Feature: Batteries
Automated SAM systems allow for scalable inspection, ensuring 100 per cent quality control in high-volume production
SAM Assures Li-ion battery safety and performance
S
By Del Williams, Technical Writer, OKOS Today, the use of advanced Scanning
canning Acoustic Microscopy can non- destructively detect minute physical Li-ion battery flaws, with up to 100 per cent inspection of all
manufactured units Lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery
manufacturers must detect various physical flaws during production to ensure safe, reliable performance. Failure to detect even minute defects could lead to internal short circuits, overheating, fire, explosion, diminished function, costly product recalls and serious reputation damage. Li-ion batteries can produce gas under
stress and a process called gas evolution can lead to swelling and structural changes over time that reduce safety, efficiency and capacity. Batteries encased in pouch cells, specifically, are more susceptible to swelling and structural issues than rigid cells. Te stress from swelling and gas evolution can cause layers within the battery to separate or disbond.
30 April 2025
www.electronicsworld.co.uk
Acoustic Microscopy (SAM) is an increasingly important technique to detect potential flaws in the manufacture of Li-ion batteries. SAM can quickly and effectively image the material forms and internal structures of up to 100 per cent of batteries to identify areas where layers are improperly bonded or otherwise physically defective. Early detection of flaws not only enables
manufacturers to prevent defective products from entering the marketplace – reducing potential recalls, liability and reputational damage – but also facilitates design and production changes to eliminate future problems.
Detecting Li-ion battery problems Te need to assure quality is driving the adoption of non-destructive battery inspection techniques such as Scanning Acoustic Microscopy. “Scanning Acoustic Microscopy is
detecting any degradation or change in the mechanical properties of the Li-ion
battery cell. For example, is it swelling or disbonding? Te technology effectively monitors what the chemistry is doing to the mechanical construction of the package. Tis becomes critical as Li-ion battery production ramps up and there’s increasing variation in physical form factors,” says Hari Polu, President of OKOS, a Virginia- based manufacturer of Scanning Acoustic Microscopy (SAM) and industrial ultrasonic non-destructive (NDT) systems. OKOS, a wholly owned subsidiary of PVA TePla AG Germany, offers manual and automated inspection systems for batteries, flat panels, thin plates, circular discs, sputtering targets and special alloys. With SAM, the sound hitting the object
is either scattered, absorbed, reflected, or transmitted. By detecting the direction of scattered pulses as well as the ‘time of flight,’ the presence of a boundary or object can be determined as well as its distance. Samples are scanned point by point and line by line to produce an image. Scanning modes range from single layer views to tray scans and
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