High Speed Laser Cutting of Electrodes for Advanced Batteries

Lithium-ion batteries are at the forefront of current advanced battery technology development for Hybrid-Electric Vehicles (HEV). While first vehicles with Li-ion batteries have entered the market, it is understood that significant technology advancements are still required to establish consumer confidence in the new battery technology and to reduce battery cost for serving a broader market. The sizing of electrodes is an important step in the manufacturing chain of Lithium-Ion batteries. Compared to mechanical die cutting, contact-free high speed laser cutting has the potential to offer significant advantages with regard to flexibility and edge quality to the sizing operation. Main challenges include the composite electrode material and high demands on edge quality. The University of Michigan and Fraunhofer are collaborating on the development of high speed laser cutting of electrodes using single mode fiber lasers. The program aims at cutting speeds in access of 100m/min and includes process modeling of the laser-material interaction and the laser formed cut surface as well as experimental studies to minimize the thermal impact on the electrode materials and to optimize the cut quality. This paper will present initial results on the modeling and parameter development effort.