SoniLaser – Ultrasonic assisted laser welding for high volume assembly of automotive battery packs

到2030年，电动汽车的年销量将达到4400万辆，包括英国在内的许多欧洲国家的目标是在未来30年内实现零排放。因此，生产电池组以满足需求的需求越来越大，虽然亚洲仍然是大本营(预计到2025年将达到800GWh)，但欧洲正在迅速扩张，预计到2030年产能将达到450GWh/年。激光焊接已成为响应日益增长的电动汽车电池制造需求的最佳焊接技术，其速度比目前的焊接工艺快4-5倍。虽然激光焊接很好地适应了日益增长的制造需求和电池组组件的连接需求，但它在该行业的应用仍然面临挑战。通常，一个标准的电池组由数百个、甚至数千个独立的电池组成，这些电池相互连接以提供所需的功率和容量。制造所需的接头代表了几个冶金挑战，包括连接多种不同厚度的不同材料。不同材料之间的热、物理和化学性质的差异带来了一系列挑战，在电池制造部门实现广泛应用激光焊接之前，必须解决这些挑战。不同材料之间的低相容性导致焊缝冶金兼容性差，这一点因热物理性能的巨大差异而进一步加剧。常见的缺陷有热裂纹、气孔、未熔合等缺陷。在不同接头的凝固过程中，焊缝区内也会形成各种金属间化合物(IMC)。这种硬脆IMC的形成会严重恶化焊接接头的力学性能。控制金属间化合物的形成和厚度，最大限度地减少焊接缺陷已成为电池制造/组装行业的一个重要研究课题。Soniaser将通过集成功率超声振动子系统为电动汽车电池制造行业提供开创性的解决方案，以帮助电池不同部件的激光焊接过程。财团合作伙伴此前已经证明，在激光焊接过程中应用功率超声波振动，可以减少25%的焊接缺陷(气孔、裂纹)和30%的IMC，从而使焊接接头的机械强度至少提高10%。Soniaser将作为一种可改装的定制解决方案提供，根据每个客户和生产线的激光焊接设备进行定制，将其电流速度提高50%以上。

EV sales will reach 44 million vehicles per year by 2030 with many European countries, including the UK, aiming at zero emissions within the next 30 years. Therefore, there is an increasing need for manufacturing of battery packs to meet demand and whilst Asia remains the stronghold (projected to reach 800GWh by 2025), Europe is expanding rapidly with a projected production capacity of 450GWh/year by 2030\.Laser welding has emerged as the optimal welding technique to respond to the increasing demand for EV battery manufacturing, being 4-5 times faster than the current welding processes. While laser welding is well suited to the increasing manufacturing demand and the joining needs of the battery pack assembly, challenges to its application in this industry remain. Typically, a standard battery pack consists of hundreds, even thousands, of individual cells which are connected to deliver the required power and capacity. Making the required joints represent several metallurgical challenges, including, joining of multiple dissimilar materials of varying thicknesses.The differences in thermal, physical, and chemical properties between dissimilar materials pose a series of challenges that must be addressed before widespread application of laser welding can be realised in the battery manufacturing sector. The low miscibility between dissimilar materials leads to a poor weld metallurgical compatibility, which is further exacerbated by large differences in thermophysical properties. Hot cracks, porosity, incomplete fusion, and other defects are usually introduced. A variety of intermetallic compounds (IMCs) can also form within the weld zone during solidification of dissimilar joints. The formation of such hard and brittle IMCs can severely deteriorate the mechanical properties of the welded joints. Controlling the formation of intermetallic compounds and their thickness, minimising weld defects has become a prominent research topic in the battery manufacturing/assembly industry. SoniLaser will offer a ground-breaking solution for the EV battery manufacturing sector through the integration of a power ultrasonic vibration subsystem to assist the laser welding process of various parts of the battery. Consortium partners have previously demonstrated that applying a power ultrasonic vibration during the laser welding process, can induce a 25% reduction in weld defects (pores, cracks) and 30% mitigation of IMCs leading to at least 10% increase in mechanical strength of the welded joints. SoniLaser will be provided as a retrofittable bespoke solution, customised to the laser welding equipment of each client and to each production line segment, increasing their current speeds more than 50%.