Product Code: ICAL09_M404

Laser Welding of Aluminum and Copper for Battery Welding Applications using a 500W Single Mode Fiber Laser
Authors:
Geoff Shannon, Miyachi Unitek Corporation; Monrovia CA USA
Hongqiang Chen, Miyachi Unitek Corporation; Monrovia CA USA
Presented at ICALEO 2009

The high brightness of single mode fiber lasers provides an excellent cutting source however in welding can be detrimental to weld quality, especially for ferrous materials. For conductive materials such as aluminum and copper the use of a single mode fiber presents some clear advantages of welding speed and cost effective welding solution. The ability to a focus to a sub 25 micron spot size enables the single mode fiber laser to achieve the necessary power densities required to couple into these reflective materials. In addition the heat conduction of the materials stabilizes the weld from over heating due to the highly localized power density and also spread the weld volume to ease the potential issues of seam tracking with such as small spot size. The paper provides experimental details of the welding and specific examples of welding aluminum welding battery cans and conductive tabs for battery pack manufacture.