Laser Welding Machine

[rhino]

I see it being more profitable ordering new cells and welding studs on yourself, and less on repair work for sure.

I've had a couple welded busbars that I needed removed to Frankenstein a battery together. I just ripped the bus bars off, filed down the terminals and drilled/tapped them.

Beat me to it. I was wondering if it is a lot cheaper getting cells from China without any terminals on it.

 

[HighTechLab]

Beat me to it. I was wondering if it is a lot cheaper getting cells from China without any terminals on it.

The problem is sometimes the cells are great, but the third party in China doing the welding may do a sloppy job and make a mess. It’s also a chance to get your nice a grade cells mixed with b grade.

 

[Skypower]

The problem is sometimes the cells are great, but the third party in China doing the welding may do a sloppy job and make a mess. It’s also a chance to get your nice a grade cells mixed with b grade.

Lately I’ve gotten bad vibes about doing any large orders from China. I’d rather pay a bit more for something that’s already state side. Very uneasy political environment. I can’t be the only one thinking this in the back of their mind.

 

[Pi Curio]

Might be wiser to test the market for this first. That is, make an arrangement with a shop that has the tools for the job and hire them for batch runs.

If the idea pans out well, then it might be worth investing in tooling.

 

[Bluedog225]

Seems like a big no to me. You have so much going on with running a business. Fixing cells of unknown origin and condition seems like a mess with unhappy people on all sides of the transaction. What a headache it could turn into.

 

[Sky Fire Laser]

I've seen a lot of DIYers end up in a bind with laser welded terminals where something goes wrong and now they are out of luck and/or their favorite DIY cell is only available with weld-on terminals.

Being the nerd I am, I've bounced around the thought of buying a used IR laser welder (the same type they use for cells) for the shop. If we had some sort of "job-shop" type of service and could source custom, super high quality bolt terminals, offer repairs, or even assemble custom battery packs - would it catch anyone's interest?

Previously, being a welder by trade, it kills me deep down to see things get broken but not have the tools to put it back together. I see many guys that either break or get no terminals and can't put a cell to use because all the welding equipment is in China.

Just a super crazy Sunday night thought, but I'd love to see what the forum can take and imagine with it.

Hi Dexter,

This is Xiaodong from Sky Fire laser, a company specializing in the sales of laser equipment, accessories, and laser services. Recently, we've been planning a DIY handheld welding machine project. We'll provide a comprehensive checklist for making a fiber laser welding machine, detailed DIY processes, and we have related components available for sale on our website: www.alleriastore.com.

I noticed your background as a welder and thought you might be interested in this project. If you have a YouTube channel or other social media platforms, we'd love to sponsor some components for you. You could create videos showcasing your DIY welding machine process. We aim to collaborate and promote this project together. For every sale made using a dedicated discount code (e.g., "fromHighTechLab"), you would receive a commission.

You can check out a previous collaboration example with a YouTuber named Travis here: Travis's YouTube video.

Of course, if you have a different collaboration idea, we're open to hearing it. Looking forward to your thoughts!

 

[Quattrohead]

Okay Dexter, what will you charge me to weld a stud back onto a battery?
And what is the shipping cost likely to be from Florida to you and back?
Now what if I ask you to do four cells?
Hypothetical but real question to see whether it's actually financially viable or not.

 

[time2roll]

$39,000 right here: https://shop.ipgphotonics.com/lightweld-2000-xr-handheld-laserwelding-and-syshhwxr2000001u

$25 per terminal would be 1,560 repaired terminals to break even. With time and space probably 5,000 to repair to really make money.

After looking at the video it may have far more use for someone in the business than just repairing cell terminals.

 

[parksnorris]

I've seen a lot of DIYers end up in a bind with laser welded terminals where something goes wrong and now they are out of luck and/or their favorite DIY cell is only available with weld-on terminals.

Being the nerd I am, I've bounced around the thought of buying a used IR laser welder (the same type they use for cells) for the shop. If we had some sort of "job-shop" type of service and could source custom, super high quality bolt terminals, offer repairs, or even assemble custom battery packs - would it catch anyone's interest?

Previously, being a welder by trade, it kills me deep down to see things get broken but not have the tools to put it back together. I see many guys that either break or get no terminals and can't put a cell to use because all the welding equipment is in China.

Just a super crazy Sunday night thought for this HANTEN CNC, but I'd love to see what the forum can take and imagine with it.

I was looking at buying a gas bottle as I just got the bill for three years of rental, ouch! The French on line site that I buy stuff has what I want, so OK. Noticed that they have a laser welder. So clicked on that , out of interest. Welds most materials, then I saw the price!! 26,400 euro Is China trying to balance it's budget in short order??
Anybody any idea as to what the system involves? It looks like an inverter with an odd tig torch. Uses argon gas.

 

[Nobodybusiness]

Was this post spurred on by my post mentioning me popping the cap of of a Calb cell? That was totally my fault. My batteries were built to have mostly the same configuration and parts to about a 1/8 to 1/4 inch of tolerance. So on my second battery I was trying to get a chunky 4/0 cable to attach to the fuse block while it was already attached to the cell. Tolerances were working against me and too much pressure and the welds gave way. The first battery went together like a hand in a glove.

View attachment 148222
So in subsequent batteries I learn to spend more time with a vise along with a ratchet wire bender attachment and in the fetting process. Also to attach the wire to the fuse block (or shunt) FIRST. And then to the cell.

But yeah, the ability to get this repaired would be awesome. Could use it in a trolling motor battery if nothing else.

Edit: I think the one that I popped was actually the positive wire that connects to the contactor and cell 16 in the photo.

Edit 2: Only reason why I had them in that configuration was to fit eight of them in this cabinet:

View attachment 148224

Nice looking battery boxes and shelf.

I don’t have that kind of talent or patience..

 

[740GLE]

Shipping via USPS media mail, it’s just a heavy text book.

Just saying