High-Power Fiber Laser Cutting for 50-mm-Thick Cement-Based Materials

This experimental research highlights the applicability of laser cutting to cement-based materials using multimode fiber lasers. A 9 kW multimode fiber laser is used, and the experimental variables are the water-to-cement ratio, laser speed, and material compositions such as cement paste, cement mortar and ultra high performance concrete (UHPC). The laser cutting performance on the cement-based materials is investigated in the downward laser direction. The kerf width and penetration depth of the cement-based materials are quantitatively evaluated with the parameters in the surface and cross section of the specimens after the laser cutting. Moreover, the material removal zone of each specimen is compared in terms of the penetration shapes in the cross-sectional view. Based on experimental observations, the interaction mechanism between the laser and cement-based materials is proposed

Microstructural Characteristics of Cement-Based Materials Fabricated Using Multi-Mode Fiber Laser

Cement-based materials are the most prevalent construction materials, and the conventional cutting techniques are still mostly used for fabricating the materials. However, these conventional cutting methods could generate undesirable micro-cracks and remove unintentional structural sections. This experimental study aims to evaluate the effects of the new fabricating method using laser on the microstructural characteristics of the cement-based materials. The experimental variables are laser cutting speed, water to cement ratio and material compositions. In order to compare the microstructure before and after the laser interaction, the microstructure of the cut surface is observed through scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-Ray (SEM/EDX). After the laser interaction, the Material Removed Zone (MRZ) and Heat Affected Zone (HAZ) are observed on the cut surface. In MRZ, it is found that the glassy layer is thickened by an increasing amount of silicate-based materials in cement-based materials. In addition, it concluded that the amount of silicate-based material mixed in the cement-based materials affects the laser cutting quality

Investigation of Laser Cutting Width of LiCoO2 Coated Aluminum for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Lithium-ion batteries are widely used for many applications such as portable electronic devices and Electric Vehicles, because they have lighter weight, higher energy density, higher power density, and a higher energy-to-weight ratio than other types of batteries. Conventional contact-based cutting technology may be inefficient whenever cell design is changed since lithium-ion battery cells are not standardized. Furthermore, the conventional cutting may result in process instability and a poor cut quality due to the tool wear so that it leads to short circuits and local heat generation. These process instability and inefficiency may be solved by laser cutting due to advantages such as clean cutting edge, less deformation, applicability to almost all materials, possibility of precision processing, and easy modification of cutting path. Despite the importance of the laser cutting research, no clear definition of cutting widths has been presented, and there is lack of knowledge to understand the effect of laser parameters on cutting widths. Therefore, this research examines the surface of cathode cut by a laser and defines cutting widths such as top width, melting width, and kerf width. The relationship between the laser parameters and cutting characteristics with defined widths are studied. When the volume energy is less than 6.0172 × 10 10 J / m 3 , no active electrode material is removed. When the laser power is greater or equal to 100 W, both the top and melting widths are clearly observed. The laser power of 50 W can selectively ablate the active electrode material with the material removal rate of 32.14–55.71 mm 3 / min . The threshold volume energy to fully penetrate the 50 μm-thick current collector is between 9.6275 × 10 10 – 8.0229 × 10 10 J / m 3 . All clearance width is less than 20 μm, while the clearance width interestingly exceeds 20 μm when the laser power is 200 W. The effect of material properties on heat transfer using the one dimensional transient semi-infinite conduction model is investigated. In addition, five types of physical characteristics are defined and discussed

Modeling of High Speed Remote Laser Cutting of Electrodes for Lithium-ion Batteries.

