Laser Cutting Aluminum Capacitor Anodes to Reduce Deformation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The manufacturing process of aluminum electrolytic capacitors, which involves punching or stamping anodes, leads to issues like burrs, cracking, iron contamination, and increased leakage due to mechanical stress and steel die contamination, compromising capacitor quality and life.
Innovation Solution
The process involves performing oxide formation operations on a sheet of material followed by thermal compression and laser cutting to form anodes, which reduces deformation, eliminates mechanical damage, and minimizes iron contamination, while also allowing for precise control of laser cutting parameters to optimize anode extraction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If mechanical punching or stamping is used to form anodes, then productivity is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to burrs, cracking, and deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical punching/stamping with laser cutting technology. The laser beam precisely cuts anodes from metal sheets without physical contact, eliminating burrs, cracks, and deformation while maintaining high production speed. This substitution of mechanical systems with optical/thermal systems resolves the contradiction between productivity and manufacturing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent controls laser cutting parameters (power, speed, pulse duration) to optimize the cutting process. By adjusting these parameters, the laser can cleanly cut through the metal sheet and oxide layer without causing thermal damage or deformation, thereby achieving high precision while maintaining productivity.
2Productivity
If mechanical punching or stamping is used to form anodes, then productivity is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to cracks and particle contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical punching/stamping with laser cutting technology. The laser beam precisely cuts anodes from metal sheets without physical contact, eliminating burrs, cracks, and deformation while maintaining high production speed. This substitution of mechanical systems with optical/thermal systems resolves the contradiction between productivity and manufacturing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses the laser's thermal effect, which could potentially cause damage, to precisely control the cutting process. By carefully managing the laser parameters, the thermal energy is used to cleanly cut through the metal and oxide layer without causing cracks or contamination, converting a potential harm into a beneficial precision cutting tool.
3Ease of manufacture
If steel dies are used for punching or stamping, then ease of manufacture is improved, but object-affected harmful factors increase due to iron contamination and corrosion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical punching/stamping with laser cutting technology. The laser beam precisely cuts anodes from metal sheets without physical contact, eliminating burrs, cracks, and deformation while maintaining high production speed. This substitution of mechanical systems with optical/thermal systems resolves the contradiction between productivity and manufacturing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces laser cutting as an intermediary process between the metal sheet and the final anode product. This intermediary optical/thermal process eliminates direct contact with steel dies, preventing iron particle contamination while still achieving precise anode formation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method enhances the quality and reliability of capacitors by reducing deformation, increasing yield, and minimizing leakage, thereby improving the performance and longevity of capacitors used in applications like Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators.
Implementation Method 1
performing an oxide formation operation on a sheet of material. The oxide formation operation forms an anode metal oxide on an anode metal
Implementation Method 2
A thermal compression is performed on the sheet of material after the oxide formation operation is performed. The thermal compression applies thermal energy to the sheet of material while applying pressure to the sheet of material
Implementation Method 3
laser cutting the anode from a sheet of material. The laser cutting can be performed with any one, any two, any three, any four, any five, any six, or any seven parameters selected from the group consisting of a laser pulse duration greater than 0 s and less than a microsecond
Data Source
AI summary
Fabricating a capacitor includes obtaining a sheet of material having a first phase of an anode metal oxide on an anode metal. The anode metal oxide is an oxide of the anode metal. A portion of the first phase of the anode metal oxide is converted to a second phase of the anode metal oxide. At least a portion of the second phase of the anode metal oxide is removed from the sheet of material. In some instances, the first phase of the anode metal is converted to the second phase of the anode metal oxide as a result of the process used to extract a capacitor anode from the sheet of material.