CAMBRIDGE, MA—When it comes to battery innovations, much attention gets paid to potential new chemistries and materials. However, the importance of production processes for reducing cost often gets overlooked.
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Engineers at 24M Technologies Inc. recently designed a battery that reduces the cost of manufacturing lithium-ion cells. The simplified design requires fewer materials and fewer steps to produce each cell.
The start-up company claims the design, which it calls “SemiSolid” for its use of gooey electrodes, can reduce production costs by up to 40 percent. The approach also improves the battery’s energy density, safety and recyclability.
“The SemiSolid platform has been proven at the scale of hundreds of megawatts being produced for residential energy-storage systems,” says Naoki Ota, CEO of 24M Technologies. “Now, we want to prove it at the gigawatt scale.”
Establishing large-scale production lines is only the first phase of 24M’s plan. Another key draw of its battery design is that it can work with different combinations of lithium-ion chemistries. That means 24M’s partners can incorporate better-performing materials down the line without substantially changing manufacturing processes.
The kind of quick, large-scale production of next-generation batteries that 24M hopes to enable could have a dramatic impact on the cost and performance of electric cars.
“This is a platform technology,” Ota says. “We’re not just a low-cost and high-reliability operator. That’s what we are today, but we can also be competitive with next-generation chemistry. We can use any chemistry in the market without customers changing their supply chains. Other start-ups are trying to address that issue tomorrow, not today. Our tech can address the issue today and tomorrow.”
Traditional lithium-ion batteries use solid electrodes separated from the electrolyte by layers of inert plastics and metals, which hold the electrodes in place. Stripping away the inert materials of traditional batteries and embracing the gooey electrode mix gives 24M’s design a number of advantages.
It eliminates the energy-intensive process of drying and solidifying the electrodes in traditional lithium-ion production. The company says it also reduces the need for more than 80 percent of the inactive materials in traditional batteries, including expensive ones like aluminum and copper. In addition, the design requires no binder and features extra thick electrodes, improving the energy density of the batteries.
Ota believes the new technology will accelerate EV adoption, because battery costs still make up 30 percent to 40 percent of the price of EVs, according to the Institute for Energy Research.
“Lithium-ion batteries have made huge improvements over the years, but even Elon Musk says we need some breakthrough technology,” says Ota. “To make EVs more common, we need a production cost breakthrough. We can’t just rely on cost reduction through scaling, because we already make a lot of batteries today.”
With the acceleration of the replacement of lead-acid batteries by lithium batteries, and promote the world green, low-carbon and sustainable development. Many lithium battery manufacturers have established module and PACK automated assembly lines. At present, the process technology of many enterprises on lithium battery modules and assembly lines is still immature, so it is necessary to conduct further discussion and research on automated assembly lines. We shared the process technology application of the module and PACK assembly line in a new energy project, which has a certain promotion value.
1 Module and PACK assembly line introduction
EV lithium battery module and PACK assembly line production model solution is the core link from production to application. Different types of EV battery cells must be assembled by multi-body modules and PACK, and can only be used on electrical vehicles after passing the inspection, so the production and assembly quality of EV batteries will directly affect the performance of electrical vehicles. The overall layout of the EV prismatic battery production line used in this project is shown in Figure 1, which is mainly divided into module line and PACK line. According to the cell capacity information uploaded by the traceability system, and through the voltage & resistance test, relying on the manually set battery classification process, the voltage & internal resistance test is carried out on the battery, the battery cells are assembled into modules, and then the modules are assembled into packs.
1.1 Module assembly line
Use the automatic guided vehicle (AGV) to transport the manually prepared materials to the cell loading station of the production line. On the cell loading station, the battery cell is grasped by a six-axis robot to complete the cell code scanning and OCV (open circuit voltage) testing process. After transferring the battery cells to the cell processing line, perform plasma cleaning on the large surface of the battery cells, paste insulating sheets or cushioning pads on the large surface of the battery cells, or complete the process of glue coating and inspection on the large surface of the battery cells. Then the six-axis robot grabs the battery cells for module stacking, installs the module end plate insulation cover on the module packaging table, then performs shaping, and sets the steel trip belt, and finally the six-axis robot grabs the module and removes it to the resting frame , let the module stand at room temperature. The finished modules are picked up by a six-axis robot to the module assembly line, and then various assembly processes are completed on the module assembly conveyor line. Finally, the assembled modules are transferred to the PACK assembly line by the AGV trolley after off module assembly line.
