Gigafactories are Unthinkable Without Integrated Automation: Safe Battery Production Thanks to Reliable Automation Partners

Factory Capacity for Over 3300 Gigawatt Hours of Vehicle Batteries is Currently Being Planned All Over the World– Enough to Build About 37 Million Electric Cars a Year. The Challenge is to Produce Profitably Such Quantities in High Quality. The Solution: Automation.

A production facility with an annual capacity of 24 gigawatt hours turns over about 400 tons of material every day, the load of more than ten articulated trucks. This allows about 500,000 battery cells to leave a gigafactory every day. Automation guarantees efficiency and profitability. “For a 90-kWh battery pack, the material and manufacturing costs are significantly more than 5,000 euros. Mistakes or standstills cannot be an option. Quality, safety and profitability come first,” explains Martin Schaupp, Head of Industry Segment Management Automotive at Festo.

Renaissance for Europe Thanks to Automation

That's why a lot of know-how is invested here. "This is only efficient if the plants work productively and reliably, i.e. with high speed, high throughput, and repeat accuracy,” adds Schaupp. For battery cells as a high-tech product, good infrastructure in terms of mechanical engineering is more important than low labour costs. As a result, this sector is becoming more and more interesting in the highly developed industrialised countries of Europe with their important car factories as well as machine and plant manufacturers – from the production of individual battery cells to the assembly of battery modules.

The preparation of raw materials, the fully automated production of battery cells and, not least, the transport and assembly systems for the precise assembly of battery parts can rely globally on pneumatic and electric automation technology from Festo.

Decisive Factors in Battery Production

Three factors have to be taken into account, when it comes to the highly sensitive process of battery production, the automation components: the dry room environment, clean room requirements, and possible interfering particles such as non-ferrous metals. 

Festo catalogue products can be used in the dry room without restriction. The reason for this is the exclusive use of water-free lubricants and GRP/CFRP reinforced polymers in components subject to abrasion.

Festo has also defined criteria for its product development with regard to restrictions on copper, zinc, and nickel so that the components used in the machines for battery cell production do not emit any interfering particles: metallic materials whose main components are either copper, zinc, or nickel are therefore excluded from use.

From Degassing and Sealing in Battery Cells...

The copper-, zinc-, and nickel-free automation products are components of Festo's handling solutions. This makes them predestined for use in degassing and sealing. These core processes in battery cell production are directly connected to the initial contacting of the battery cells with electrical voltage. The battery cells are pierced with lances and the forming gas produced during contacting is extracted. Pneumatic and electric actuators from Festo are used for handling and piercing the battery cells.

"With automation technology quality, safety and profitability come first in the gigafactories for battery production”, explains Martin Schaupp, Head of Industry Segment Management Automotive with Festo"

..Right Up to the Electric Drive Train.

Alongside the electric motor, the battery pack forms the core. In battery module and pack assembly, the success factors are the following: the factors of variable production volumes and component geometries, as well as occupational safety and continuous monitoring to minimise risks. The key to increased efficiency is the use of suitable cross-technology handling solutions. Due to standardisation, economies of scale are already significant from batch size 2.

Festo's drive technology and sensor systems ensure the desired high level of automation for the individual process steps. Handling solutions in a mix of electrics and pneumatics combine the advantages of both technologies and enable the robust, safe, and precise gripping and transport of battery cells. 

"In the handling system of a battery module handling system, in-line quality control and data and system analysis including artificial intelligence (AI) ensure greater safety. In addition, this enables us to take concepts for redundancy of quality-critical functional groups and components into account. Industrial data networks record the data and thus create the basis for product traceability,” says the expert for electromobility at Festo.

Festo thus provides simultaneous engineering and system solutions as well as solutions for decentralised intelligence including soft motion. With the help of the digital twin, for example, design changes can be simulated without having the hardware available.

 The system solution maximises the uptime of plants.

Automation and Training from a Single Source

The production of batteries and electric vehicles requires trained employees globally. Festo Didactic offers industry-specific learning concepts to quickly train and familiarise the large number of employees who often do not have the appropriate training or expertise: from access to the Festo learning platform LX for self-study to learning factories for "hands-on" training with knowledge transfer on the shop floors.

And What Happens with Used Batteries?

In 2025, about 600,000 tons of spent batteries will be due for recycling. Special factory facilities are already being planned for this task. ”Festo has already developed and presented the first modular dismantling system for battery modules and packs,” reports Schaupp. This uses pneumatic process valves for gases, liquids, and solids. Together with major vehicle manufacturers, Festo is also developing batteries that are immediately prepared for later, automated disassembly.

Pictures and Captions:

Portrait Martin Schaupp with Quote

“With automation technology quality, safety and profitability come first in the gigafactories for battery production”, explains Martin Schaupp, Head of Industry Segement Management Automotive with Festo

Battery Pack Handling: Handling solutions that have a mix of electric and pneumatic components offer the combined benefits of both technologies and ensure the sturdy, reliable and precise gripping and transporting of battery cells. (Photo: Festo)

Degassing and Sealing: Pneumatic and electric actuators manipulate hollow lances and pierce the battery cells. (Photo: Festo)

The demand for automation for battery cell production and other e-vehicle components is increasing. The degree of automation in production is increasing due to the electrification of powertrains. (Photo: Festo)