Battery production plays a pivotal role in global industrial and climate policies. As the demand for energy storage solutions—both for electromobility and stationary applications—continues to rise, the need for efficient, sustainable, and regionally independent manufacturing becomes increasingly critical.
However, companies operating in the battery sector face significant challenges due to the complex business and regulatory landscape. The reliance on key raw materials such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel has heightened geopolitical tensions, while global crises and rising transportation costs continue to disrupt supply chains. In response, Europe must establish a resilient battery value chain that encompasses raw material extraction, advanced processing, and recycling—especially considering that used batteries represent Germany’s largest domestic lithium resource. Furthermore, manufacturers must adapt production processes to accommodate emerging battery technologies, including solid-state and sodium-ion designs, ensuring long-term investment security.
To overcome these challenges, cutting-edge technologies will be essential for the future of battery production in Europe. In particular, laser technology stands out as a key enabler, offering solutions that enhance efficiency, precision, and sustainability. From material processing and electrode fabrication to battery recycling, innovative laser-based methods are set to play a crucial role in developing a competitive and environmentally responsible battery industry in Europe.
Advancing Sustainable Battery Production Through Material Refinement and Laser Technology
Battery production relies on key materials like lithium and nickel, which enable high energy densities but pose extraction challenges. To reduce dependence on rare materials, manufacturers are developing alternatives. CATL introduced sodium-ion and cobalt-free LFP batteries, while Toyota, Nissan, and other automakers are advancing solid-state battery technologies.
Material refinement at the nano level plays a crucial role in improving battery performance. The Fraunhofer ILT’s Surface Technology and Ablation Department leverages modern laser technologies to optimize material structures while minimizing resource consumption. A collaboration between Fraunhofer ILT, RWTH Aachen University, TRUMPF, and DESY has demonstrated that using green-wavelength lasers in welding improves material efficiency and reduces waste.
Dr. Alexander Olowinsky of Fraunhofer ILT emphasizes that these innovations in laser technology are key to overcoming raw material challenges and ensuring sustainable, competitive battery production in Europe.
Electrode production: innovations for sustainable production
Electrode production is critical for battery performance, but conventional drying methods using convection ovens are energy-intensive and space-consuming. The IDEEL project, funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research, has demonstrated that laser drying significantly improves efficiency. By using a high-power diode laser in a roll-to-roll process, energy consumption is reduced, drying speed is doubled, and space requirements are halved. Existing convection ovens can also be retrofitted with this laser technology.
Fraunhofer ILT is further enhancing battery production with multi-beam optics, which enable precise structuring of lithium-ion battery anodes to boost energy density and fast-charging capabilities. Additionally, researchers are integrating artificial intelligence into manufacturing to optimize process parameters, improve quality, and move towards autonomous production.
Dr. Samuel Moritz Fink of Fraunhofer ILT highlights that laser drying and AI-driven innovations will play a key role in making battery production more sustainable and efficient.
Cell assembly: precision and efficiency through innovative technologies
In addition to drying the electrodes, the precise joining of the electrode materials also plays a central role in the performance and reliability of batteries. Laser microwelding has established itself as a key technology here since it can join materials such as copper and aluminum, essential for battery electrodes, without contacting them and at high precision. Thanks to the low thermal load, the sensitive cell chemistry remains intact, while the electrical conductivity is optimized through reduced contact resistance. Laser microwelding provides a combination of flexibility and efficiency that traditional welding processes cannot match.
The requirements for laser microwelding vary depending on the cell format, as each cell type presents specific challenges when it comes to contacting. Cylindrical cells require a precise welding depth to ensure electrical conductivity, on the one hand, and to prevent damage due to overheating, on the other. Contacting the negative pole poses particular challenges, as excessive heat can damage the sensitive polymer seal, which could result in electrolyte leakage. In the case of pouch cells, which are characterized by their flexible design and high energy density, welding through the sensitive film coating must be avoided.
One promising development in cell assembly can be found the XProLas project, which TRUMPF is carrying out in collaboration with Fraunhofer ILT and other partners. They aim to develop compact, laser-driven X-ray sources that enable on-site quality testing directly at the manufacturer’s premises, instead of using large particle accelerators as was previously the case. This new technology makes it possible to analyze battery cells in real time, allowing both the charging and discharging processes and the material quality to be monitored precisely. This method opens up new possibilities, especially when the cathode material needs to be examined; the material determines battery performance and durability. “By using brilliant X-ray sources, we can detect impurities and material defects at an early stage and, thus, significantly shorten development times,” explains Dipl.-Ing. Hans-Dieter Hoffmann, head of the Lasers and Optical Systems Department at Fraunhofer ILT.
