Because the power transition and electrification of mobility drive the explosive demand for batteries, Christophe Mazeaud, director of Battery Trade Resolution, 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 rare drive to fulfill unprecedented demand, and this atmosphere makes digital options important to reaching 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 top 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 traits 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 automobiles and power storage options, in addition to various monetary incentives from governments the world over. These governments hope to encourage native growth of gigafactories (crops with annual manufacturing capability measured in gigawatt-hours) and to reap the financial windfall that may observe.
In response, producers are getting into the battery market in giant numbers, resulting in greenfield manufacturing unit growth in practically each international 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 situations, it’s difficult for brand spanking new and skilled producers alike to provide high-quality batteries profitably and at scale.
Three main traits of at this time’s battery business contribute to this problem. First is the novelty of the business. 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 should not but effectively understood. Moreover, comprehending the interdependencies is a shifting goal, with fast-paced product and course of improvements consistently underway as battery manufacturing matures. Technological newness makes it troublesome for each startups and incumbent corporations to set management parameters within the battery manufacturing course of.
The second difficult attribute of the business 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 progress 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 identical time.
Third, compliance with stringent and shortly evolving laws requires a excessive degree of traceability by three distinct varieties of producing: batch, steady and discrete processes. On this regard, greenfield corporations have a bonus over incumbents. They’ll flip this problem into a possibility by establishing the right data expertise/operational expertise (IT/OT) panorama, proper from the start. Traceability can then be supported by seamless connections throughout digital platforms.
Constructing higher batteries quicker 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 these collaborations, we have now realized the significance of digital manufacturing options for carrying out high-volume, high-quality battery manufacturing. If corporations are to regulate and doc end-to-end high quality whereas additionally managing the complexity, innovation, and fast scale that characterize at this time’s battery manufacturing ecosystem, they need to work out methods to speed up battery manufacturing by the entire product lifecycle and implement a wise manufacturing technique.
Delivering high-quality batteries requires you to handle totally different processes throughout the entire product lifecycle, from new product growth to mass manufacturing. It’s important to design with a top quality mindset to speed up battery manufacturing. High quality engineers can leverage engineering information, comparable to 2D or 3D fashions, to amass related data or carry out tolerance evaluations, and the mission high quality might be monitored and authorized in respective milestones. Dangers might be recognized, assessed, and mitigated within the digital product and course of constructions, and residual dangers might be managed by a management plan.
By “good manufacturing” we imply a digital technique that encompasses all the manufacturing course of, from battery design and manufacturing unit ground optimization to streamlined orchestration of producing operations, to quick, correct sampling and testing. Good 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 completely built-in digital method helps seize data gained as every new materials or course of is introduced into manufacturing. Manufacturing insights developed from this captured data can be utilized to enhance the following product run and reused on the following battery era.
Now we have developed the Siemens Accelerated Battery Improvement and Good Battery Manufacturing options purposefully to assist battery corporations obtain manufacturing effectivity, readiness and excellence. That is completed by built-in and standardized machines, processes and techniques; digital multidisciplinary planning and simulation; and linked, automated and repeatedly monitored strains.
Reaching high quality excellence with a closed-loop high quality administration resolution
In a digitalized ecosystem for the battery business, 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 fairly 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) contains 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 all the battery engineering workforce. Utilizing this resolution, the workforce 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 stream, two different techniques throughout the good 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 method enforces preventive high quality practices, avoiding human errors and getting the manufacturing line shortly to a steady high quality degree.
For the battery manufacturing unit to succeed in the following degree of high quality and carry out predictive high quality management, information analytics capabilities throughout the good manufacturing resolution mix course of parameters, picture processing, product efficiency controls and environmental context, and leverages machine studying algorithms. In the end, the aim is to succeed in the prescriptive high quality degree. Securing product high quality at this degree entails injecting information analytics into simulation fashions deployed on the edge to calculate and apply corrective actions on-the-fly.
Steady enchancment – After all, defects or nonconformances (NCs) can’t be utterly averted with sturdy planning or eradicated with fixed manufacturing course of monitoring. As a substitute, a wise 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 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 stop recurrence. Classes discovered are captured for the good thing about all departments and factories. The result’s really 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 aim and first advantage of Accelerated Battery Improvement and Good Manufacturing options with a closed-loop high quality method.
Different direct advantages for the battery maker embrace:
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 business. Siemens Accelerated Battery Improvement and Good Manufacturing options with closed-loop high quality administration 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 information enable for steady enchancment and elevated agility. These capabilities empower battery producers to safe a dominant place on this increasing business.
Siemens closed-loop high quality administration options transcend the normal 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 essential, particularly because the battery business incorporates regularly 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 Good Manufacturing options.