Several international industrial research institutions have jointly issued the 2026 In-depth Global Report on Ultrasonic Metal Welding Equipment Market. Data from the report reveals that ultrasonic metal welding technology has attained a global penetration rate exceeding 95% for lithium-ion battery tab welding. It has completely replaced traditional resistance welding and laser welding to become the standardized mainstream process for cell tab connection.
I. Core Drivers of Rapid Penetration Growth
Superior process performance meets the demands of high-end lithium battery manufacturingAs a solid-state cold welding technology, ultrasonic metal welding produces an extremely narrow heat-affected zone. When welding multi-layer copper and aluminum foils as well as ultra-thin tabs, it avoids separator burnout and welding spatter while maintaining stable internal resistance at welding points. This makes it ideal for mass production of 4680 large cylindrical batteries, blade batteries, pouch power batteries and energy storage cells. In comparison, resistance welding tends to burn separators due to high heat, and laser welding brings hidden troubles such as oxidation and cold solder joints, both of which are gradually phased out by leading battery manufacturers.
Outstanding advantages in cost reduction and efficiency improvement for mass productionCompared with traditional welding solutions, ultrasonic metal welding equipment requires no solder, shielding gas or frequent electrode replacement, slashing overall consumable costs by more than 90% and greatly cutting annual operation and power expenses for each production line. Models equipped with servo automatic frequency tracking and real-time AI online inspection can finish a single welding spot in just 0.2 seconds, fully compatible with high-speed automated stacking and winding production lines.
Global expansion of new energy production capacity pushes unified process standardsNumerous new production lines for power and energy storage batteries have been put into operation worldwide in 2026. Top domestic and overseas battery enterprises have uniformly adopted ultrasonic tab welding as the standard process. As the core lithium battery manufacturing base, the Asia-Pacific region records a penetration rate close to 98%. All newly built energy storage and EV battery factories in Europe and North America adopt ultrasonic welding solutions.
II. Market Landscape of Segmented Equipment
The report notes that high-power servo ultrasonic metal welding machines dedicated to tab welding are the major growth driver of the market, with global shipments surging 21.7% year-on-year in 2026. Thanks to cost-effective performance and customized rapid service, domestic ultrasonic welding equipment brands keep expanding their global market share, accelerating the progress of import substitution.Three product categories witness the fastest demand growth: multi-layer tab spot welding machines, integrated busbar welding machines and composite current collector rolling welding equipment.
III. Long-term Industry Forecast
Industry analysts state that with the industrialization of sodium-ion batteries and solid-state batteries, tabs will become thinner and multi-layer composite structures will become mainstream, further consolidating the irreplaceable technical strengths of ultrasonic metal welding. It is projected that the penetration rate of ultrasonic welding in global lithium battery production lines will reach nearly 98% by 2027, and resistance welding will only be retained for niche scenarios of low-end small consumer batteries.
Meanwhile, equipment manufacturers will continuously upgrade high-power integrated automatic welding workstations with digital MES data docking functions to satisfy the demand for intelligent and low-carbon production transformation of battery factories.
