Impact Story #03
Green Light for Less Waste
Experiments at DESY show that green laser light improves the stability of copper welding. This approach reduces material consumption, which is particularly relevant for electric vehicle production.
Copper is a key material for batteries and power electronics in electric vehicles. However, laser welding with conventional infrared lasers is often associated with spatter and welding defects. The reason is that copper reflects a large proportion of this radiation and dissipates heat rapidly. As a result, the welding process becomes unstable and may produce defective components.
A research team from the German Electron Synchrotron DESY, the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT, RWTH Aachen University, the Helmholtz Center Hereon, and industry partner TRUMPF investigated these processes using high-resolution X-rays at the DESY particle accelerator. The researchers were able to observe in real time how the molten pool forms, how pores develop, and why material splatters.
The key finding is that laser radiation in the green wavelength range is absorbed significantly more effectively by copper than infrared radiation. As a result, the material reaches the melting temperature more quickly, the process becomes more stable, and material losses decrease significantly.
These results provide the scientific basis for optimized industrial laser systems. For the automotive industry, this enables more efficient production of copper components, lower material losses, and reduced energy consumption—an important advantage for electric vehicle manufacturing.
Insights gained through precise X-ray analysis now support more resource-efficient industrial manufacturing.
Image: TRUMPF
