In recent years, laser welding technology has made significant strides, becoming a key process in the manufacturing industry. From automated welding units to portable handheld welding devices, laser welding is favored by manufacturers for its high-quality welds, rapid production speeds, and reduced post-weld processing. In the field of electric vehicle manufacturing, laser welding technology is seen as a potential solution to current manufacturing challenges.+

Advantages of Laser Welding Technology
Laser welding offers several advantages over traditional welding methods. Firstly, it provides extremely high precision and control, enabling deep and narrow welds in very small areas, suitable for various complex and precise welding tasks. Secondly, the heat-affected zone in laser welding is minimal, reducing thermal deformation and welding stress, ensuring the mechanical properties and appearance quality of the welded parts. Additionally, laser has a high degree of automation, enabling high-speed, continuous production, significantly improving production efficiency.
In electric vehicle manufacturing, the connection of battery modules and motor components is a critical step. Traditional welding methods often fail to meet the high requirements for welding quality and precision of these components, whereas laser welding, with its superior performance, becomes an ideal choice. For instance, in battery modules, laser welding can achieve precise connections of thin-walled materials, ensuring the safety and stability of the batteries.
Innovative Developments in Laser Welding Technology
With the advancement of technology, laser welding has continued to evolve. Dynamic Beam Shaping (DBL) technology marks a new phase in laser welding technology. The OPA 6 Weld laser, developed by an Israeli laser technology company, is a prime example in this field. This laser uses 7 to 14 kW single-mode continuous-wave dynamic beam shaping technology, capable of modulating the beam shape at up to hundreds of megahertz without any moving parts, achieving efficient welding processes.
Advanced Beam Shaping Technology
The OPA 6 Weld laser utilizes optical phased array coherent beam combining technology, merging multiple single-mode laser beams into a larger beam. These beams overlap in the far field to form a diffraction pattern, allowing real-time manipulation of the beam shape. By controlling the phase modulator, the interference pattern of each beam can be adjusted to maximize the spot position and create various beam motion trajectories as needed. This technology overcomes the limitations of traditional beam shaping methods, working at higher frequencies and shape profiles to enhance welding quality and speed.
This advanced beam shaping technology has broad application prospects in electric vehicle manufacturing. For instance, when welding battery modules and motor components, the technology can optimize the flow and solidification processes in the melt pool by controlling the shape frequency, shape sequence, and focal depth, thus eliminating porosity, spatter, and cracks, and improving welding quality and production efficiency.
Application of Laser Welding Technology in Fuel Cell Manufacturing
Fuel cells are a crucial component of electric vehicles, and their efficient production has always been a challenge in the manufacturing industry. The core component of fuel cells is the bipolar plate, which is extremely thin (only a few hundred microns thick) and requires precise welding. Each fuel cell unit contains 300 to 400 bipolar plates, with weld seam lengths of 3 to 6 meters. While increasing welding speed can boost production efficiency, speeds above 0.5 m/s often result in welding defects, affecting the performance and lifespan of the fuel cells.
Challenges and Solutions in Fuel Cell Welding
The Eureka project, driven by the collaboration of Civan Lasers, Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology (ILT), and Germany’s Smart Move GmbH, aims to solve welding issues in fuel cells using dynamic beam shaping technology. Traditional welding methods often encounter the so-called “humping” phenomenon when increasing speed, leading to periodic bulges in the weld seam. This issue raises concerns about porosity, consistency, and lack of fusion, severely impacting fuel cell quality.
Dynamic beam shaping technology can address different welding issues at microsecond speeds by generating a variety of shapes during the welding process. For instance, by adjusting the beam shape and frequency during welding, it is possible to control the melt pool shape and flow, eliminating welding defects. This technology can increase welding speeds to 1 m/s or even 2 m/s while ensuring weld seam consistency and quality.
Application of Laser Welding Technology in Dissimilar Metal Welding
In electric vehicle manufacturing, different types of metals often need to be welded together. Traditional welding methods face challenges when dealing with dissimilar metals, such as differences in thermal conductivity and melting points, resulting in poor weld quality. Laser welding technology, with its precise heat input control and flexible beam shaping capabilities, is an ideal solution to this problem.
Advantages of Dissimilar Metal Welding
Laser welding technology can customize different processing methods according to the characteristics of different materials. For example, when welding two metals with significantly different thermal conductivities, asymmetric beam profiles can be created to deliver more power to the side requiring more energy and less power to the side requiring less energy, achieving a uniform weld. This precise control capability offers vast application potential for laser welding in electric vehicle manufacturing.
Application of Laser Welding Technology in Additive Manufacturing
The application of laser welding technology is not limited to traditional welding processes but also shows great potential in the field of additive manufacturing (AM). Additive manufacturing technology, which builds parts layer by layer, is suitable for producing complex geometric structures needed for electric vehicle components. Laser welding technology is primarily applied in the Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) process within additive manufacturing.
Laser Welding in Additive Manufacturing
Dynamic beam shaping technology in additive manufacturing can significantly improve production speed and quality. By dynamically adjusting beam shape and direction, laser welding technology enables precise welding and material fusion in complex geometries. For example, when manufacturing complex parts for electric vehicles, beam direction and shape can be controlled to optimize the fusion process of each layer, ensuring the mechanical properties and structural integrity of the parts.
This technology also addresses issues related to heat input and feed rate in additive manufacturing. Consistency in layer-by-layer production is crucial, and controlling heat input and feed rate is essential for ensuring each layer’s quality. Dynamic beam shaping technology allows precise control of beam shape and energy input, maintaining ideal penetration depth and preventing spatter and porosity, thereby improving additive manufacturing efficiency and quality.
Research Progress and Future Prospects
To further advance laser welding technology, Civan Lasers has collaborated with several universities and research institutions for in-depth studies. For instance, researchers at the Institut für Strahlwerkzeuge (IFSW) at the University of Stuttgart use high-speed X-ray video equipment to study changes inside the melt pool during laser welding, exploring the potential of dynamic beam shaping technology in industrial welding applications. The Vienna University of Technology in Austria simulates the effects of different beam shapes on weld seams, analyzing why certain shapes are more effective than others.
These studies demonstrate that the precise control capabilities of laser welding technology will continue to influence the development of the manufacturing industry, expanding the value proposition of welding and additive applications.
Conclusion
The application of laser welding technology in electric vehicle manufacturing not only enhances production efficiency and weld quality but also offers new solutions to current manufacturing challenges. The innovative development of dynamic beam shaping technology enables laser welding to excel in precision welding, dissimilar metal welding, and additive manufacturing. As research continues and technology advances, laser welding will bring more possibilities and solutions to electric vehicle manufacturing, driving the development and adoption of the electric vehicle industry.