Driving battery production forward
17 November 2021
Exciting developments in automation technology will improve production of Lithium-ion batteries, says Warren Harvard, Festo.
Transitioning from the combustion engine to electric vehicles and from fossil fuel to renewables and energy storage is placing huge demands on Lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery technology. Battery manufacturers worldwide are seeking to reduce costs and increase batteries' lifetime, performance, and safety.
Improvements in all of these areas require faster machinery with higher productivity that delivers higher precision and flexibility. In turn, this is driving industrial automation specialists to provide solutions that can help to meet the rapidly growing demand.
Festo and Siemens have recently collaborated to improve the performance of the Multi-Carrier System (MCS) to match battery production challenges. MCS systems are typically used to manage the transition from continuous flow processes, collating variable numbers of carriers and synchronising their motion with stations such as filling heads, insert, cap or seal. These capabilities are highly transferable to volume battery production. Applications for the MCS span the entire assembly process – from handling active material foils to cell stacking, from packaging through to complete cell arrangements and module handling.
How it works
The MCS modular transport system comprising linear motor tracks, customisable carriers, guide systems, conveyor tracks and sophisticated drives and controls. Housed within the track are the electric windings of the motor (stator), which generates a moving magnetic field that drives the motion of the permanent magnet plate(s) housed in the dynamic carriers. There is a direct relationship between the applied current, the magnetic field and the feed force applied to the carrier. Accelerations of up to 50m/s² and speeds of up to 4m/s are possible, making it a highly dynamic system.
The independent carriers are 'handed' from one linear motor track section to another. They can also seamlessly transit onto a traditional conveyor transport system, enabling the linear motor track to be used only where needed. The high dynamics of linear motors offer smooth accelerations, high speeds and precise positioning. Traditional conveyor systems cost considerably less per metre, and provide features such as recirculating carrier loops, buffer stations, intricately curved sections, diverter/handover loops etc. The combination creates a highly flexible, dynamic and alterable solution.
Battery benefits
Festo and Siemens have increased the applications range and performance of the MCS so that battery manufacturers can derive optimum benefits from its implementation. The motor track performance has been increased by up to 30% to deliver higher speeds without affecting life expectancy. This is complemented by an increased feed force. The team has also created custom carriers with onboard solutions for both vacuum and pressure-driven air clamps.
Precision improvements have been achieved using optical encoders, lifting the resolution from ±.01mm to ±25µm. The improved MCS also features Individual RFID carrier identification and data transfer for complete traceability. An expanded range of track lengths (now 51mm, 102mm, 204mm and 306mm) improves flexibility. There is also a wider choice of conveyor tracks, bearing systems and carrier widths. The open, modular MCS system is designed to offer a seamless handover of carriers to and from leading conveyor manufacturers' systems, including Elcom (TLF 1500, TLM 2000), Flexlink (X85P, XH), and Bosch (TS 2plus).
Guide systems for carrier masses ranging from under 1kg to over 50kg can be accommodated. Where the application requires very wide carriers and higher feed forces, twin-track systems can be selected, mechanically aligned and synchronised through the control system.
To enable fully optimised battery production, the MCS features kinematic controls that aid rapid reconfiguration and integration with other equipment. The SIMATIC motion control system from Siemens can control other servo drives in the system, such as synchronising external conveyor drives or providing advanced camming functionality. It can handle the carriers individually or as groups, flexibly grouping and regrouping them as required. The powerful Siemens SINAMICS S120 modular system with additional RAILCTRL Technology Extension manages the transition between encoders and MCS track sections and a powerful toolkit of software tools makes the programming of such a flexible system more straightforward.
Festo and Siemens offer a specialist MCS applications team to support each battery manufacturer through the engineering process to deliver a modular system to meet their particular needs.
Conclusion
The improvements made to the Multi-Carrier System by Festo and Siemens can make a real contribution to achieving the increased speed, precision and flexibility that will help deliver more advanced battery solutions. It is an exciting time to see the technology developing so quickly and in support of such a pressing imperative to improve the availability and competitiveness of alternative transport and energy sources.
For more information, visit: www.festo.co.uk/mcs
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