaning and ablation
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Whitepaper Title

Beam tracking, weld depth monitoring, and weld seam

inspection
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In battery box mass production, the welding quality
Figure 23:
can be disturbed by various factors such as the
Sample text in 9pt
internal defects of materials or the complex
Pre-, In- and Post-
manufacturing environment. To monitor and ensure
monitoring
welding quality, EV manufactures prefer to use in-
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line monitoring instead of traditional off-line testing
methods due to time, material cost, and
productivity considerations.

State-of-the-art real-time and direct weld quality

measurement of the keyhole depth is optical
coherence tomography (OCT), and it has been
successfully used in automotive manufacturing
including battery box production.

With OCT, light reflections are measured by the

Michelson interferometer, using the low coherence
properties of a broadband laser source. By
comparing the travel lengths of the reflections of
the measurement laser beam directed towards the
keyhole bottom with that of a reference laser beam
inside the interferometer. Any change in the
keyhole wall or depth will generate interference
fringes, which are translated into distance
measurement.
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Figure 24:
Work principle of
optical coherence
tomography
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Whitepaper Title

The monitoring process can be divided into three different parts: the pre-processing scanning, the in-
process monitoring, and the post-process diagnosing. The different stages of welding monitoring are
shown Fig 21.

The pre-process scanning mainly focuses on the _____________________

________________________________

seam tracking, scanning the joint edge gap Figure 25:

between workpieces to ensure that the laser beam Integrated OCT
is on track, independent from part to part variance. sensor with
camera system
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_____________________
The in-process monitoring pays close attention to
the real-time monitoring of welding characteristics
in the welding zone such as keyhole. When the
OCT measurement beam is correctly aligned
towards the keyhole, the OCT technology is
capable of providing fast and accurate direct
measurement of the keyhole depth.

The post-measurement can be used for weld

quality assessment. The pore, crack, spatters,
surface collapse, underfill, etc., are the common
defects; which are the critical indicators in the
quality evaluation of weld seam.

TRUMPF has integrated the OCT sensor into its

VisionLine system to allow quick setup and intuitive
operation. The operator is able to see and actual
part through the camera. Both the camera image
and OCT signal are integrated in the same
software interface, this allows the operator easily
and accurately align the OCT beam to the exact
position to measure the desired 3D features.

_____________________
________________________________

Figure 26:
Post-
measurement of
weld seam profile
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_____________________

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Figure 2:
OCT sensor for seam tracking and seam inspection
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Whitepaper Title

Conclusion

Laser welding has been proven to be an effective In addition to laser welding, laser cleaning is able
solution for battery box manufacturing to achieve to generate controllable and accurate removal area
optimal cost, quality, and productivity. with minimal damage to substrate, thus it is an
ideal method to remove cathodic dip paint
Remote laser welding, combined with beam cataphoretic paint, as well as pretreatment for
shaping and beam oscillation, is an effective welding or sealing surface on top cover or frames.
solution to improve keyhole stability, reduce In addition to laser welding, laser cleaning is able
spatter, bridge gap, and maximize weldability for to generate controllable and accurate removal area
most of the materials commonly used as structure with minimal damage to substrate. Therefore, it is
components in battery pack. an ideal method to remove cathodic dip paint,
cataphoretic paint, as well as pre-treatment for
Tactile Laser Welding (TLW), with the use of filler welding or sealing surface on top cover or frames.
wire, brings benefits such as reduced heat input
and single side access, and is able to effectively For battery box joining process control and quality
join materials that require chemical alteration to monitoring, OCT technology provides real-time and
achieve crack free welding and large gap bridging. direct measurement for seam tracking, weld depth
Both RLW and TLW find plenty of opportunities in monitoring as well as weld seam inspection. Quick
welding battery box components such as frames, setup and intuitive operation is realized by
cross-members, bottom reinforcement, as well as integrating the OCT sensor with VisionLine camera
brackets to BIW. system.

Click here for more information

TRUMPF Laser Technology

Plymouth, MI USA
Publ. 201908

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