Laser cleaning improves battery production

Laser cleaning is basically a very innovative process that is used completely contact-free mostly by means of fiber lasers to remove rust, oxides, paint and other coatings from metallic surfaces. The great advantage is that it does not change the properties of the material in the process. Laser cleaning does not require any chemicals or consumables and is therefore much more environmentally friendly and ecological than conventional processes that use acids, solvents or mechanical abrasion such as sandblasting for cleaning. Laser cleaning is also increasingly being used as a pretreatment for functionalizing surfaces to prepare them for subsequent manufacturing steps. - This is also the case in battery production, which has set out to make the world less dependent on fossil fuels.

The battery industry benefits enormously from modern laser technology processes. In the production of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage systems, for example, lasers reduce cost pressure and accelerate product cycles. Coordinated laser systems consisting of laser and laser deflection unit, achieve incomparably good qualitative results - even in cleaning. Even in the smallest of spaces, laser systems work highly dynamically, with fully automated repeatability and absolute precision.

Laser cleaning before bonding and welding

Good welding and bonding always starts with careful preparation of the surface - i.e. cleaning it. It contributes to better adhesion of the adhesives. In batteries, there are hundreds or even thousands of welds and bonded components at the cell level, all of which are critical to the battery‘s functioning. „In this regard, laser cleaning
is a highly precise, uniform and fast process that removes any contamination from electrolytes, dust, oils and oxides from metal surfaces. The battery components remain unaffected and intact by the cleaning,“ emphasizes Alex Fraser, Laserax‘s Vice President (VP) and Chief Technology Officer (CTO). The Canadian company, headquartered in Quebec and with a subsidiary in Bad Grötzingen in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, is increasingly using RAYLASE laser deflection units in the cleaning process of battery components. Laserax Vice President (VP) and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Alex Fraser: „Laser cleaning is the best solution for preparing a battery surface. It is recommended by many major adhesive manufacturers. Cleaning zones can be positioned extremely flexibly for a wide variety of part sizes and shapes. We have been using laser deflection units from RAYLASE since 2013, which allows us to clean very efficiently at high production rates.“

The technical requirements for battery production are enormous at every step of production. Battery modules have hundreds to thousands of poles that must be cleaned before welding, so even a 1% deviation can lead to massive recalls. And those are expensive and reputationally damaging! In the laser welding industry, 6 sigma precision is simply no longer enough, it requires 7 sigma: 0.019 defects per million welds. Laser cleaning provides the precision needed here to ensure consistent cleaning results and avoid quality problems. „For example, the contacts of pouch cells are cleaned without contact at unsurpassed speed, ensuring pure current connections between dissimilar metals such as copper and aluminum without the disturbing influence of foreign particles such as paint, epoxy, oil,“ explains Frédéric Faity, Technical Sales Manager at RAYLASE of the complex production process. With its precision and speed, the fully automated contactless laser removal process of contaminants on battery busbars and battery submodules is simply unsurpassed in its quality.

For lightning-fast, highly efficient cleaning of battery components, RAYLASE offers the MINISCAN III series as an entry-level model and the SUPERSCAN IV-15 as a high-end product. Working over several levels is made possible by the FOCUSSHIFTER-14.

The water contact angle test shows the cleaning success

Trust is good, control is better! Laserax uses a water contact angle test to check the cleaning results. The angle degree visualizes the result of the laser cleaning: If the angle is flat at < 10° with low surface tension, the test shows that cleaning was good here. A steep angle (drop on the right) with approx. 75° of high surface tension indicates a poorly cleaned area.

Special Features: RAYLASE offers unique opto-dynamic capabilities designed for these applications and manifold design variations of its deflection units.

• Enormous increase in productivity
• Consistent cleaning quality
• Protects surrounding components from burns 
• High-precision positioning in the smallest of spaces
• Avoids expensive recalls due to defective welds 
• Significantly less scrap, more sustainability 
• Environmentally friendly and ecological processes - no abrasion, no chemicals

RAYLASE offers innovative total solutions consisting of the laser deflection unit, the SP-ICE-III control card and the RAYGUIDE software, tailor-made for the laser cleaning task in question.