Battery cell production and its process development is far from enough. In order to speed up the production of battery cells, the Technical University of Berlin has developed a battery lamination process to increase production. However, higher machine and process speeds also place higher demands on automation technology. SICK sensors play a key role in meeting these requirements.
Battery technology – the heart of electric vehicles
By 2030, most cars will be electric. As a result, battery capacity continues to expand, and the projected investment in battery factories has exceeded global production by multiple times in 2022.
The core process of battery production is the processing of electrode foil and diaphragm. Different types of batteries use different processing processes. These include a winding film width, which is used to produce “Jelly Rolls”. Various stacking processes ensure that the battery pack consists of a single anode, cathode and diaphragm. The winding process has the characteristics of high speed and stable process. The battery stack provides an advantage for the electrical performance of the battery. These two processes combine to produce a Z-fold. In this process, a single electrode sheet is connected to the diaphragm before folding.
High-speed stacking is the central challenge
In the further development of cell stacking and Z-folding, increasing the stacking speed is a central challenge. A team led by Franz Dietrich, professor in the Department of Processing and Assembly Technology at the Institute of Machine Tools and Plant Management at the Technical University of Berlin, is committed to addressing this challenge. One of the tasks was to speed up the process without affecting the positioning accuracy of the stacked electrodes.
In contrast to traditional processes that rely on multi-step pick-and-place operations, researchers at the Technical University of Berlin have developed a continuous process flow: from pick-and-place and handling to the positioning and alignment of electrodes. Compared with the current advanced process, this process can continuously transport materials at a speed of 2000 mm per second, and future production efficiency will be greatly improved
Overcome the limitations of automation technology
Traditional automation technology can not achieve such a high equipment speed. In the process of continuous transmission, each electrode can be positioned and aligned, which is impossible for traditional sensors to collect data in the programmable logic controller clock signal. However, the SICK sensor can solve this problem.
Dr. Arne Glodde, Research Leader in the Department of Processing and Assembly Technology at the Institute of Machine Tools and Plant Management at the Technical University of Berlin, explains: “By combining SICK’s fast detection sensor with Beckhoff’s XFC technology for timestamping, we can move away from collecting data in the programmable logic controller clock signal and take full advantage of the sensor speed.”
For this, two sensor solutions from SICK are used: the WLL180T-2 fiber optic sensor has a response time of less than 16 µs and a switching frequency of up to 31.2 kHz. In addition, fiber optic sensors can be integrated into narrow installation Spaces.
Using SICK’s KTS Prime color scale sensor can even improve measurement resolution and feed speed: switching frequencies up to 70 kHz and response times up to 3 µs. Sensor pairs consisting of optical fiber sensors or KTS Prime color scale sensors are used in the Technical University of Berlin process. In this way, the electrode position in the feed direction and the Angle of the leading edge of the electrode can be detected and corrected if necessary.
Optical fiber sensor
The international leader in scan range and performance
WLL180
Color code sensor
Innovative TwinEye-Technologie improves contrast recognition
KTS Prime
But this is far from enough: experts at the Technical University of Berlin are also continuing to study how to speed up the Z-folding process of battery cells and are working with SICK to further develop battery production.