Within the electric motors used in every electric vehicle, we find a key component in the design of high-performance EV motors: hairpins. Hairpins are thin metal strips that are used in the winding of stator in electric motors to reduce the resistance and increase the conductivity of the winding. This results in improved efficiency and higher power density of the motor.
Hairpins not only improve efficiency, they also help reduce the overall size and weight of the motor. This is because they allow for a more compact winding design, which means that fewer materials are needed to produce the same amount of power. The use of hairpins can also lead to improved thermal performance, as the reduced resistance results in lower heating of the winding and the surrounding components.
Various materials can be used in hairpin manufacturing, including copper and aluminum, with copper being the most common due to its high conductivity. Hairpins are covered with an insulating material, such as polyamdimid, polyetheretherketon, polyimid, polyurethane or polyesterimide. It is necessary to strip a part of the insulation before hairpins can be welded together.
The Advantages of Using Fiber Laser for Hairpin Applications
As the demand for electric vehicles continues to rise, EV manufacturers are challenged to produce hairpin motors with new design specifications which require improved methods for insulation stripping and welding of conductors. IPG fiber lasers offer advantages that conventional methods don’t for both steps in the electric motor manufacturing process.
