Trump lasers make batteries safe and protect cars from rust

At the Parts2clean 2025 trade fair in Stuttgart, Trumpf showcased its broad portfolio of manufacturing solutions for surface processing, such as the TruPulse 5050 Nano short-pulse laser and the PFO33 scanner optics, as well as sample components for adhesive preparation and corrosion protection. "Selective surface processing with lasers is a clean and fast alternative to chemical processes in the automotive industry, for example to generate high adhesive strength of adhesives or coatings," says Volkan Yavuz, responsible for laser surface processing at Trumpf.

Safe batteries for electric cars thanks to laser technology

Laser technology ensures safe batteries in electric cars. Manufacturers have to coat or foil battery cells before gluing them into the battery modules or battery trays. The coating protects against short circuits and environmental influences, thereby increasing the safety and service life of the battery cells. Before applying the coating and adhesive, the manufacturers clean the cells and certain surfaces of the battery trays with short-pulse lasers. The extremely short light pulses hit the surface of the material without damaging the material itself. "Our lasers reliably remove oils, rust, oxides and other residues and ensure long-term stable adhesion of the coating and adhesive, without any aggressive chemicals or mechanical rubbing," says Yavuz. The lasers can be easily integrated into automated production lines.

Laser protects aluminum components from rust

The automotive industry is increasingly relying on large aluminum castings for car body construction. These parts are given a protective coating during casting to protect them from corrosion. However, further processing, such as milling, makes the components susceptible to corrosion. Trumpf has developed a solution for this: The laser homogenizes the surface through targeted remelting of a few micrometres and then rapid quenching. This makes the aluminum components resistant to corrosion. In tests in which the parts processed in this way were sprayed with salt water for hours, they showed no infiltration corrosion. Users use the PFO33 scanner optics with a pulsed laser from Trumpf's TruMicro Series 7000 to process large surfaces, such as aluminum components. The mirrors of the PFO33 move the laser pulses across the component at a speed of up to several meters per second. A local extraction system removes smoke, particles and aerosols that are produced during laser processing and could disrupt the machining process. Laser-based surface treatment offers considerable ecological advantages over conventional processes. The absence of chemicals reduces environmental pollution and disposal costs. Contactless processing minimizes tool wear and material waste. In addition, energy-efficient, targeted processing with the laser reduces the carbon footprint in production.