Trumpf launches two compact VCSEL solutions for lithium battery manufacturing

TRUMPF Photonic Components recently showcased two lithium-ion battery manufacturing solutions from their TruHeat VCSEL product range at the European Battery Energy Storage 2023 fair in Stuttgart, Germany.

The two compact VCSEL systems, manufactured for lithium batteries, produce direct, uniform infrared lasers that effectively treat surfaces and materials with geothermal heat, with little energy loss, according to the report.

"Sustainable manufacturing of devices is more important than ever," noted Ralph Gudde, vice President of Marketing and sales at Trumpf Optoelectronic Devices. "Our TruHeat VCSEL system has a smaller footprint and is more compact than many traditional manufacturing methods, while also performing more efficiently."

VCSELs dry cell foil for efficient reduction of CO2 emissions

In recent years, cell foil drying has become a major application field of VCSEL system. The active material on the electrode foil enables efficient and uniform drying while keeping the solvent content as low as possible.

"The largest portion of CO2 emissions during the battery manufacturing process is caused by the drying of the battery foil coating," says Ralph Gudde. With our TruHeat VCSEL system, energy efficiency is doubled or more than tripled."

The VCSEL-based heating system applies infrared radiation to the battery paste in a direct, controlled and uniform manner. The system requires less energy than a standard oven and can significantly reduce the footprint and footprint of the entire production system. The battery foil drying process is also three times faster than conventional production using the easy-to-maintain, highly reliable TruHeat VCSEL system.

VCSELs Sealed soft Pack batteries triple speed

In addition to cell foil drying, the sealing of soft pack cells is also a key application of VCSEL system. Based on the pass-through VCSEL heating system, the process is three times faster -- the actual sealing time after direct heat treatment is even less than one second. Production speed is also increased because the heat of the welding is applied only inside the aluminum foil, close to the weld.

In addition, there is almost no heat loss or wasted energy because the TruHeat VCSEL system is equipped with separate discharge zones that create a targeted heating profile. And because the power can be adjusted to the dedicated area of the soft pack cell, a single transmitting area can produce excellent sealing quality.

Finally, the pass has a separate heating and pressing process, which means the joints can cool down before the press is opened. This in turn prevents uncontrolled layering during the joint solidification process, avoiding such awkward scenarios that are often encountered in traditional conventional processes.

TruHeat VCSEL's highly accurate sealing process avoids wrinkles and bulges, which greatly extends the overall life of the soft-pack battery. The processing area of the VCSEL heating system can also be flexibly adjusted according to different battery modules.

Advantages of multiple battery processing and manufacturing applications

With laser applications like the VCSEL, Trumpf is working to produce and manufacture more cost-effective batteries for electric vehicles. By adopting pass-through proprietary laser modules, battery manufacturers will be able to significantly reduce the energy costs and space footprint of future battery electrode production, which will help manufacturers further achieve industrial-scale production.

Battery makers can use millions of these small semiconductor lasers (VCsels) combined into high-power modules that seal soft-pack cells with greater repeatability and speed than their competitors. They can also set the parameters of these semiconductor lasers very precisely. Unlike thermal processes, the soft-pack battery overcomes the risk of failure by heating when these semiconductor lasers are used for sealing operations. As a result, battery makers have also reduced scrap rates, further saving costly raw materials.

Another application of these semiconductor lasers in battery manufacturing is the drying of battery electrodes. "Our VCSELs have set a whole new standard in the drying process," said Johannes Buhrle, global Battery Project leader at Trumpets. Manufacturers save up to 30 percent on energy costs compared to traditional drying techniques, and the footprint of the equipment is greatly reduced."

The first industrial-scale welding of sealed aluminum electronic casings can finally be made from cheap and lightweight aluminum instead of expensive stainless steel, thanks to fast-moving multi-focus optics.

In addition to power electronics housing, cooling management of battery packs is another hot application area of laser aluminum welding. The weld of the heat exchanger must provide a 100% tight seal to protect the battery and sensitive electronic components from moisture. In this application, the pass-through laser equipped with multi-focus optical technology realizes the reliability of the laser welding process, and achieves multiple advantages such as speed increase and energy saving.

Source: OFweek