1.2PACK assembly line
The production line adopts a circular line design, matches 10 stations, and is equipped with a six-axis robot. The PACK turnover is performed by 12 AGV trolleys with tooling. Complete various assembly processes on the PACK assembly line. In the core process, visual inspection equipment and data acquisition equipment are used to collect process parameters and alarm abnormal data, and upload them to the SHINHOP customized MES system. The automated PACK assembly line reduces the manual error rate and improves product performance through product quality traceability management. At the same time, the entire assembly line is compatible with the assembly of a variety of battery cells, which is in line with the policies advocated by many countries such as establishing a sustainable development society, environmental protection, and technological innovation. It helps companies reduce costs, improve product production efficiency, and promote the battery industry. high-quality rapid development.
2 Module and PACK assembly line process
The EV lithium battery production process mainly includes the module section process and the PACK assembly section process. The EV lithium battery module and PACK assembly line are compatible with a variety of prismatic battery cell forming processes, and are also compatible with the battery pack assembly process, which can be automated and continuous for 24 hours. During the production process, key process parameters and equipment parameters are monitored in real time and uploaded to MES.
2.1 Module assembly process
The process of the module section is shown in Figure 2, which mainly includes cell loading on line, cell OCV/ACR testing, cell flipping/cleaning, cushioning pads/aerogel pasting, cell gluing, module stacking, module Steel strip/bundling, barcode printing and binding, module on-line static standing, pole cleaning/photographic positioning, Busbar placement, laser welding, EOL test, insulation withstand voltage test, module off-line.
2.2PACK assembly process
The PACK assembly process is shown in Figure 3, which mainly includes module insertion into the box, module tightening, insulation withstand voltage test, low-voltage connection/high-voltage connection, wiring harness on/off test, upper cover installation, EOL test, finished product off-line.
2.3 Technology application
(1) Cell loading on line: The robot puts the cells into the material box, and is pulled by the AGV trolley to the loading position for loading on-site. The position of each material box is automatically detected. If there is a shortage of materials, the detection function will display an early warning through the safety system and MES (production information management system).
(2) Battery cell OCV/ACR test: The robot grabs the battery cell from the material box and runs it downward, automatically realizing the functions of scanning code, confirming the polarity of the battery cell, OCV test, and K value comparison. In addition, the process has the function of battery polarity fool-proof detection, and the function of battery double-code fool-proof. Therefore, if there is an abnormality, it will be alarm and place the cell on the NG station.
(3) Cell flipping/cell cleaning: The robot arranges the cells of the polarity required by the module, and flips the cells. According to the polarity of the battery cells in the module, the robot is placed according to the position, glues the battery cells, sticks the insulating cover and the heat shield, and can flip multiple battery cells at the same time. The plasma cleaner will clean the batteries. Plasma surface treatment is a dry treatment method, which only treats the surface of the material, and is a relatively safe method for cleaning lithium batteries.
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(4) Cushioning/aerogel pasting: Paste the cushioning for each single cell with airgel. cushioning can play the functions of heat insulation, cushioning, flame retardant, sealing, support, shock absorption and so on.
(5) Or Cell gluing: The three-axis servo gluing mechanism installs cell gluing fixtures for gluing according to the number of cells in the module and the gluing position.
6) Cell stacking: The six-axis robot grabs the cells to the stacking table for stacking. During the stacking process, the single components have the functions of centering and shaping, so that the modules can be kept on a plane. After the stacked module is formed, information such as the placement of the battery cells in the module needs to be entered into the system to realize the binding between the module code and the cell, and print the module code in the subsequent process.
(7) Module steel belt/bundling: After the stacking of the battery module is completed, it is automatically grabbed by a six-axis robot to the assembly table, and the steel belt is manually set.
(8) Barcode printing binding: scan the code of the battery cells during the stacking process. After the stacking is completed, the QR code of the module is automatically generated and bound to the cell.
