Charged EVs | Quality management and the future of battery manufacturing

Because the power transition and electrification of mobility drive the explosive demand for batteries, Christophe Mazeaud, director of Battery Industry Solution, Siemens Digital Industries Software program, discusses the important thing function {that a} holistic high quality program performs in scaling and stabilizing battery manufacturing.

What we’re seeing throughout the battery manufacturing panorama is a unprecedented drive to satisfy unprecedented demand, and this atmosphere makes digital options important to attaining high quality, value, quantity and supply targets. High quality administration is on the coronary heart of those efforts. Solely a digital manufacturing resolution that integrates a high quality tradition all through the design and manufacturing cycle allows cell, module and pack producers to effectively scale and stabilize manufacturing on this extremely difficult market. 

Market tendencies and manufacturing challenges

The quickly growing demand we’re seeing for batteries is propelled largely by climate-driven market forces, together with accelerated manufacturing of electrical autos and power storage options, in addition to numerous monetary incentives from governments the world over. These governments hope to encourage native growth of gigafactories (vegetation with annual manufacturing capability measured in gigawatt-hours) and to reap the financial windfall that will comply with. 

In response, producers are getting into the battery market in massive numbers, resulting in greenfield manufacturing unit growth in almost each world area and refurbishing factories by current battery makers and automotive OEMs. These developments lead each to cost stress and to the necessity for steady product innovation and course of enchancment. Beneath such circumstances, it’s difficult for brand new and skilled producers alike to supply high-quality batteries profitably and at scale. 

Three main traits of at the moment’s battery trade contribute to this problem. First is the novelty of the trade. The microstructure and chemical composition of battery supplies have a substantial impression on high quality and battery efficiency, and the interdependencies of supplies and processes alongside the worth chain usually are not but effectively understood. Moreover, comprehending the interdependencies is a shifting goal, with fast-paced product and course of improvements continually underway as battery manufacturing matures. Technological newness makes it troublesome for each startups and incumbent firms to set management parameters within the battery manufacturing course of.

The second difficult attribute of the trade is the necessity for scalability. A battery manufacturing ecosystem, whether or not newly constructed or an current manufacturing unit, have to be able to scaling quickly with out undermining battery high quality. With the exponential development in battery demand, all producers should shortly ramp up manufacturing of every line, usually whereas constructing a number of strains and factories in parallel. This problem is compounded for startups who’re additionally rising their group on the similar time.

Third, compliance with stringent and shortly evolving laws requires a excessive degree of traceability by way of three distinct sorts of producing: batch, steady and discrete processes. On this regard, greenfield firms have a bonus over incumbents. They’ll flip this problem into a chance by establishing the right data expertise/operational expertise (IT/OT) panorama, proper from the start. Traceability can then be supported by way of seamless connections throughout digital platforms. 

Constructing higher batteries sooner by leveraging progressive and superior digital options from battery design to battery manufacturing 

Siemens Digital Industries Software program is collaborating with battery producers as they develop progressive manufacturing options to handle these challenges. By way of these collaborations, now we have realized the significance of digital manufacturing options for undertaking high-volume, high-quality battery manufacturing. If firms are to regulate and doc end-to-end high quality whereas additionally managing the complexity, innovation, and fast scale that characterize at the moment’s battery manufacturing ecosystem, they have to determine the best way to speed up battery manufacturing by way of the entire product lifecycle and implement a sensible manufacturing technique.

Delivering high-quality batteries requires you to manage different processes across the whole product lifecycle, from new product growth to mass manufacturing. It’s important to design with a high quality mindset to speed up battery manufacturing. High quality engineers can leverage engineering knowledge, reminiscent of 2D or 3D fashions, to accumulate related data or carry out tolerance evaluations, and the mission high quality may be monitored and accepted in respective milestones. Dangers may be recognized, assessed, and mitigated within the digital product and course of buildings, and residual dangers may be managed by way of a management plan. 

By “sensible manufacturing” we imply a digital technique that encompasses the complete manufacturing course of, from battery design and manufacturing unit ground optimization to streamlined orchestration of producing operations, to quick, correct sampling and testing. Sensible manufacturing totally integrates all digital techniques to drive high quality and effectivity all through the battery manufacturing course of. To handle the quick tempo of battery innovation, a totally built-in digital strategy helps seize information gained as every new materials or course of is introduced into manufacturing. Manufacturing insights developed from this captured information can be utilized to enhance the subsequent product run and reused on the subsequent battery era.

We’ve got developed the Siemens Accelerated Battery Growth and Sensible Battery Manufacturing options purposefully to assist battery firms obtain manufacturing effectivity, readiness and excellence. That is completed by way of built-in and standardized machines, processes and techniques; digital multidisciplinary planning and simulation; and related, automated and constantly monitored strains.

