Deep Copper Laser Welding: Helping to Carry the Loads of Our Electrified Future
Enabling manufacturers to build stronger, lighter, and more efficient EVs for a sustainable future.
February 10, 2025 by Coherent
Copper plays a vital role in the automotive industry, whether the fuel source is gasoline, diesel, electric, fuel cell, or LNG. Demand for copper in vehicles is expected to surge from 3 million tons (MT) in 2023 to 5 MT by 2034. The real driver here is the significant increase in copper usage for electric vehicle (EV) components due to the longer ranges that consumers demand from EV’s, battery pack capacities have been increasing at a rate of ~10% per year. Larger battery packs, bigger inverters and faster charging times require more current capacity which means thicker, lower resistance connections are required.
Source: Reuters
Laser welding takes the lead in EV Powertrain joining
Laser welding, a non-contact, highly automatable, joining process, is rapidly becoming the most preferred method for assembling critical components in EV powertrains. As EV powertrains evolve these larger cross section components require deeper, higher-quality welds than has, up till now, been achievable through laser welding.
Typical applications for EVs
- Inverters: Laser welding is seeing widespread adoption in inverters using IGBT’s but especially those employing the latest generation of silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETs, both for EVs and charging stations.
- Battery Pack Bus Bars: Due to increased power handling requirements, EV battery pack bus bars and other high-current electrical connections are utilizing thicker copper cross sections.
Benefits of deep copper laser welding with ARM FL
The latest ARM FL laser welding system from Coherent offers several advantages for joining thicker copper sections in EVs:
- High quality, narrow cross section, deep copper welds: the latest ARM FL fiber laser can now achieve welds up to 7mm deep with excellent electrical performance and minimal porosity and spatter.
- Weight and material reduction: These new deep welds can effectively replace mechanical joining methods, leading to significant weight and material savings – a crucial factor for EVs.
What's New with ARM FL 10kW?
Our latest 10kW ARM FL introduces enhanced center beam power with detachable 50/200 micron process fiber. This new product variant enables the deepest copper welding ever achieved by Coherent. This innovative design combines:
- 5kW High-Power 50 micron center beam: Increasing center beam power from 2.5kW to 5kW significantly improves the penetration depth and welding speed. Through extensive Coherent experience of optimizing ring and center fiber laser technology this new configuration is achieved while still maintaining the highest welding quality expected from ARM technology.
- Beam Delivery Flexibility: High-power center beam with detachable process fiber enables welding in mass-production environment with either a fixed optic or a high-productivity scanner head like the HighMotion 2D (below 6mm welds).
By leveraging the deep copper laser welding technology of Coherent, manufacturers are enabled to build stronger, lighter, and more efficient EVs for a sustainable future.
Compatible Coherent Products:
