The transformation toward electromobility presents a significant challenge to the battery cell production processes. It is, therefore, necessary to establish efficient and robust operations and machines to meet the forecasted demand for manufactured cell capacity. Currently, the development and ramp‐up phases of production machines, especially for cell stack assembly, are characterized by high material scrap rates and large personnel expenses. Aspects such as the web tension of electrodes or separator materials during separation and stack assembly have a significant influence on the subsequent intermediate product properties, and therefore present a key challenge. Herein, the optimal methodology for the web tension control of electrode materials is determined via a model‐based approach by the means of a digital twin. The focus is hereby set on a production machine for the flexible cell stack assembly. Appropriate control methods are implemented and validated on the real system, thus reducing material scrap rates and overall costs. The control of the web tension by means of an unwinder and material storage was found to be optimal on the basis of the model and confirmed experimentally.
The development and scale‐up of lithium‐ion battery (LIB) production for a sustainable energy supply is advancing very rapidly and in versatile directions. Manufacturing processes and production steps are constantly developed and optimized to improve production efficiency. To integrate new machinery into a production line while conforming to the DIN EN ISO 9001 standards of certification, it is necessary to define the procedures for assuring product quality. Herein, a quality assurance concept is designed for an innovative flexible stacking process currently under development. Critical sources of errors are identified by employing the failure process matrix approach. On this basis, it is described how these errors are either avoided by suitable design of the machine components and its control or by which inspection technology is integrated to detect defective intermediate products. In the resulting quality assurance concept, a digital twin of the stacking machine is employed to constantly surveil process and product properties and also to facilitate the change of the produced products on the machine. Evaluating the quality management already in the design phase of the machine saves resources and enables a deeper understanding of the stacking process.
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