The challenge
Battery pack production is a complex, multi-step process involving multiple different operations – from sorting and assembly to laser welding and electrical testing. Any automated solution must therefore be extremely flexible while maximizing throughput, maintaining high quality, and ensuring compliance.
The solution
System integrator JOT Automation based its solution on a six-axis ABB IRB 4600 industrial robot on the client’s battery pack assembly and module testing line, which offers flexibility coupled with reliability and precision.
The application
The modular nature of robotic cell production, coupled with the flexibility provided by the robots and their associated software, has enabled JOT Automation to automate the customer’s battery production line from start to finish, saving space, improving efficiency and boosting throughput by 600 percent.
When a leading battery manufacturer approached ABB’s partner JOT Automation to find out whether automation could improve its manufacturing operations, the system integrator devised a solution capable of streamlining every stage of production and testing.
JOT Automation started by identifying the key production steps. “The customer’s production line starts with incoming material handling, including recycling of packaging materials,” said Timo Juntunen, Program Manager with JOT Automation. “Further down the line there are steps such as electrical testing, assembly for different parts and laser marking of parts, as well as intricate laser welding, ending with end-product testing applications. Some of these steps are outside the scope of standard automation processes and require complex technical solutions to manage.”
“The intricacies and multi-faceted requirements involved in the customer’s manufacturing process make manual production cumbersome and ineffective, impacting on profitability. The high rate of repetitions, poor ergonomic conditions due to moving heavy parts, and the need for high accuracy and consistency in testing amount to a lower performance in manual production. In addition, the floor space required for building a manual production line around these tasks makes the production line inefficient.”
To ensure the flexibility to handle changing future demands, JOT Automation devised an approach using modular robotic cells. Enabling easy scaling, the cells will allow for expansion as the demand for energy storage grows in step with the rollout of renewable power generation schemes.
For the main production line, the chosen solution is based on ABB’s IRB 4600 robot. This adaptable, 6-axis robot is optimized for short cycle times – 25 percent faster than the industry benchmark – and can help create high-density cells that deliver high throughputs in compact spaces.
“As manufacturing of energy storage and battery solutions increase over the next few years, it is also becoming more and more complex. The solution developed using ABB’s robots will help to drastically improve the customer’s productivity and cost-efficiency, while also providing the flexibility to handle future changes,” said Tomi Kyllönen, Global Key Account Manager for JOT Automation . “The robots have already achieved a six-fold improvement in throughput and have significantly improved the safety and well-being of the customer’s workforce.”
About JOT Automation
JOT Automation provides world-leading production automation and testing solutions for automotive, telecom, renewable energy, consumer and power electronics industries. JOT Automation’s high-performance products and custom automation solutions help customers increase productivity and improve cost efficiency. For more information about JOT Automation, please visit JOT Automation website.
