The new HIGHtactile laser welding head with tactile seam-tracking technology (Image: Coherent)
Coherent has introduced two new laser welding heads for electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing applications – HIGHmotion 2D and HIGHtactile.
HIGHtactile features a new patent-pending seam-tracking technology that can be configured to perform automated fillet welding and brazing – processes typically found in body-in-white applications such as trunk lid and rooftop brazing.
According to Coherent, HIGHtactile can be used with a wide range of lasers, wire feeders, and process monitoring systems, and comes with a range of embedded sensors that improve process learning and enable faster laser processing.
“With the rapidly growing demand for electric vehicles, we are addressing a broad range of new opportunities in critical applications, such as fillet welds that enable battery trays to be stronger and stiffer while at the same time reducing weight,” said Dr Karlheinz Gulden, Senior Vice President of the Laser Components and Subsystems Business Unit at Coherent.
The new HIGHmotion 2D laser processing head (Image: Coherent)
HIGHmotion 2D is rated for 8kW beam delivery and features a low-magnification design that enables deep copper welds of more than 3mm while maintaining a large work area of up to 100 x 140mm when configured with 1.5x magnification. This makes it suitable, the firm says, for applications where processing heads need to move quickly around the workpiece to complete several welding tasks.
Gulden said: “We were able to push the envelope in copper welding depth over large working areas through our proprietary F-theta lens design, which maximises laser brightness by maintaining a high-quality beam in the smallest possible spot size.”
HIGHmotion 2D features an optimised camera port that is compatible with the HIGHvision system, enabling rapid and precise alignment of welding heads to software-defined features on the workpiece. The HIGHvision system also includes a wide range of processing applications, such as welding battery busbars, tabs, can-cap assemblies, and electric motor stator hairpins.
Coherent will exhibit at Laser World of Photonics, in Munich, Germany, June 27-30, stand B3.321; Laser Korea, in Seoul, July 5-7, stand 4101; and Laser World of Photonics China, in Shanghai, stand W2 2140, July 11-13