Process strategies for laser cutting of electrodes in lithium-ion battery production

The growing competition in electric mobility is leading to an increased demand for inexpensive, high-performance lithium-ion batteries. In order to meet both objectives, optimization of the entire production chain is indispensable. In this work, the laser cutting of electrodes as one of the core processes in large-format battery production is addressed. A comprehensive literature review on the boundary conditions and the relevant quality characteristics of the separation process is presented. Furthermore, experimental findings regarding the dependency between cutting edge quality and achievable process speed of pulsed and continuous wave fiber lasers in the near infrared spectrum are compared. Finally, the design of customized cutting strategies based on multiple laser scan cycles is shown and the potential for the implementation in the battery production is discussed.