Revolutionising the Battery Industry: Automation in Assembly, Testing, and Packaging

March 2024

In an age where technology is rapidly advancing, automation has become a crucial factor in increasing efficiency and reducing costs in various industries. The battery industry, being at the heart of the modern tech and renewable energy sectors, is no exception. Automation in battery assembly, testing, and packaging is not just a trend; it’s a necessity to meet the growing demands for high-quality, reliable, and sustainable energy storage solutions.

Automation in Battery Assembly

1. Robotic Assembly Lines

Automating the battery assembly process can and, in most cases, involves using robotic assembly lines. These robotic systems can handle tasks such as cell sorting, stacking, and welding with precision and speed. By using robotics, manufacturers can ensure consistent quality and increase production rates, which is crucial for industries such as electric vehicles and consumer electronics. Robots can also be used for tasks such as precise dispensing for critical battery components. Modern-day battery manufacturing in large units also requires careful consideration in terms of logistics whilst on the production lines, with some battery units weighing in excess of 1000kg.

Heavy load-bearing pallet conveyor systems are often used to provide stability and also to accurately locate the cells.

Autonomous mobile robots, such as those supplied by MIR (mobile industrial Robots), can easily transport these huge masses. The advantage of having completely autonomous mobile robots that can move the loads in a controlled and smooth manner far outweighs the traditional methods of conveyors or, indeed, manual-driven forklifts.

2. AI-Driven Quality Control

Artificial intelligence (AI) plays a significant role in identifying defects during the assembly process. AI algorithms can analyse images and sensor data to detect anomalies in battery cells or packs, allowing for immediate correction and reducing the risk of faulty products reaching the market.

The use of robots in collaboration with cameras means that the robot can position the AI cameras at strategic points around the cell that have to be inspected. With the development of complex battery cell designs, this approach provides an extremely flexible means of testing the units.

Automation in Battery Testing

1. Automated Test Rigs

Battery testing, a critical process to ensure safety and performance standards, has been significantly improved through automation. Automated test rigs can perform repetitive and precise testing cycles on batteries, including charge-discharge tests, thermal testing, and life-cycle analysis.

Again, much of this testing can use robots to manipulate test heads with quick tool chargers, allowing them to carry out multiple tests using different tooling with automated tool changeovers.

2. Real-Time Data Analysis

With the integration of IoT (Internet of Things) technology, test systems can collect and analyse data in real time. This leads to faster identification of performance issues and improved data-driven decision-making in the manufacturing process.

Using this potentially enormous amount of data can allow the manufacturer to look for trends in such things as component failures, the effects of environmental changes within the production facility that may be causing issues, or even a slight change in material supply chains. A key point in any large data-hungry system is to ensure the data that is being processed is needed. There is no point in producing data for data’s sake. This goes for any manufacturing process.

Automation in Battery Packaging

1. Automated Packaging Lines

Automated packaging systems have transformed the final stage of battery manufacturing. These systems can efficiently package batteries of various sizes and shapes, ensuring they are securely enclosed for shipment. This not only speeds up the packaging process but also reduces labour costs and the risk of human error, which in turn upskills employees to more rewarding roles.

Good packaging design is crucial to ensure automation can be simplified by designing features that aid automation. Features such as stacking lugs, poke yoke designs, etc, help to ensure a more error-free solution.

2. Sustainability in Packaging

As battery production across the globe increases, the need for truly sustainable packaging is required. The move away from less plastic packaging to more sustainable materials is fast accelerating.  However, packaging still has to be safe whilst protecting the product itself but also ensuring the end user is not exposed to unnecessary risk.

On small-scale sized batteries such as “button cells” and “Coin batteries”, a new law called Resse’s law was introduced in the US as a result of a child dying after swallowing a device.  This unfortunate accident has resulted in these types of battery cell packaging having to be completely redesigned to incorporate more safety features to help prevent another such tragic case. Packaging design, in some sense, has become as important as the product itself.

(What is the Reese’s Law summary? – The August 2022 “Reese’s Law” — aimed at reducing incidents of children ingesting button cell and coin batteries, potentially leading to serious internal injuries — and related U.S Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) rulemaking requirements have spurred some uncertainty among industry stakeholders.)

Conclusion

The automation of battery assembly, testing, and packaging is an ever-increasing market within the battery industry. It’s a key element in meeting the soaring demand for high-quality batteries while ensuring safety, efficiency, and sustainability. As technology continues to evolve, we can expect to see even more innovative solutions in automating battery manufacturing processes, driving the industry forward in the years to come.

Over the years, SP Automation and Robotics has designed and built a large number of fully automated battery assembly and packaging lines, from very large-scale layering systems to high-speed machines with outputs of up to 1100 batteries per minute. This has included full assembly production lines and high-speed packaging lines catering to many pack variations.

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