Productivity

To make dramatic productivity gains, we need to increase PPM through every step in the process. Luckily, the potential for acceleration is everywhere:

• Unnecessary handling interrupts production flow. Instead, keep the cells on the transport system with on-track processing.
• Stopping at each station adds costly seconds at every step along the way. Instead, keep things moving with in-motion processing.
• A few slower stations can throttle the entire line. Instead, parallelize key stations to debottleneck production flow and multiply output.
• Communication delays hinder synchronization. Instead, speed up every step in the process with all automation components on one real-time network.

Density

To get more output from limited floorspace, processing steps need to move closer together. Empty stretches of conveyor and buffers take up space without adding value. With on-track, in-motion processing, value-added processing can be packed into every square inch of the plant floor. What if doubling productivity didn't mean duplicating the entire line?

Availability

With a rigidly linear production flow, even small interruptions can have big impacts on OEE. Even worse: the more you speed up production, the more costly each minute of downtime becomes. A network of interconnected processing stations can balance load automatically and offer much more robust fault tolerance. The production flow simply reroutes itself around a faulty station until it's back up and running.

Productivity

To drive unit prices down, battery factories need to achieve the kind of mass-production efficiency found in high-speed food and beverage lines. Processes must be performed on-track and in-motion, with no time wasted on unnecessary handling or sitting idle in buffers and bottlenecks.

Yield

The longer faulty parts are allowed to continue through the line, the more time and resources are wasted on processing and reworking them. By collecting and analyzing live production data, parts destined to fail final testing can be removed early and recycled more easily. To prevent scrap due to scratching, products must be handled gently and transported individually.

Availability

The more you speed up production, the more costly each minute of downtime becomes. A network of interconnected processing stations can balance load automatically and offer much more robust fault tolerance. The production flow simply reroutes itself around a faulty station until it's back up and running.

Energy consumption

Where movements are executed consecutively, kinetic energy is often released in the braking resistors in the form of heat. Connecting all drives via a shared DC bus can save up to 30% of the energy used for movements. In cases where movements often take place simultaneously, a further increase in energy efficiency can be achieved through active energy regeneration on the power mains. It becomes possible to cost-effectively regenerate up to 80% of the energy previously lost as heat in the resistors. High-performance temperature control solutions with energy-optimized operating modes also contribute to running machines with maximum efficiency.​

100% inline quality check

To enable 100% inline testing, you need to speed up every station and keep products on the track and in motion at all times. Having parallel instances of slower stations makes it possible to coordinate cycle times and keep things moving at full speed. A transport system that communicates with other automation components on a single real-time network enables the tight synchronization needed for inline quality checks.

Seamless traceability

To identify products as they pass by at high speed, they can be equipped with a data matrix code or other unique tag that can be read quickly with the right machine vision technology. An intelligent transport system that handles products individually can provide built-in tracking, where product data is connected to a unique shuttle ID. Ideally, that data should be available throughout the entire production network, from the track system and processing stations up to the MES and into the cloud.

Cleanroom conditions

Conveyor belts and chains cause dirt through mechanical abrasion. To avoid contaminating sensitive components, battery production lines need to use a cleanroom-qualified transport system.

Simulation-based development

Imagine being able to compare plant layouts, forecast throughput and analyze maximum speeds and payloads – all without any programming, long before any hardware is involved. From the earliest proof-of-concept to the final redesign: The sooner you know what to expect, the better. Throughout component sizing and layout, software and function testing and virtual commissioning, simulation adds value and reduces risk at every stage of a project.

Concurrent engineering

With concurrent engineering, software programming tasks can be distributed among multiple programming teams anywhere in the world.

Modular software

If developers are able to set up basic machine functions with out-of-the-box software components, they can instead focus their time and energy on implementing the processes that are unique to battery production. This is the key to developing three times faster.

Simulation-based adaptivity

Change happens – and these days, it's happening faster and faster. In the years to come, the factory you are designing today will need to scale volume and adapt to new product formats and production technologies. With access to a full array of B&R and 3rd-party simulation tools, you can design and develop, analyze and optimize without the cost and risk of hardware prototyping.

Scalability

A factory should be prepared for future increases in production capacity. The basis for this is a modular approach to both hardware and software design with clearly defined interfaces. This makes it easy to expand your manufacturing network and modernize processing stations with outdated manufacturing technologies.​

Flexibility

An adaptive machine can perform changeover with zero downtime. This enables batch-size-one assembly of battery packs. The types, quantities and orientation of battery cells is defined individually via software. With each product transported individually through the system held between a pair of shuttles, it becomes possible to accommodate different sizes and shapes on the fly.​