- E-Mobility
- Battery cell | Forming and aging
- Chamber conceptual design
Chamber conceptual design
Forming and maturing, the subsequent step, are among the most important process steps in the production of lithium-ion cells. During forming, the manufactured cells are charged and discharged for the first time. Aging, also called maturing, of the cells serves to ensure quality. The cell characteristics and cell performance are monitored by regularly measuring the open circuit voltage of the cell over a period of up to three weeks. There are two different conceptual designs, rack and chamber. The cells are transported in a goods carrier and contacted in the rack compartment or chamber. The chamber conceptual design has a closed chamber and therefore offers a high degree of safety in regards to fire protection. Especially during the forming process and the first charging process, there is a possibility of a fire due to an error during production.
Track & Trace – RFID
Controlling the material flow and ensuring traceability
In production, intralogistics and conveying, automated identification has become a standard. The same applies to forming and aging of cells. To ensure a smooth process when loading and unloading chambers, the material flow must be controlled. This is ideally done with an RFID system, which leads to increased system availability and traceability of the cells during the forming and aging process.
Ensuring system availability
Enhancing performance
Solution
ifm offers a selection of different RFID systems for every application, including production control in assembly and conveying technology, handling, packaging and filling systems.
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Track & Trace – multicode reader
Controlling the material flow and ensuring traceability
In production, intralogistics and conveying, automated identification has become a standard. The same applies to forming and aging of cells. To ensure a smooth process when loading and unloading chambers, the material flow must be controlled. This task can be performed by a code reader and doing so will lead to increased system availability and traceability of the cells during the forming and aging process.
Ensuring system availability
Enhancing performance
Solution
The multicode reader O2I now also detects fonts and characters in addition to the familiar 1D and 2D codes. It ensures reliable identification even under difficult conditions, e.g. in case of changing extraneous light or shiny surfaces. At the touch of a button, the sensor automatically does the focussing, exposure setting and code type recognition so it is ready to use in just a few seconds. This saves time and money and increases the availability of your system.
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Door protection
Safeguarding access to sensitive or hazardous processes
Forming chambers require a continuous process in an environment that is potentially harmful. The protection of doors with safety products allows for risk-free operation. In this way downtimes and quality loss including loss of margin can be prevented while cutting costs.
Enhancing performance
Solution
ifm's non-contact magnetic sensor can monitor the status of doors. * PL e to ISO 13849-1 and SILCL 3 to IEC 62061 can be achieved when used with suitable evaluation units. Concealed installation behind stainless steel allows enhanced tamper prevention.
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Ambient temperature in the chamber
Ensuring the correct temperature in the chamber
To ensure that the cells are exposed to a homogeneous temperature distribution in the chamber, the ambient temperature must be monitored. Unnoticed deviations can lead to reduced quality and even the loss of margins, resulting in significant costs.
Enhancing performance
Solutions
Conventional temperature sensors can drift over the course of time, which leads to quality problems. ifm temperature sensors use PT1000 sensor elements for exact and consistent temperature measurements in aggressive environments.
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Condition monitoring of the fan
Ensuring continuous ventilation
Asymmetrical fan blades and a rising bearing temperature may indicate mechanical problems that should be rectified. Vibration sensors from ifm can monitor vibrations and temperatures of exhaust air fan bearings, saving your exhaust air fan from a catastrophic failure.
Enhancing performance
Quality assurance
Solution
Thanks to continuous diagnostics, condition-based maintenance based on actual needs is possible instead of fixed maintenance intervals. This lowers costs. Early detection by means of vibration diagnostics and channel speed monitoring on rolling bearings detects motor damage promptly, making it possible to prevent unplanned downtimes.
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Robot gripper navigation
Ensuring reliable gripper navigation
Navigation of the gripper is necessary to remove the goods carrier from the conveyor line and to position it in the chamber. Automated gripper systems increase the productivity of many applications, as they carry out monotonous manufacturing steps more quickly and evenly than a human. Monotonous movements with heavy objects are bad for workers’ health and lead to frequent absences. If the robot takes over these activities, the availability of the system increases.
Ensuring system availability
Solution
ifm's 3D sensor detects the object position and transmits it to the robot control, which controls the gripper. Automatic adjustment of the coordinate systems of the handling robot and the 3D sensor can save time and money during installation.
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Object and position detection in the goods carrier
Reliably detecting incorrectly inserted cells
To ensure that the cells can reliably make contact in the chamber, all cells must be inserted correctly and no cells may be tilted or protruding out from the goods carrier, etc.
Enhancing performance
Solution
The compact OJ laser sensors are designed to provide reliable position detection in feeding, assembly and handling applications with limited space. If distance measurements are required, O1D and OGD sensors are also suitable.
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Protection of hazardous areas
Reliably safeguarding the hazardous area
A large number of machines in production represents a potential danger for persons who are working in the area. With safety light curtains from ifm, you can reliably protect your employees and your production material in a robot cell. An invisible protection field is generated by means of infrared beams. If an infrared light beam is interrupted, a shutdown command is immediately and reliably triggered.
Ensuring system availability
Enhancing performance
Solution
OY series safety light curtains are used to safeguard hazardous areas and protect personnel. Depending on the protected area height and number of beams, the units can be adjusted to protect hands or an entire person. Thanks to their slim design, they are suited for applications with limited mounting space.
Safety light curtains are optoelectronic safety devices consisting of one transmitter and one receiver. They conform to the safety requirements of type 4 / SIL 3.
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Controlling pushers
Performing the conveyor line change reliably
The pusher is used to change conveyor lines without a stop. The goods carrier is scanned by a photoelectric sensor and activates the pneumatically driven cylinder to push the conveyed goods . To detect end piston positions in pneumatic cylinders reliably and precisely, cylinder sensors are used.
Enhancing performance
Solution
The photoelectric sensors of the O5 series feature long ranges and a versatile installation and mounting concept in the red light, infra-red light and laser variants. Fast and easy assembly at the touch of a button saves time and increases system availability.
Cylinder sensors from ifm reliably detect the piston position. They can be fixed to almost any T-slot, C-slot, clean-line, tie rod, integrated profile or trapezoidal slot cylinder. The self-adhesive fixing mechanism enables fast assembly and easy adjustment. That saves time when exchanging devices and increases system availability.
