Cleaning for bonded components
Laser cleaning is extremely useful for battery parts that require bonding preparation. Today’s EV manufacturing processes involve an increasing number of adhesives, sealants, pastes, potting components, gap fillers, and encapsulants. They are used to add thermal, structural, sealing and damping features to the battery. By removing contaminants before bonding or treating batteries, it improves the chemical properties that hold the pieces together and expands the lifespan of the EV battery. With new structural battery technologies, the bonding quality is even more critical as it is now part of the safety of the vehicle.
Laser cleaning is the best surface preparation solution recommended by the most important adhesive manufacturers. Cleaning zones can be positioned in a very flexible manner for a wide range of part sizes and shapes, allowing very efficient cleaning at high production rates.
Cleaning for electrical contact
Laser cleaning is a quick and precise technology used to remove coatings and contaminants like varnish, epoxy, oil, and other coating on battery busbars, motor winding terminals, and other inductors.
Cleaning for ultrasonic bonding: 99.99% good yield
In battery packs, there are hundreds or even thousands of welds on the cells and structure. Busbars, cell tabs, and other various electrical connections are all critical for the good operation of the battery. Laser cleaning guarantees that every single ultrasonic weld is perfect, optimizing the quality of the electrical contact and the overall weld strength.
21700 cylindrical cell cleaning area example
Laser cleaning times for different number of cells
| Cycle time (sec) | ||||
| Number of cells | 30W | 50W | 100W | 200W |
| 120 | 11.5–13.0 | 8.5—10.0 | 6.2—7.7 | 5.1—6.6 |
| 240 | 23.1–26.1 | 17.0—20.0 | 12.4—15.4 | 10.1—13.1 |
| 480 | 46.1—52.1 | 34.0—40.0 | 24.8—30.8 | 20.3—26.3 |
| 960 | 92.2—104.2 | 67.9—79.9 | 49.7—61.7 | 40.6—52.6 |
For each range, the longer times include the scanner repositioning.
Laser cleaning effect on the electrical resistance of welds
Laserax performed tests to show effects of laser cleaning on the electrical resistance of laser welds. We used a 100W pulsed fiber laser to clean surfaces before tab-to-busbar laser welding. Our results show that laser cleaning significantly reduces the electrical resistance of laser welds, providing several benefits:
- Minimal heat loss
- Improved battery life
- Better thermal management