This research investigates the underlying physics of the laser cutting of electrodes for lithium-ion batteries and validates important findings experimentally. The mathematical model considers heat transfer, mass transfer, fluid flow, melting, solidification, evaporation, kinetic Knudsen layers, multiple reflections, free surface evolution, and composite materials. First, the developed model is applied to investigate effects of laser beam modes on the laser-material interaction. Cylindrical TEM00, TEM01*, TEM22, and Top-hat laser beam are selected. Overall characteristics such as, response time, depth, width, and absorptivity of the proposed cases are investigated. The criteria of keyhole collapse are quantitatively obtained. The result indicates that the TEM00 and Top-hat laser beam cases are more efficient for the laser cutting process. Second, the model is applied to the laser cutting of current collectors. Laser parameter thresholds for cutting are obtained. Moreover, L/V interface geometry, melt pool flow, and temperature distribution are examined. The analysis shows interaction characteristics of current collectors with the laser. Furthermore, results present the formation of crests and two consecutive deep penetration holes as well as explain possibilities of forming a spatter, recast layer, and a neck. Third, the model is applied to the laser cutting of electrodes. Interesting results near the material interface between current collectors and active electrode materials are observed. For the anode, the L/V interface in the graphite region shows a smooth and clean surface, and a two-level surface is observed near the material interface. For the cathode, the deep penetration hole shows an uneven surface, crests, and a protrusion in the LiCoO2 region. The narrower deep penetration hole forms near the material interface. Finally, experimental results are presented. The kerf widths are compared near thresholds of the laser cutting of current collectors. The kerf width of electrodes and composition change along the cut surface of electrodes are validated. The theoretical prediction shows a reasonable agreement with experimental observations. Moreover, the optimum range of laser parameters providing both high speed and high quality cutting are obtained. The proposed model can be utilized to predict and prevent defects, thermal stress, significant heat generation, and eventually catastrophic failures of the entire module.PHDMechanical EngineeringUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/96088/1/keyenlee_1.pd

Investigation of Physical Phenomena and Cutting Efficiency for Laser Cutting on Anode for Li-Ion Batteries

Lithium-ion batteries have a higher energy density than other secondary batteries. Among the lithium-ion battery manufacturing process, electrode cutting is one of the most important processes since poor cut quality leads to performance degradation, separator protrusion, and local electric stress concentration. This may, eventually, lead to malfunction of lithium-ion batteries or explosion. The current mechanical cutting technology uses a contact process and this may lead to process instability. Furthermore, there are additional costs if the tools and cell design are changed. To solve these issues, laser cutting has been used. Conventional dependent parameters have limitations in investigating and explaining many physical phenomena during the laser cutting of electrodes. Therefore, this study proposes specific widths such as melting, top, and kerf width. Moreover, the relationship between laser parameters and multiphysical phenomena with the proposed widths are investigated. Five types of classification with regard to physical phenomena are presented and explained with SEM images. Cutting efficiency is estimated with the proposed widths. The proposed specific cutting widths, five types of geometrical classification, and cutting efficiency can be used as standardized parameters to evaluate the cutting quality

Experimental Investigation of Laser Ablation Characteristics on Nickel-Coated Beryllium Copper

As electronic products are miniaturized, the components of the spring contact probe are made very fine. Current mechanical processing may make it difficult to perform micro-machining with a high degree of precision. A laser is often used for the high precision micro-machining due to its advantages such as a contact-free process, high energy concentration, fast processing time, and applicability to almost every material. The production of micro-electronics using nickel-coated copper is rapidly increasing and laser material processing is becoming a key processing technology owing to high precision requirements. Before applying laser material processing, it is necessary to understand the ablation characteristics of the materials. Therefore, this study systematically investigates the ablation characteristics of nickel-coated beryllium copper. Key laser parameters are pulse duration (4~200 ns) and the total accumulated energy (1~1000 mJ). The processed workpiece is evaluated by analyzing the heat affected zone (HAZ), material removal zone (MRZ), and roundness. Moreover, the surface characteristics such as a burr, spatter, and roundness shapes are analyzed using scanning electron microscope (SEM)

Understanding of BeCu Interaction Characteristics with a Variation of ns Laser-Pulse Duration

