Digitalized, Sustainable Battery Cell Production for Electric Vehicles: A New Era Begins

The Center for Digitalized Battery Cell Manufacturing (ZDB) at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA and acp systems AG have joined forces to commission a winding system for cylindrical battery cells featuring flexible formats and design.

The future of electric vehicle (EV) batteries is undergoing a transformative shift, driven by digitalization, innovation, and sustainability. The Center for Digitalized Battery Cell Manufacturing (ZDB) at Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA, in collaboration with acp systems AG, has successfully commissioned a groundbreaking winding system for cylindrical battery cells. This system is a testament to the future of battery manufacturing, offering flexible formats, optimized designs, and a complete digitalized process chain.

Cylindrical Battery Cells: The Heart of EVs

As the automotive industry increasingly adopts cylindrical battery cells for electric vehicles, the focus has shifted to enhancing cell formats and improving efficiency. The ZDB and acp systems AG partnership has resulted in a versatile production platform designed to test new cell formats, tab designs, and enhance quality through advanced digitalization techniques. This pioneering system is the first of its kind in Europe, featuring a fully interconnected production line for cylindrical cells, including future technologies like sodium-ion batteries.

Funded by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour, and Tourism, the winding system offers an opportunity for rapid testing, innovative development, and process optimization.

The Winding Process: A Key to Battery Performance

The winding process is critical in cylindrical battery cell manufacturing. It involves rolling positive and negative electrodes with separators into a “jelly roll,” which becomes the core of the battery. From there, the battery undergoes precise assembly and welding, making the jelly roll an essential part of the final product.

What sets this new winding system apart is its flexibility—it supports different cell formats and designs, including tabless designs, where electricity flows through the carrier foil for better current collection and heat dissipation. These innovative designs aim to improve energy density and performance, especially for larger cells, which are becoming increasingly popular in the EV market.

Leveraging Digitalization for Quality and Sustainability

One of the most remarkable features of the winding system is its fully digitalized and interconnected production process. Sensors and traceability technologies allow real-time data collection and analysis, ensuring each cell’s conditions are recorded, traced, and analyzed for quality control. The data-driven approach minimizes waste, identifies errors, and enables rapid improvements in production.

This integration of digital technologies not only helps in optimizing production but also allows artificial intelligence to learn from the data, contributing to future innovations and faster market launches of new battery technologies.

Pioneering Sustainable Battery Solutions

By combining cutting-edge cell designs with agile production methods, ZDB and acp systems AG are leading the charge toward a sustainable energy landscape. This new approach accelerates the development of high-quality, efficient battery solutions, critical to the growth of electric vehicles and the broader shift to renewable energy.

Manufacturers, users of electrodes, separators, and other components can now leverage this system to test their products, materials, and designs—paving the way for the next generation of EV batteries.

Conclusion: The Future of Battery Manufacturing Is Here

The new winding system from ZDB and acp systems AG is a significant step forward in the world of battery cell production. As we move toward a more sustainable, electric future, innovations like this will ensure that EV batteries are not only more efficient and powerful but also more environmentally friendly.

Stay tuned for more insights on the latest advancements in battery technologies, and how digitalization is driving us towards a more sustainable future in the automotive world.