Gasgoo Munich- TE Connectivity ("TE") and Shanghai SBT Ultrasonic Technology Co., Ltd. ("SBT Ultrasonic") signed a strategic partnership at the recent 2026 Munich Electronics Show. The two companies aim to tackle mass-production hurdles for a comprehensive shift from copper to aluminum in automotive wire harnesses, while building out a broader innovation ecosystem.
Image source: TE
Also at the exhibition, TE joined Boway Alloy, SBT Ultrasonic, and Komax in a separate four-party strategic pact designed to create an end-to-end collaboration framework. This system spans material R&D, equipment matching, process breakthroughs, and mass production integration. Under the deal, Boway Alloy will develop high-performance aluminum alloy wires, SBT Ultrasonic and Komax will supply ultrasonic welding and automation equipment, while TE takes the lead on connector development and engineering verification.
Driven by carbon neutrality targets, vehicle lightweighting trends, and the imperative to cut costs, reducing harness weight and copper consumption has become a critical priority for the industry. Yet ultrasonic welding of aluminum wire harnesses faces significant technical hurdles compared to traditional copper. To address pain points such as electrode sticking, low efficiency, and inconsistent yields, SBT Ultrasonic showcased a high-speed ultrasonic welding machine for small-diameter aluminum wires at the event.
As the core component for low-voltage aluminum wire processing lines, this machine completes single-point welds in under one second. It features built-in vibration monitoring for real-time quality control, ensuring full traceability of welding data. Its compact, integrated design is also compatible with existing low-voltage harness production lines, helping manufacturers minimize retrofit costs.
This strategic alliance is expected to scale up the use of ultrasonic technology in automotive harness welding, accelerating the transition of "aluminum-for-copper" technology from isolated validation to widespread industry adoption.