An inspection process using a Spring Contact Probe (SCP) is an essential step in the semiconductor-manufacturing process. Many plungers, which are the main body of the SCP, are manufactured by a stamping process. After the stamping process, mechanical cutting is applied and the plunger body may be damaged. Thus, to improve cut quality and productivity while minimizing body damage, laser spot cutting can be used. To fully utilize this technology, it is necessary to investigate interaction characteristics of beryllium copper (BeCu) during laser spot cutting. Effects of a total irradiated laser-pulse energy (1 mJ ~1000 mJ ) and pulse duration (100 ns ~8 ns ) on the material-removal zone, thermal depth, and crater size are examined. The crater size can be affected by the localization of heating dominantly. An incubation model is applied to investigate the correlation between crater size and laser-pulse energy. Surface morphology characteristics such as edge separation, small particles, spatter motion, and soaring-up motion are observed

Laser Cutting Characteristics on Uncompressed Anode for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Lithium-ion batteries are actively used for many applications due to many advantages. Although electrodes are important during laser cutting, most laser cutting studies use commercially available electrodes. Thus, effects of electrodes characteristics on laser cutting have not been effectively studied. Since the electrodes’ characteristics can be manipulated in the laboratory, this study uses an uncompressed anode on laser cutting for the first time. Using the lab-made anode, this study identifies laser cutting characteristics of the uncompressed anode. First, the absorption coefficients of graphite and copper in the ultraviolet, visible, and infrared range are measured. The measured absorptivity of the graphite and copper at the wavelength of 1070 nm is 88.25% and 1.92%, respectively. In addition, cutting phenomena can be categorized in five regions: excessive cutting, proper cutting, defective cutting, excessive ablation, and proper ablation. The five regions are composed of a combination of multi-physical phenomena, such as ablation of graphite, melting of copper, evaporation of copper, and explosive boiling of copper. In addition, the top width varies in the order of 10 μm and 1 μm when applying high and low volume energy, respectively. The logarithmic relationship between the melting width and the volume laser energy was found

Investigation of Laser Cutting Width of LiCoO2 Coated Aluminum for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Lithium-ion batteries are widely used for many applications such as portable electronic devices and Electric Vehicles, because they have lighter weight, higher energy density, higher power density, and a higher energy-to-weight ratio than other types of batteries. Conventional contact-based cutting technology may be inefficient whenever cell design is changed since lithium-ion battery cells are not standardized. Furthermore, the conventional cutting may result in process instability and a poor cut quality due to the tool wear so that it leads to short circuits and local heat generation. These process instability and inefficiency may be solved by laser cutting due to advantages such as clean cutting edge, less deformation, applicability to almost all materials, possibility of precision processing, and easy modification of cutting path. Despite the importance of the laser cutting research, no clear definition of cutting widths has been presented, and there is lack of knowledge to understand the effect of laser parameters on cutting widths. Therefore, this research examines the surface of cathode cut by a laser and defines cutting widths such as top width, melting width, and kerf width. The relationship between the laser parameters and cutting characteristics with defined widths are studied. When the volume energy is less than 6.0172 × 10 10 J / m 3 , no active electrode material is removed. When the laser power is greater or equal to 100 W, both the top and melting widths are clearly observed. The laser power of 50 W can selectively ablate the active electrode material with the material removal rate of 32.14–55.71 mm 3 / min . The threshold volume energy to fully penetrate the 50 μm-thick current collector is between 9.6275 × 10 10 – 8.0229 × 10 10 J / m 3 . All clearance width is less than 20 μm, while the clearance width interestingly exceeds 20 μm when the laser power is 200 W. The effect of material properties on heat transfer using the one dimensional transient semi-infinite conduction model is investigated. In addition, five types of physical characteristics are defined and discussed

Dataset demonstrating effects of momentum transfer on sizing of current collector for lithium-ion batteries during laser cutting

Material properties of copper and aluminum required for the numerical simulation are presented. Electrodes used for the (paper) are depicted. This study describes the procedures of how penetration depth, width, and absorptivity are obtained from the simulation. In addition, a file format extracted from the simulation to visualize 3D distribution of temperature, velocity, and melt pool geometry is presented