IPG Photonics launches dual-beam laser with ‘highest’ single-mode core power

13 Sep 2023

3 kW AMB laser makes its debut this week at the Battery Show in Novi, Michigan.

Continuing to expand the industry’s widest range of dual-beam fiber lasers, IPG Photonics has introduced its new Adjustable Mode Beam (AMB) laser source capable of achieving 3 kW single-mode laser beam in the core. The 3kW AMB laser makes its debut this week at the Battery Show in Novi, Michigan, USA.

IPG describes it as “an industry first – this increase in single-mode power offers unprecedented speed and productivity improvements for battery welding with spatter-free welding speeds up to two times faster than is possible with lower core powers,” the company stated.

AMB dual-beam lasers utilize a secondary ring beam that works in tandem with the single-mode core to stabilize the weld pool, virtually eliminating weld defects like spatter, cracking, and porosity. IPG says its AMB lasers “can be configured with a wide range of beam parameters to offer optimized performance in a variety of welding applications.”

Battery manufacturers often prefer single-mode fiber lasers for precision welding applications due to their ability to focus their power into extremely small spot sizes on the part. The resulting high energy density easily overcomes the high reflectivity of metals like copper and aluminum while simultaneously achieving the required weld penetration extremely quickly with a reduce heat-affected zone.

Trevor Ness, SVP Worldwide Sales and Strategic Business Development, commented, “IPG’s lasers and laser systems are designed first and foremost to provide solutions that directly address real-world requirements like battery welding and integrate patented technologies such as real-time laser 1 weld measurement to provide 100% weld quality assurance.”

High-volume production

Also at the Battery Show, IPG is making two live demonstrations of automated turnkey laser welding systems designed specifically for battery welding applications:

• The EV-Cube™ Automated Battery Laser Welding System (pictured above). This is a gantry-based laser system designed to meet the demanding speed and accuracy needs of battery module welding. Using proprietary laser welding programming, the EV-Cube can be configured to provide welding speeds of up to 10+ cylindrical cells per second while maintaining 25 µm accuracy.
• The LaserCell™ Battery Welding System. This robotic laser system offers the flexibility and reach needed for large or complex battery modules. Featuring a six-axis robot, the system can be configured for welding of prismatic, cylindrical, and pouch modules while maintaining high yields and short cycle times.

  These systems ship complete with choice of laser, process head, robot and tooling configurations, part handling and loading, integrated software, and IPG programming and process development. These systems can be equipped with real-time laser weld measurement that uses patented technology to directly measure every weld as it is made.