Why is welding important for EV battery systems?

Welding is a vitally important family of joining techniques for EV battery systems. A large battery might need thousands of individual connections, joining the positive and negative terminals of cells together in combinations of parallel and series blocks to form modules and packs of the required voltage and capacity.

How does a battery welder work?

Welding machine manufacturers have taken two different approaches to battery welder design. One approach features a large, custom-designed battery that is an integral part of the welding unit. When the battery is discharged, the welder needs to be connected to a primary power source to recharge the battery.

What is battery welding?

In practice, battery welding is a high-volume production process with narrow time windows for assembly and measurement operations in production line.

Can a battery be welded?

There are only so many ways to join materials together, and for battery applications – particularly where high currents and voltages and tough operating environments are encountered – welding beats alternatives such as soldering, conductive adhesives and mechanical fasteners.

Can laser welding be used in EV battery production?

Of these, laser and ultrasonic welding processes dominate in EV battery manufacture – with laser welding the preferred solution for mass production – and continue to be improved and refined. “We see a lot of laser welding and ultrasonic wedge bonding for the larger packs,” says Boyle at Amada Weld Tech.

What types of welding do EV batteries need?

“In these situations, cooperative development and reliable relationships are of high value.” While there many kinds of welding, in EV battery applications the most common are resistance welding and laser welding, along with ultrasonic welding and wire bonding, and benefit from standardisation for mass production.