One of the core drive components is the electric motor. Our highly integrated and scalable copper welding processes are already industry standard and play a decisive role in the quality of the contacting, thereby achieving the maximum possible range for the vehicle. Electrified drives have the advantage that the torque is available almost immediately. However, this does mean that the drive components must be able to withstand higher dynamic demands. For this reason, laser processes for high-tensile materials are an absolute must during production. TRUMPF advises its customers on planned applications of all drive components and checks concrete application cases. Our lasers offer the precision and productivity required – even for high quantities. No matter which assembly it is – a differential, hairpin, busbar, rotor shaft, gear wheel, stator or its housing – laser processing makes the more compact design of electric drives possible in the first place.
Compared to conventional drives, electrified powertrains are heavily exposed to other operating conditions. For example, due to the high torques of the e-drives, direct stress is placed on the components, putting them under strain. Lasers make it possible to weld high-tensile steels with tear-resistant seams. Modulated laser welding opens up totally new areas of application, realising further lightweight construction potential.
In order to prepare hairpin welding, our customers use TRUMPF short-pulse lasers that ablate the layer of insulating paint, without damaging the copper underneath it. The procedure provides more precise and faster results than mechanical stripping processes, and intelligent sensor systems ensure precise seams and top quality when welding hairpins. Thanks to the high level of reproducibility of laser welding processes, our customers achieve consistently high-tensile connections with a good level of conductivity – and this in high quantities as well.
TRUMPF lasers weld housings of differential gears with bevel gears safely, flexibly and without contact. They facilitate the creation of hybrid material connections for lightweight construction. The most common of these is the combination of cast iron and case-hardened steel. The highly precise joining technologies using lasers also help to considerably reduce unwanted running noises from the differential gear during operation.
TRUMPF lasers can partially harden heavily stressed components. Compared to conventional hardening processes (in ovens, for example), hardening with a laser is characterised by a very high level of energy efficiency. As the energy input by the laser is locally restricted, there is less distortion of the complete component overall. This reduces the number of rejects; production is optimised.
TRUMPF is accelerating tried-and-tested laser metal deposition considerably with the new EHLA procedure ("extremely high-speed laser metal deposition"). This makes it possible to coat larger components such as brake disks at over 250 square centimetres per minute. This coating reduces the fine particulate abrasion and wear to the brake disk. This increases downtimes, and the brake disk is protected from corrosion at the same time. This is particularly important as electric cars brake less, making the brake disks especially susceptible to rust.
Would you like to know how we can provide you with optimum support on your path to electromobility? Benefit from the automotive expertise of our industry experts.
Regardless of whether electrical steels or aluminium die casting are to be welded, our TruDisk lasers can be used very flexibly in almost every powertrain application thanks to their high beam quality and unique disc laser characteristics. They provide reproducible process results and high throughput times. The TruMicro short-pulse and ultrashort pulse lasers from TRUMPF are also used for laser-cleaning of sealing surfaces in stator housings. Regardless of the actual beam source and the specific application – you will always get everything from one source at TRUMPF – advice, application development, all laser equipment and service.
TRUMPF can draw on a great wealth of experience of countless gearbox and e-drive applications and projects. We can therefore offer extensive consultation services in laser-compatible construction and optimisation, even in the design phase and for existing products. We help you to select the right material and develop perfect processes, including all specifications unique to the production such as distortion, cycle times or tolerances.
We see ourselves as your application consultant and enabler for new production opportunities. Benefit from our consolidated industrial expertise and our decades of experience as a laser pioneer.
Take advantage of a consultation with our experts and our worldwide laboratory and service network. Whether you need service or application development – we are where you are.
Spanning an area of over 4,000 m², the TRUMPF Laser Applications Center in Ditzingen is one of the largest laser application centres in the world. Using your actual component, our application specialists and industry experts will support you during application development and optimisation in the Laser Applications Center – with our extensive portfolio of versatile laser processing systems.
