The Laser Knife consists of a path- and force-controlled hold-down device that brings the two surfaces to be soldered together in a defined manner and a laser that enables the temperature to be applied without contact. The temperature-controlled laser is equipped with an integrated pyrometer and a camera and guarantees the user maximum process stability, quality and traceability. The Laser Knife enables optimum results when soldering flex foils, cable strands, ribbon cables and battery pins. The soldering process is characterized by high quality results and high reproducibility, combined with high energy efficiency and process speed. For high-volume production in particular, the Laser Knife enables cycle time-optimized soldering for various end products. Depending on the product and application, extremely short cycle times of up to ≥0.5 seconds per solder joint are possible.
The laser can massively accelerate the soldering process without any loss of reproducibility or quality of results. Depending on the component, the Laser Knife is 10 times faster than the thermode soldering process, for example. A reduction in energy consumption of 70 % can also be achieved. In addition, no product-specific thermode molds or Kapton bands are required. There is also no need to convert the process head or production system due to a change in production. The Laser Knife can be converted for new or additional products with little effort, giving the customer maximum benefit from the system. In addition, the thermode has limits in terms of geometry size due to the technical possibilities. This limitation no longer plays a role when using the Laser Knife. The non-contact soldering of the surfaces and the elimination of thermode abrasion also reduces the maintenance and service costs for the entire module.
Another important aspect is the reduction in consumable requirements through the use of the Laser Knife. The soldering process requires a minimum amount of solder and flux, as solder and flux deposits are provided by the previous reflow soldering process.
