Image Processing in Battery Cell Manufacturing

Machine vision provides quality control

In the production of battery cells, ensuring high quality during all process steps and reducing material waste are crucial. Digital image processing enables the reliable detection of even the smallest defects. Our solutions help produce safe, high-quality battery cells to meet the challenges of electric mobility.

Battery cell production

  • High performance & speed

    Innovative, high-performance camera technology for state-of-the-art production methods

  • Durable & reliable

    With the lowest failure rate in the industry, our camera systems stand for reliability in 24/7 operation

  • Simple integration

    All of our components are compatible and easy to connect to target systems using pylon software

  • Availability & reliable delivery

    Stable supply chains ensure long-term availability of our products and prevent production downtime
Webinar

Efficient quality control in battery cell production

Find out in our webinar:

  • How machine vision is used for quality control in the production of battery cells

  • More about typical machine vision applications in battery cell production

  • How you can increase the efficiency of your production by using machine vision

Watch the webinar

Different cell types

The main application for lithium-ion battery packs is electric mobility. Though there are three types and formats in use, the functional principle of all types is essentially the same. The main differences are in the design, requirements, and materials used.

Pouch cell

Pouch cell

The geometry of the pouch cell is almost arbitrary and the size is easily scalable. The free positioning of the cell arresters and the electrode stacking (anode on cathode, divided by a separator) allow good heat dissipation and simple energy management.
prismatic cell

Prismatic cell

The prismatic cell also consists of stacked anode and cathode packages. The fixed metal housing provides advantages when assembling the cells into a module. The prismatic cell combines high energy density with safety and a long lifetime.
Cylindrical battery cell

Cylindrical cell

The cylindrical cell is a proven technology in battery manufacturing. Cylindrical cells consist of an anode and a cathode isolated by a separator and wound into a roll. The round design results in a loss of space at the battery pack module level.

Battery cell manufacturing involves four main process steps

Lithium-ion battery cell production consists of four main process steps: electrode production, cell assembly, cell finishing, and battery pack assembly. The electrode production and cell finishing process steps are largely independent of the battery cell type, while cell assembly distinguishes between pouch or prismatic cells and cylindrical cells. Regardless of the cell type, the smallest unit of any lithium-ion cell consists of two electrodes and the separator that divides them from one another. In between is the ion-conducting electrolyte.

Battery cell production
1. Electrode production, 2. cell assembly, 3. cell finishing/forming, 4. battery pack assembly

Machine vision ensures product quality and process stability

Machine vision systems provide valuable information during the production process, including inspecting materials and ensuring process steps are correctly executed. Different solutions are available depending on your application needs. By combining our frame grabber-based systems with VisualApplets and our high-sensitivity line scan cameras, the resulting vision system can easily cope with the high speeds found in electrode production. High-resolution ace 2 X visSWIR cameras inspect the structures of separator foils inside the cell. Our area scan cameras, working in conjunction with pylon vTools, check that the cathode and anode are correctly positioned on top of each other during the winding of prismatic cells. Catching even the smallest defect is critical, since accurate error tracking increases productivity.

Where is vision used in battery cell manufacturing?

Anomaly detection

Optical anomaly detection compares the condition of materials or components to a pre-defined target condition and locates possible deviations.

Object detection and classification

Image analysis detects and categorizes defects and irregularities. This allows systems to be adjusted and provides a basis for deciding whether the material is within tolerances or must be rejected.

Measuring defects

Once defects or contaminants have been detected and localized, they can be measured. This allows conclusions to be drawn about the type and extent of the defect.

Code reading

Barcodes, QR codes, PDF417 codes, data matrix codes, or Aztec codes: materials and semi-finished products are marked with codes for tracking during process steps or for faster handling in the material flow.

Use cases in battery cell manufacturing

Machine vision helps ensure the quality of processed materials and minimizes possible material waste. Our solutions can help.

  • Quality assurance for Electrode coating in Battery cell production

    Quality control in electrode coating

    Coating the substrate foil with slurry is a critical production step in battery cell manufacturing. Our vision technology quickly detects particles and voids in large amounts of image data.

Most popular products

For efficient and reliable machine vision applications in this industry, the following Basler products are often the best choice:

  • Visual Applets

    VisualApplets

    With VisualApplets the programming of FPGAs on a graphical user interface succeeds completely without hardware programming.

  • Basler pylon vTools

    pylon vTools for image processing

    Quickly and easily design functions like intelligent structure recognition, micrometer-precise object positioning, or robust code recognition. Flexibly integrate everything you need into your own application.

  • Frame grabbers control the vision system

    Frame grabbers

    These boards provide robust, high-speed image acquisition and processing as well as signal control. The FPGA processors ensure real-time processing.

  • Basler racer

    Line Scan Cameras

    We offer line scan cameras with different resolutions, CMOS sensor, interfaces, and data rates - for better quality assurance and sorting processes.

  • boost CXP-12 area scan cameras

    Basler boost area scan camera

    The Basler boost camera series combines the latest CMOS sensor technology with high bandwidths and all the other advantages of the CoaXPress 2.0 standard.

  • Basler ace 2

    Basler ace 2 area scan camera

    The ace 2 is available with various sensors and in several wavelength ranges, optionally with CoaXPress 2.0, USB 3.0, GigE, or 5GigE interface.

  • ace 2 X visSWIR camera

    ace 2 X visSWIR

    The compact and affordable visSWIR cameras impress with their high image quality thanks to special firmware features. They generate images in the visible and short-wave infrared spectrum.

  • Basler ace 2 X UV cameras for image acquisition in the invisible light spectrum

    ace 2 X UV camera

    Basler ultraviolet cameras offer state-of-the-art UV technology with USB 3.0, GigE, or 5GigE interface.

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