A Green Light for Green Mobility David Harvilla
Lead Instructor of Laser Technology, TRUMPF Inc.
Stefanie Bisch
Product Manager High Power Green Lasers, Trumpf Laser- und Systemtechnik GmbH
Sebastian Zaske
Product Manager High Power Lasers, Trumpf Laser- und Systemtechnik GmbH Powerful disk lasers emitting green light are the perfect tool for welding copper for auto manufacturers and their suppliers.
Automotive manufacturers and suppliers require reliable standards for electric car production. Experience has shown that green lasers are the perfect welding tool for electric components made of copper. Better for the environment, less expensive than gas, less maintenance at a lower cost, quiet operation – these are but a few of the green attributes of the electric vehicle which make it an attractive alternative to the gasoline engine. Electric mobility is currently one of the biggest trends in the worldwide automotive industry. Fueled by a combination of technological progress, statutory requirements and evolving customer demands, electric cars are now on the verge of becoming a genuine mass-market mainstream offering. This has prompted automakers, suppliers and machine makers to determine the best way to produce each e-mobility component in high volume and to a consistently high-quality standard. In some areas, no single manufacturing technology has emerged as an established standard, one example being the joining and welding of copper electrical components in the battery, motor and powertrain. However, the high-power green laser has proven to meet the stringent production requirements of high productivity, excellent quality welds with reproducible results.
The Green Supremacy Copper – and to a lesser degree aluminum – is an ideal choice for electrical connectors due to its high electrical and thermal conductivity. Copper conducts electricity and heat better than any other commonly used industrial metal. Unfortunately, it absorbs very little infrared light, which is exactly the wavelength regime in which most
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LIATODAY
VOL. 28 NO. 3
MAY/JUNE 2020
