Handbook on Smart Battery Cell Manufacturing: The Power of Digitalization

The transformation towards electric mobility requires the highest quality mass production of battery cells. However, few research in battery cell engineering focus beyond new cell chemistries. As a consequence, there exists a huge gap between basic battery research and comparable scientific approaches to battery cell production. This handbook bridges the gap between basic electrochemical battery cell research and battery cell production approaches.

To run lithium-ion battery gigafactories successfully and sustainably, high-quality battery cell production processes and systems are required. The Handbook on Smart Battery Cell Manufacturing provides a comprehensive and well-structured analysis of every aspect of the manufacturing process of smart battery cell, including upscaling battery cell production, accompanied by many instructive practical examples of the digitalization of battery products and manufacturing systems using an integrated life cycle perspective.

About the Editors

Professor Kai Peter Birke is a physicist, materials scientist and a full Professor at the University of Stuttgart, Germany, covering the field of Electrical Energy Storage Systems, including new energy storage cell materials and technologies, advanced Li-Ion batteries and Power-to-X. He obtained his PhD in Materials Science (ion conducting ceramics) from the University of Kiel, Germany, in 1998. In 1999, he joined the Fraunhofer-Institute for Silicon Technology, Itzehoe, Germany, to work on the development of proprietary Li-Ion laminated hybrid-solid cells with novel functional ceramic separators. He also co-founded two spin-offs to put this technology into production.

After being involved in the development and production of pouch type laminated Li-Ion cells (PoLiFlex) in leading positions at VARTA AG for five years (2000–2005), Prof. Birke joined Continental AG, Business Unit Hybrid Electric Vehicle, in Berlin in 2005, as a Senior Expert and Project Leader in Energy Storage systems. He subsequently became Senior Technical Expert in Battery Technology and Team Leader in Cell Technology, and in 2010 he was appointed Head of Battery Modules and Electromechanics. In 2013, he joined the JV SK-Continental e-motion as Head of Advanced Development. He was one of the most relevant pioneers for this JV. In 2015 Prof. Birke became a full professor at the University of Stuttgart, Institute for Photovoltaics, ipv, as head of Electrical Energy Storage Systems. Since 2018, he also leads the Center for Battery Cell Manufacturing at Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation (IPA), Germany with an extended focus on battery cell production and digitalization.

Mr Max Weeber specializes in manufacturing engineering and renewable energy systems, and received his engineering degree from the Technical University of Munich (TUM), Germany. In 2013, he started working as a researcher at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation (IPA), Germany. Since then, he has developed and coordinated several research projects together with partners from industry and science. His project engagements cover a broad spectrum of research domains including resource efficiency, digitalization, battery manufacturing and recycling. His research focus is on improving manufacturing sustainability using the tools of digitalization, simulation and optimization. He is author and co-author of more the 25 peer-reviewed publications. In 2018, he was entrusted to establish the Center for Battery Cell Manufacturing at Fraunhofer IPA together with Professor Kai Peter Birke. Today, Mr Weeber leads a group of researchers which focus on advancing simulation and optimization methods and their application within battery design and manufacturing.

Mr Michael Oberle is a computer scientist working in the field of smart manufacturing. He obtained his Master's degree from University of Auckland, New Zealand in 2012 and joined Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation (IPA), Germany working as a researcher in the Competence Center for digital tools in manufacturing. Initially focusing on manufacturing control in semiconductor industry, he began leading projects with a focus on the digitalization of battery manufacturing since 2014. One of his main achievements is the fully connected cloud-controlled battery manufacturing pilot line at Fraunhofer IPAs technical centre for battery manufacturing. Today, he leads the group for Data and Application Services for Digital Production with a focus on data-driven and event-driven production control services.

About the Contributors

Andreas Aichele is a research associate at the Fraunhofer IPA. In addition to researching new approaches to quality management methods for current problems in industry, he supports companies by training and moderating these methods. In interdisciplinary projects, Mr Aichele supports and works with the respective process experts on the industrialization and optimization of production processes for battery cell manufacturing.

Sabri Baazouzi received his Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Stuttgart in 2019. In 2020, he joined the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA as a scientific researcher. He is currently working on several research projects dealing with circular economies for battery systems and battery cell production and pursuing his PhD on battery cell design with a focus on tab systems.