Here, too, the integration of artificial intelligence opens up additional potential: AI-supported systems can monitor and adjust process parameters in real time. With it deviations can be detected and corrected at an early stage, creating the basis for autonomous production. The vision of “first-time-right” production, in which all components are assembled without errors in the first run, is, therefore, within reach.
Module and pack production: efficiency and precision through laser technologies
The individual cells are then connected to form modules or packs. Precision plays a decisive role at the module level in particular as several weld seams need to be integrated without increasing the thermal load on the sensitive cells. Laser processes such as microwelding enable users to adapt their processes to these requirements in a tailored manner.
One of Fraunhofer ILT’s key innovations is the development of processes that can be used to safely and precisely join aluminum and copper – two materials with very different physical properties. Using state-of-the-art laser beam guidance, the institute’s engineers can control welding depth so as not to damage sensitive cells.
“This technology is essential for the production of modules and packs that have to function reliably under extreme conditions, such as high currents and thermal loads,” explains Olowinsky. One example of this is the laser welding of large cylindrical cells, which the Aachen-based institute has continued to develop together with partners such as EAS Batteries GmbH. Here, they are paying attention to generating a stable and durable interconnection between the cells to ensure a long service life and low failure rates.
In addition to laser welding, laser soldering has become established, particularly for joining heat-sensitive components. This process works at lower temperatures than traditional welding methods and, thus, protects sensitive electronics within the modules, making not only the battery packs more reliable, but also production more energy efficient.
Battery management and sensor integration: intelligence for future-proof battery systems
Battery management is one of the central challenges of modern energy storage systems. The safety, longevity and performance of batteries depend largely on it – and not least the acceptance of electromobility. Advances in sensor integration and the use of AI provide transformative opportunities to meet these requirements.
Traditionally, batteries are monitored at a macroscopic level, but this only offers limited insights into the complex processes within the cells. This is where the integration of sensor technology during production offers new possibilities. Researchers at Fraunhofer ILT print sensors directly onto components or even integrate the smart measuring devices into them. These sensors make real-time monitoring possible, such as measuring temperatures, forces or even chemical changes within the batteries when in use.
“With additively manufactured sensors, we can continuously monitor the condition of the battery modules and react to potential defects at an early stage,” explains Samuel Fink. These sensors are only a few micrometers thick, precise and resistant to mechanical and thermal stress, all of which make them ideal for use in the battery and in battery modules. Their ability to provide continuous data enables predictive maintenance, which detects potential defects before they occur.
However, the integration of sensor technology alone is not enough to implement predictive maintenance. Sensors can detect changes in cell chemistry, while AI algorithms analyze this data and make predictions about the service life of the cells. Researchers in the Data Science and Measurement Technology Department at Fraunhofer ILT are developing such AI-supported algorithms that analyze large amounts of data from sensors in real time. These systems also make it possible to dynamically adapt processes, for example by optimizing temperature profiles during cell assembly or adjusting laser welding parameters.
Recycling and reuse: the path to a circular economy in battery technology
Along with the boom in battery technology, the need for sustainable strategies to recover valuable raw materials is also growing. An effective circular economy is essential to reduce dependence on primary raw materials while minimizing the environmental impact of battery production.
In the EU project ADIR, Fraunhofer ILT is working with eight project partners from three countries to develop a sustainable recycling concept for electronic devices. The ACROBAT project aims to develop a plan for recycling lithium iron phosphate batteries before they penetrate the market on a large scale. The aim of the project is to recover more than 90 percent of the critical materials. Together with partners such as Accurec Recycling, Fraunhofer ILT is working on innovative separation and processing methods that are both ecologically and economically sustainable. The laser experts in Aachen are developing an inline characterization method to precisely evaluate the quality of the active material.
With its own laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) process, the institute can precisely identify and separate complex material compositions. The researchers want to adapt this technology for the recycling of used batteries to further improve the recovery of metals such as cobalt and tantalum. Here, too, AI can be integrated to analyze the large amounts of data from laser measurements and optimize the process in real time. This AI-supported monitoring enables dynamic adjustment of the recycling parameters, which reduces waste and increases the quality of the recycled raw materials.
Conclusion and outlook
Battery production is at the heart of the electromobility transition and, thus, the focus of innovations that combine efficiency, sustainability and technological excellence. The technologies and developments presented along the production chain show how state-of-the-art laser processes can pave the way for a sustainable and competitive battery industry: from raw material preparation and electrode production to cell assembly and recycling. At the same time, AI-supported analysis and control systems create a new dimension of process control that improves production quality and sustainability and further reduces production costs.
In the future, AI-supported control loops could enable autonomous production in which processes adapt to changing conditions in real time. In addition, laser-driven X-ray sources and inline characterization technologies open up new possibilities for quality assurance and material analysis.
