IP Library Granted Patent US 12,424,608
Granted Patent B2
US 12,424,608 · App. 17/708,251 · Granted Sep 23, 2025

Method and device for producing a component for a battery cell and such a component

Inventors: Dennis Böhm (Wolfenbüttel, DE); Alexander Breuer (Celle, DE); Talia Batres Hermosillo (Braunschweig, DE)
Assignee: PowerCo SE
H01M4/043H01M4/0471H01M4/134H01M4/1395H01M2004/021
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,424,608
App. No.
17/708,251
Granted
Sep 23, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method for manufacturing a component, the component having a multiplicity of cell foils for storing electrical energy that are stacked on top of one another and at least one contact plate, wherein the cell foils form a foil stack in a connection portion, and the foil stack is connected to the contact plate by at least one weld seam for the electrical contacting of the cell foils via the contact plate. Furthermore, a corresponding component and a device for manufacturing such a component are also specified.

Claims (34)

1. A method for manufacturing a component, the component having a multiplicity of cell foils stacked on top of one another for storing electrical energy and at least one contact plate, wherein the cell foils form a foil stack in a connection portion, and the foil stack is connected to the contact plate by at least one weld seam for the electrical contacting of the cell foils via the contact plate, wherein the method for producing the at least one weld seam comprises at least the following steps:

providing the cell foils, and arranging the foil stack with a stack height;

providing the contact plate;

compacting at least the foil stack by means of a compaction device, wherein the compacting takes place by applying a pressure to the foil stack, which is superposed with an ultrasonic excitation;

arranging the foil stack and the contact plate relative to one another in a connecting position;

generating a negative pressure at least in a connecting region of the foil stack and contact plate by means of a vacuum device;

connecting the foil stack to the contact plate in the connecting region via the at least one weld seam produced using a laser welding process in the presence of the negative pressure.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the vacuum device comprises at least one chamber in which at least the foil stack and the contact plate are arranged.

3. A method for manufacturing a component, the component having a multiplicity of cell foils stacked on top of one another for storing electrical energy and at least one contact plate, wherein the cell foils form a foil stack in a connection portion, and the foil stack is connected to the contact plate by at least one weld seam for the electrical contacting of the cell foils via the contact plate, wherein the method for producing the at least one weld seam comprises at least the following steps:

providing the cell foils, and arranging the foil stack with a stack height;

providing the contact plate;

compacting at least the foil stack by means of a compaction device;

arranging the foil stack and the contact plate relative to one another in a connecting position;

generating a negative pressure at least in a connecting region of the foil stack and contact plate by means of a vacuum device, wherein the vacuum device comprises a first device part and a second device part, each of which forms a sealing surface with at least the foil stack or the contact plate, so that the vacuum device forms at least two chambers, in each of which at least one negative pressure is generated, and each chamber being formed at least partially at least by the foil stack or by the contact plate;

connecting the foil stack to the contact plate in the connecting region via the at least one weld seam produced using a laser welding process in the presence of the negative pressure.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1 ,

wherein the foil stack is formed by a plurality of foils arranged one on top of the other,

wherein each foil has a first thickness, and the foils that are stacked on top of one another having the respective first thickness form the stack height, and

wherein the first thickness is between 4 and 30 μm and each foil of the foil stack comprises at least 99.0% by weight of either copper or aluminum.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the stack height is formed by at least ten foils stacked on top of one another.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the contact plate in the connecting region has a second thickness of between 0.2 and 3 millimeters and comprises at least 99.0% by weight of either copper or aluminum.

7. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the contact plate has a coating which has a third thickness of no more than 2 μm and which comprises at least 99.0% by weight of nickel.

8. A method for manufacturing a component, the component having a multiplicity of cell foils stacked on top of one another for storing electrical energy and at least one contact plate, wherein the cell foils form a foil stack in a connection portion, and the foil stack is connected to the contact plate by at least one weld seam for the electrical contacting of the cell foils via the contact plate, wherein the method for producing the at least one weld seam comprises at least the following steps:

providing the cell foils, and arranging the foil stack with a stack height;

providing the contact plate;

compacting at least the foil stack by means of a compaction device;

arranging the foil stack and the contact plate relative to one another in a connecting position;

generating a negative pressure at least in a connecting region of the foil stack and contact plate by means of a vacuum device;

connecting the foil stack to the contact plate in the connecting region via the at least one weld seam produced using a laser welding process in the presence of the negative pressure, wherein the negative pressure in the connecting region is less than 30 mbar.

9. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the at least one weld seam is produced by a laser beam with a wavelength of between 405 and 575 nm.

10. A device for manufacturing a component, the component having a multiplicity of cell foils for storing electrical energy that are stacked on top of one another and at least one contact plate, wherein the cell foils form a foil stack in a connection portion, and the foil stack is connected to the contact plate by at least one weld seam for the electrical contacting of the cell foils via the contact plate; wherein the device is appropriately designed for carrying out the method as set forth in claim 1 and, for the purpose of producing the at least one weld seam, comprises at least

one compaction device for compacting at least the foil stack,

one vacuum device for generating a negative pressure at least in a connecting region of the foil stack and contact plate, and

one laser device for connecting the foil stack to the contact plate in the connecting region via at least one weld seam produced using a laser welding process in the presence of the negative pressure.

Assignments (2)
NUNC PRO TUNC ASSIGNMENT Recorded Mar 27, 2025
From: VOLKSWAGEN AG
To: POWERCO SE
Reel/Frame 070665/0142 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 29, 2022
From: BÖHM, DENNIS; BREUER, ALEXANDER; BATRES HERMOSILLO, TALIA
To: VOLKSWAGEN AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
Reel/Frame 059712/0928 →
Priority Claims (1)
DE 10 2021 108 104.1 · Mar 30, 2021 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20220320478A1 · Oct 6, 2022
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