Tab welding

Example

Use in Lemonergy

Place operations and quality checks in process order.

This is a reference concept. No executable Lemonergy block has been verified for this term.

Learn it in Lesson 3 · Cell production →

Connected concepts

Related concepts from the knowledge graph. Connections show context, not cause and effect. Hover or focus a linked term for its definition.

Internal resistance

The resistance a cell presents to current, from its foils, electrolyte, interfaces and the reactions themselves. It converts part of the delivered energy into heat, sets the voltage drop under load, and rises as the cell ages; a large automotive cell has about a milliohm, a small cylindrical cell tens.

Laser welding

Joining metal with a focused laser beam, used to seal cans, attach caps and connect busbars to cell terminals. It is fast and precise but sensitive to gaps and reflectivity, so copper joints need special wavelengths or beam shaping.

Tab

The strip of metal that connects an electrode’s foil to the cell terminal: nickel or copper on the negative side, aluminium on the positive. Tab count and width set much of a cell’s resistance and heat generation.

Tab pull-strength test

Pulling a welded tab or busbar joint until it breaks, recording the peak force and where the break occurred, to verify weld quality. It is destructive, so samples are taken from each batch or shift; failure through the parent foil rather than at the weld interface indicates a sound joint.

Ultrasonic welding

Joining metals by pressing them together and vibrating one part at ultrasonic frequency, so friction scrubs the surfaces clean and bonds them below the melting point. It is the standard way to weld stacks of thin aluminium and copper foil.

References & further reading

Technical references

1. Current and future lithium-ion battery manufacturing

   Yangtao Liu, Ruihan Zhang, Jun Wang, Yan Wang · iScience · 2021

   Technical reference · Electrode preparation, cell assembly, formation and manufacturing trade-offs.