(9) Static stand on the module line: store the module in a static position, and ensure that the time interval between the completion of the steel assembly and the offline of the module is 30 minutes.
(10)Pole cleaning/photographic positioning: After the module is transported to the visual positioning and pole laser cleaning station, the module code is automatically scanned, and the 2D camera is used to take pictures and position, and upload the data to the next process for data comparison . The pole is cleaned by laser to clean the impurities and oxide layer on the surface of the pole. After cleaning, the surface of the pole is milky white without metallic luster.
(11)Place the busbar: Manually install the aluminum bus bar, and ensure that the aluminum bus bar will not cause short circuits due to changes during the welding process. After the installation is completed, release it manually, and let the module automatically flow into the welding station.
(12) Laser welding: Scan the code, and the battery module flow into the welding station, automatically complete the welding of bus bar on module cell terminals. After welding inspection, and wire harness welding on bus bar.
(13) EOL (comprehensive functional testing before the module offline): the module followed to the EOL test station along with the pallet. After scanning the code to confirm the module information, start the test. The probe is pressed down, and the test data is stored and uploaded to the industrial computer or MES. After the test, the probe exits, and the module moves out of the detection station along with the pallet
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(14) Insulation withstand voltage test: The insulation test is to disconnect the positive and negative poles of the battery module from the external device, and select a DC1000V voltage level measuring instrument to measure the between the positive pole of the battery module and the external exposed conductive part, and between the negative pole of the battery module and the external exposed conductive part. Insulation resistance between conductive parts. According to the requirements, the resistance value should be ≥1GQ. The withstand voltage test is to measure the leakage current between the positive electrode of the battery module and the external exposed conductive part, and between the negative electrode of the battery module and the external exposed conductive part.
(15) Module off-line: Use a six-axis robot to make the module off-line, and then transport the module to the PACK assembly storage area through the AGV trolley.
(16) Module into the box: use the hanger to cooperate with the intelligent balance hoisting system to place the module in the pre-set position.
(17) Module tightening: Tighten the module manually to fix it. The tightening gun can freely set the torque within a certain range, as well as automatic retroactive counting and anti-fooling. The torque gun can realize the traceability of torque data, alarm functions such as anti-fooling of angle and torque, and non-standard torque.
(18) Insulation withstand voltage test: Insulation test and withstand voltage test on the battery pack.
(19) Low pressure connection/high pressure connection: This process is tightened by a torque gun.
(20) Wire harness on-off test/Upper cover installation: Through the multi-function wire harness tester, it is possible to find errors such as open circuit, short circuit, wrong connection, and continuity. Finally, install the top cover.
(21) EOL (comprehensive function inspection before PACK offline): Check whether the communication function is normal. The PC side of the computer controls the input/output card to switch the detection circuit through the host computer software, monitors the voltage, temperature, current and other parameter information of each monomer, and conducts routine tests on internal resistance, insulation withstand voltage, differential pressure, and total voltage. Test data can be generated and stored as reports, which can be stored locally or uploaded to the MES system.
(22) Finished product off-line: Hoist the finished product off the line, place it on a pallet or other turnover tray/box, and then store it in the finished product inventory area through the AGV trolley.
Compared with the traditional EV battery module and PACK assembly line technology, SHINHOP combines the industrial Internet platform of intelligent manufacturing, deeply integrates technologies such as the Internet of Things, big data, and visual analysis, and greatly improves the quality and production efficiency of EV battery products. The main performance is as follows:
1. Because of the use of robots, the production capacity has increased by 128%.
2. For the compatibility, it can meet different customer needs and produce different models of products quickly.
3. For the brand benefits, due to low cost and high quality standards, the products have market competitive advantages.
Based on the characteristics of intelligent manufacturing technology, the EV battery module and PACK line solution deeply integrates the high-end information technology of intelligent manufacturing with industry-leading technologies such as modularization and flexible design, which simplifies the traditional operation process and improves the manufacturing of modules and PACK. Technology, from core technology to whole line integration, from high precision to high standards, can improve production efficiency, reduce production costs, improve data traceability, improve battery quality for EV lithium battery companies, and create a solid foundation for EV lithium battery companies to finally realize intelligent manufacturing.
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