The further development and evolution of existing storage systems is a key prerequisite for the energy transition. The Center for Digitalized Battery Cell Manufacturing (ZDB) at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA and acp systems AG have joined forces to commission a winding system for cylindrical battery cells featuring flexible formats and design. It serves as an innovative research and production platform to test new cell formats and components along with tab designs and also enables development of large-format cells for future battery technologies. The winding system is the first of its kind in the world. It is embedded in an automated, digitalized battery cell production infrastructure.
Electric vehicle batteries consist of multiple modules, each one comprising many individual battery cells. These modules are the centerpiece of any battery and are responsible for the lion’s share of value creation. Cylindrical battery cells have grown more and more popular in the automotive industry in recent years, with the trend favoring large cell formats. ZDB at Fraunhofer IPA and acp systems AG worked together closely to develop, construct, and now commission a winding system for cylindrical battery cells, also known as round cells. It will serve as a versatile research and production platform for rapid testing of new cell formats and tab designs as well as advanced methods of enhancing quality and optimizing processes. The new winding system completes a production line unlike any other in Europe for the manufacturing of cylindrical battery cells for lithium-ion batteries and future battery technologies such as sodium-ion batteries. The special feature of the production chain is that all of the process steps are digitalized and interconnected, from coating and winding to assembly, filling, and forming. The Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Tourism provided funding for the construction and installation of the winding system.
“At ZDB, we can cover all of the process steps involved in manufacturing a battery cell. The winding process is one of the core processes in cylindrical cell production, as the jelly roll is the centerpiece of the battery cell. By bringing the winding system online, we have closed a gap in the fully digitalized process chain, so the production line is complete,” says Julian Grimm, head of the research team at Fraunhofer IPA and Deputy Head of ZDB.
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