Both mobile and stationery high energy storage devices form a key element of electro-mobility and the energy turnaround to sustainable and renewable technologies. Siemens Industry Automation Division and M+W Group have joined forces with the aim to advance the development of production technology for battery manufacturing and develop a complete control technology solution for the mass production of large-size batteries. This includes the automation, monitoring and control of technical processes based on the SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system and a Manufacturing Execution System (MES).
Using Siemens’ established automation components from the production control groups “Simatic” and “WinCC” as a basis, a control technology solution concept will be developed. M+W Group will provide its technical expertise, particularly in terms of optimizing complex production processes, including vertical integration. Siemens will focus on devising a solution for automation and SCADA technology, whilst M+W Group’s key contribution is the application-specific integration of the systems based on the Manufacturing Execution System “Simatic IT.”
The benefits of a superordinate process control solution enable the monitoring, analysis and control of processes from a central control room. In this way, process changes can be measured quickly, and the process realigned utilizing Automatic Process Control (APC) algorithms. Thanks to data management that encompasses all processes, the key influencing factors of the entire value-creation chain can be monitored with the one system and included in the controller. Consistently high and reproducible battery quality can be guaranteed with maximum process reliability.
Lithium-ion batteries are the key components, both for modern hybrid automobiles and purely battery-powered vehicles, as well as the local storage of electricity from fluctuating renewable energy sources. Manufacturing of such batteries implies high value creation. The decisive progress in production technology will not only be achieved by optimizing individual processes and machines, but through well-thought production concepts and technology packages. These do not only reduce the costs, but ensure higher process stability and, in conjunction with that, a consistently high product quality.
A provider of automation and drive technology, Siemens has developed its own product and solution portfolio, especially for battery manufacturers and their engineering suppliers. The portfolio caters for the entire battery production process – from mixing the electrode material through to the finished cells and packs. The solutions encompass components at the field and control level, such as controllers, drives and the communications infrastructure, such as Profinet networks and general industrial software for planning, controlling and monitoring, SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) and MES (Manufacturing Execution System) systems, and connecting to ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems.
In the area of process and manufacturing automation, M+W Group is a manufacturer-independent solution provider. The associated portfolio extends from advice to implementation right through to commissioning at all levels of business and production processes, from the sensor right through to the supply chain and throughout the life cycle of the plant. M+W Group has been involved in developing, planning and implementing lithium-ion battery factories since 2008, and has implemented a variety of projects for international battery, automotive and research customers since that date. In so doing, the company combines the goal of significant cost reductions in the manufacture of the cells with the most stringent requirements in terms of production quality.