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BATTERIES & CHARGERS
of final prototypes have been completed, the pack will go into production. At this point, the OEM is at the mercy of the battery pack manufacturer – there is no second source for a custom battery pack. So how is an OEM to assure itself of the quality of the battery pack that it has specified? In battery pack manufacturing, quality is not a
bolted-on feature, or a control process applied at the end of the production line: if quality is not built into the entire process from the start of its design, there will be shortcomings in the production units coming off the line.
FEATURES AND APPROVALS: GETTING THE BATTERY PACK SPECIFICATION RIGHT The choice of chemistry is just the start of the process of procuring the right battery pack for a mobile robot.
The evaluation of a custom battery pack manufacturer will normally be centred on the questions of features and quality. The pack manufacturer should support the robot OEM’s application with the appropriate set of capabilities and features. These could include:
Thermal management features – as they discharge, batteries generate waste heat, which needs to be dissipated to keep the pack at a safe operating temperature. Sophisticated designs use innovative cell array configurations to draw heat out efficiently, reducing or eliminating the need for a heat sink. This saves space, weight and cost. Equally, mobile robots that operate in a cold environment, such as a refrigerated warehouse, need to take account of the battery temperature: a lithium cell cannot normally be charged when it is colder than 0°C. This might require the use of active in-pack heating technology to raise cell temperature above 0°C in preparation for charging. In many applications, active heating is a better solution than depositing the pack in a space at room temperature, and waiting for it to draw heat from the ambient air.
Telematics – a factory operator can exercise control of a fleet of AGVs or other mobile robots more effectively if it has access to data about each battery pack’s state of charge and state of health. Advanced custom battery packs can include wireless connectivity such as a Bluetooth® Low Energy radio, configured to provide real-time data about charge status, battery temperature, and other key parameters.
Regulatory compliance and approvals – the regulatory framework in which a battery design is made will depend on the countries or regions in which the pack is intended to be used. Regulation is a fast-moving field on which the battery pack manufacturer should be able to provide up-to-date advice. For instance, changes to US regulations have tightened the compliance requirements for cells and battery packs in mobile robots such as AGVs, bringing them into line with the regulations applying to battery electric cars. A custom battery pack manufacturer’s design should provide a smooth path through testing, approval and certification for any part of the world in which the robot OEM intends to market its products.
QUALITY AND RELIABILITY: HOW TO EVALUATE THE PRODUCTION PROCESS After specifying the cell chemistry and the right set of features, the battery pack manufacturer will generate a pack design. When testing and approval
UKManufacturing Spring 2024
Attention to quality starts with the choice of lithium cell: the world’s three largest manufacturers – Samsung, LG and E-One Moli Energy – test all cells for compliance with all relevant safety and compliance requirements. There is a unit cost premium to pay for the quality and safety of the best cells compared to cells from unbranded cell manufacturers, but this up-front cost is more than recovered in the longer lifetime and superior safety assurance of the more expensive cells. Alexander Battery Technologies has secure supply arrangements with the three premier cell manufacturers, and its packs use cells only from them. The application of quality principles should also be evident throughout the production process. In assembly, high-quality pack manufacturers will pay particular attention to the elements of the structure that are most prone to failure, such as welds: for instance, advanced optical inspection techniques should guarantee that welds exceed high minimum thresholds for size and integrity, ensuring that the pack’s electrical connections remain sound even when exposed to the extremes of shock or vibration specified in the application.
Some manufacturers will follow the practice that Alexander Battery Technologies has instituted, of inviting customers to inspect its manufacturing facilities in detail. Modern ERP (enterprise resource planning) software systems may also be used to enable the customer to perform unit-by-unit monitoring and inspection of production output of their packs. High-quality design and production also support rapid, first-time-right validation and certification of battery packs according to the high standards set in sectors such as the automotive industry.
BATTERY PACK PRODUCTION FOR A NEW ERA OF MOBILE ROBOTICS The advance of digitalised and smart manufacturing and warehousing practices is leading to a rapid increase in the number and variety of mobile robots deployed in industrial settings. Operators rely on these robots to maintain unbroken operation 24/7; unforecast downtime severely impairs throughput and efficiency. The battery power supply can be as reliable as any other component of a mobile robot: the guidance above shows how careful attention to cell and battery specification, design and production, and the choice of a dependable pack manufacturer, can ensure reliable and predictable performance for the life of the robot.
Alexander Battery Technologies
www.alexandertechnologies.com
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