Laser-Assisted Filler-Based Joining for Battery Assembly in Aviation

A key problem of the construction of fully electric aircraft is the limited energy density of battery packs. It is generally accepted that this can only be overcome via new, denser battery chemistry together with a further increase in the efficiency of power utilization. One appealing approach for achieving the latter is using laser-assisted filler-based joining technologies, which offers unprecedented flexibility for achieving battery cell connections with the least possible electrical loss. This contribution presents our results on the effect of various experimental and process parameters on the electrical and mechanical properties of the laser-formed bond. The optimal surface pretreatment method and the optimal amount of filler used are reported, while 120 W laser power and 7 s irradiation time is determined as threshold process parameters above which no significant further improvement can be achieved when both the electrical resistance and mechanical strength of samples are considered.