Battery production 4.0 - How today's intralogistics support battery production
The manufacturing process in the production of batteries is complex. Here, many individual battery cells and modules are combined to form a compact battery pack. For example, the battery of a BMW i3 consists of a total of 96 battery cells. Given the large number of components, a long-distance conveyor belt would be suitable for transporting the individual parts for assembly. There is no space for this in most production halls. At the same time, such a system would not be efficient and would not be very flexible.
To ensure that the high quality and hygiene requirements in battery production are met at all times, certain intralogistics systems are not suitable from the outset. These include:
Conveyor belt systems
Chain conveyor systems
Roller conveyors
Due to the high abrasion during transport and additional wear, the hygiene requirements in accordance with cleanroom classes ISO standardization cannot be met. At the same time, there is a risk of a stop in production when the belts, chains or rollers are replaced.
A possible transport solution for battery production would be a linear motor system or a magnet-driven transport system. Due to the transport distances of several hundred meters required in battery cell production, these alternatives are not cost-efficient for the manufacturer. This is shown by a comparison with the intralogistics system montrac.