Laser Welding Labs Specialize in Electric Motors, Batteries
Comau’s highly specialized laser laboratories feature Comau NJ-220 robots and LHYTE technology that optimizes high-precision joining. The labs are in Italy, Shanghai, and Michigan.
Posted: April 10, 2020
Comau has created highly specialized laser laboratories to support companies as they develop, implement and optimize the laser processes involved in constructing and assembling electric motors and batteries. Underscoring its 360° e-value chain, the company offers a wide range of laser processes for industrial sectors such as automotive, aerospace, general industry, energy, oil and gas.
Two Comau labs are in Turin, Italy – one specialized in batteries and the other dedicated to e-motors – and additional labs are located in Shanghai and Detroit.
To enable competitive operational solutions for electrification sectors, the company’s specialized laser laboratories are equipped with Comau NJ-220 robots that can work simultaneously and on different types of applications.
The robots are powered by the innovative LHYTE (Laser Hybrid Technology) system developed by Comau in partnership with Prima Electro. LHYTE is suitable for many different applications thanks to a patented solution that allows users to automatically alternate between fiber and diode lasers – this ensures optimal high-precision joining, which is vital in the assembly of an e-battery or e-motor.
LHYTE can also handle the complexity of working with different melting temperatures of materials such as copper and aluminum while guaranteeing a strong joint seal with a low level of electrical resistance.
“We can create any type of battery pack for any power level and are able to assemble the entire electrical battery, from the welding of individual cells which make up a module, to the stacking of the various modules contained in a battery pack, right through to the laser welding of the entire case,” says Giovanni Di Stefano, chief technology officer, Electrification, at Comau. “We are also developing a similar solution for hairpin motor laser welding at our newest lab.”
Comau’s laser laboratories can be configured, equipped and adapted to suit the process required and the type of product to be manufactured. In addition to accommodating a range of applications, Comau also fulfills client requests to develop and optimize all phases of the laser welding process, from the prototype phase to the production of pre-series. Projects are supported by a dedicated group of engineers who develop or identify the best welding solution for each customer, with services ranging from feasibility studies right through to process optimization.
