48 September/October 2025 | E-Mobility Engineering Scansonic showcased advanced laser welding technologies designed for high throughput and precision in the manufacture of key components for e-mobility applications. Their Fast Component Welding (FCW) system, featuring a multi-scanner setup, enables parallel processing of components such as fuel cell bipolar plates and battery cells, significantly reducing cycle times. The system’s dynamically adjusted collimation optics ensure consistent beam focus, minimising thermal lensing effects and maintaining weld quality, according to Scansonic’s Dr Axel Luft. For battery tray production, the ALO4-O optic combines oscillating laser beams with filler wire to bridge gaps up to 50% of the material thickness, producing crack-free welds e.g., in aluminium alloys. The ALO4-F and ALO4-L variants extend capabilities to hard-to-reach areas and vertical seams, enabling complete battery box welding with a laser. “Tactile seam tracking, a Scansonic hallmark, uses the filler wire as a self-renewing guide, reducing defects and rework in curved or irregular seams,” Luft says. Material compatibility is another focus, with Scansonic’s systems now welding challenging combinations like nickel-plated copper to aluminium or steel. “Emerging single-mode and multicore fibre lasers, with spot sizes as small as 14 µm, open new possibilities for precision welding – and are of course a challenge for the optics,” he adds. Scansonic is prepared for gigafactory scalability with its FCW system and is developing systems for 3 kW singlemode lasers and qualifying optics for 8 kW multimode lasers together with partner Brightlight Laser. TE Connectivity showed its expanded ACI800 charging inlet range, that now covers all major regional standards, enabling up to 1000 A boost charging while addressing serviceability challenges. The modular system features core inlets for Type 1/2 (North America/Europe), GB/T (China) and CHAdeMO (Japan) standards, each with standardised rear connectors for simplified harness integration. “We designed for both cost efficiency and serviceability – OEMs can replace just the inlet without rewiring entire harnesses,” explained Sandra Kraft of TE Connectivity. The connectorised rear interface allows automated harness assembly and post-accident repairs, particularly useful for commercial vehicles with long cable runs. The platform incorporates thermal sensors to monitor 800 A continuous loads, with plastic/metal hybrid construction balancing performance and scalability. Unlike fixed designs, TE’s approach uses interchangeable brackets to adapt core inlets to vehicle-specific mounting requirements. This modularity extends to DC fast-charging variants, where combo inlets share common AC interfaces across regions. Uncountable presented its specialised r&d data platform designed to help battery researchers extract actionable insights from vast, siloed datasets spanning materials, formulations, cell development and test results. The cloud-based system replaces fragmented tools such as Excel with a unified interface for managing the entire battery development process. Researchers input experimental parameters and test results, while the platform’s relational database automatically links related data points. “We help organisations optimise r&d resources and speed up innovation,” explains Tea Pavlek of Uncountable. “Teams spend less time searching for data and more time solving problems.” Uncountable offers machine learning algorithms to analyse historical data, predict performance and suggest promising new experiments when engineers define new project requirements. The system compares past experiments against current goals, identifying material combinations that meet specific performance or cost targets. Lab technicians use the same platform to execute test protocols, with all results feeding back into the knowledge base, Pavlek explains. The platform offers both traceability and predictive power, Pavlek says. Every cell’s performance can be traced to its constituent materials and processing conditions. The AI tools help teams avoid dead ends by recognising patterns across thousands of experiments, she emphasises. Show report | The Battery Show Europe TE Connectivity now offers a full range of modular ACI800 EV charge connectors that support automated assembly, custom installations and ease of repair after an accident (Image courtesy of the author)
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