Reaching high quality excellence with a closed-loop high quality administration resolution  

In a digitalized ecosystem for the battery trade, the standard tradition must be on the coronary heart. Siemens  options orchestrate constantly processes all through the three main phases of battery growth and manufacturing: (1) design and planning, (2) execution and management, and (3) steady enchancment.

Design for high quality and high quality planning—From the very begin of product growth, battery designers should apply high quality pointers and requirements from the automotive or different end-user markets. Shifting left, designers and engineers should type out issues within the digital realm slightly than discovering them on the manufacturing ground. With Siemens closed-loop high quality administration options, product, manufacturing and high quality engineers work concurrently in the identical digital atmosphere, leveraging digital fashions from one another’s efforts. For instance, design failure mode and results evaluation (FMEA) are constructed from the engineering invoice of supplies (eBOM). Product manufacturing data (PMI) consists of 3D fashions, which function the start line for high quality management plans. Many different collaborative duties profit from the totally built-in digital resolution.

A closed-loop high quality administration resolution robotically maintains the traceability of modifications, evolutions, and engineering selections, which is of nice profit to the complete battery engineering crew. Utilizing this resolution, the crew can preserve the standard deliverable up-to-date and in sync with the necessities and engineering modifications with considerably much less effort.

High quality execution and management— As a part of the depicted complete circulate, two different techniques throughout the sensible manufacturing resolution for batteries execute the just about outlined management plans digitally. These are the manufacturing execution system (MES) and the laboratory data administration system (LIMS). This holistic digital strategy enforces preventive high quality practices, avoiding human errors and getting the manufacturing line shortly to a secure high quality degree.

For the battery manufacturing unit to achieve the subsequent degree of high quality and carry out predictive high quality management, knowledge analytics capabilities throughout the sensible manufacturing resolution mix course of parameters, picture processing, product efficiency controls and environmental context, and leverages machine studying algorithms. Finally, the objective is to achieve the prescriptive high quality degree. Securing product high quality at this degree entails injecting knowledge analytics into simulation fashions deployed on the edge to calculate and apply corrective actions on-the-fly. 

Steady enchancment – In fact, defects or nonconformances (NCs) can’t be fully prevented with robust planning or eradicated with fixed manufacturing course of monitoring. As a substitute, a sensible manufacturing resolution effectively manages nonconformances and allows quick response in addition to steady studying. Nonconformances are captured digitally and handled instantly on the shopfloor degree, whether or not they’re detected by way of incoming items inspection, in-line inspections or offline laboratory high quality management testing. 

When required, sure high quality points are escalated to the engineering area to set off a correct root trigger evaluation. Inside Siemens digital threads, the problem-solving course of happens in the identical collaborative platform as product design, manufacturing planning and high quality engineering. Full integration permits centralized administration of points and actions, in addition to an intuitive identification of the required enhancements, in any area on the enterprise degree.

Not solely high quality points are handled shortly, however actions are additionally taken instantly to forestall recurrence. Classes discovered are captured for the advantage of all departments and factories. The result’s actually steady high quality enchancment.

Advantages throughout the battery manufacturing plant and past

Effectively scaling and stabilizing the manufacturing of battery cells, modules and packs is the objective and first good thing about Accelerated Battery Development and Smart Manufacturing solutions with a closed-loop quality approach. 

Different direct advantages for the battery maker embody:

• Reduce prices of poor high quality because of steady enchancment all through the entire product lifecycle 
• Quicker time to market and scale-up because of cross-domain collaboration in a quality-driven product growth
• Begin compliant and keep compliant, with traceable, auditable and model-based high quality processes

There are compelling enterprise circumstances for digital transformation and high quality administration on this quickly rising and evolving trade. Siemens Accelerated Battery Development and Smart Manufacturing solutions with closed-loop quality management speed up the adoption of clever, environment friendly, and adaptable battery growth and manufacturing processes. This digital expertise allows growth facilities and factories to fabricate battery cells, modules, and packs that meet high quality, throughput, value, and sustainability objectives. The insights acquired from each design and operational knowledge enable for steady enchancment and elevated agility. These capabilities empower battery producers to safe a dominant place on this increasing trade.

Siemens closed-loop quality management solutions transcend the standard paradigm of the corporate itself, reaching out to the prolonged enterprise. The options strengthen upstream provider collaboration and downstream evaluation and monitoring of core high quality processes. These shut ties with suppliers and auditors are crucial, particularly because the battery trade incorporates ceaselessly up to date high quality requirements and innovates cell chemistries and codecs, new supplies and next-generation sustainable applied sciences.

Be taught extra about Siemens Battery Smart Manufacturing solutions.