The development of electric vehicles is gathering speed. China has set itself and car manufacturers ambitious targets, and aims for 12 per cent of all vehicles to be electric by 2020. France wants all cars sold after 2040 to be electric. Volvo has announced its intention to end the production of vehicles powered by internal combustion engine in 2019. The London Taxi Company has also signalled its intention to enter the electric vehicle market by changing its name to the London Electric Vehicle Company. The new taxis will have the same classic look as their predecessors, but will be cleaner and quieter. The UK government has recognised the shift towards electric vehicles, and in July 2017 announced a major investment programme to develop battery technology.
The pilot project Automated Module-to-pack Pilot Line for Industrial Innovation, or AMPLiFII for short, is demonstrating how efficient automation can contribute to the competitive production of traction batteries in Europe.
Developed for small spaces
Within the AMPLiFII pilot battery assembly line, special purpose machine builder and system integrator Horizon Instruments has developed a high-speed cell picker system. This presented a unique challenge for Technical Director Daniel Bolton and his team. When designing the battery module production line they faced several technical and practical constraints: “We had a relatively confined space in which to fit the equipment and strict budget parameters, as well as a lead-in time of just seven months. We also needed to find a way of electrically testing each cell, rotating cells when needed and placing them into each module extremely precisely and at great speed.” One of the core tasks of the pilot plant is the simultaneous testing of groups of 30 cells for current and voltage before they are picked and placed in the battery modules. The high costs and space constraints meant that it was not possible to accommodate 30 individual battery testers. A solution had to be found. Together with the research and education group WMG at the University of Warwick, Horizon Instruments developed a bespoke multiplexer interface which allowed a single battery tester to be used. This not only delivered savings on space and capital cost, but also enabled the collation of comparative data regarding test status.
A custom solution in eight weeks
After testing, the battery cells are aligned accurately and inverted if necessary. The pick and place system then inserts them into the module located on a conveyor. The plant can be configured to handle the exact number of battery cells, which can sometimes vary. 100 individual cells per module is typical, with a total weight of approximately 9 kg once assembled. Festo delivered a compact complete solution using Cartesian robot technology for fast and precise handling. “We didn’t need to coordinate multiple suppliers or worry about product compatibility”, explains Daniel Bolton. “Within just eight weeks of the order being placed we had a custom system. Festo also provided us with technical support throughout the design, installation and commissioning process.” With the new automation solution, each cell can be picked, rotated, aligned and placed in the modules within 1.2 seconds.
英国首秀
蓄电池抓放系统的核心是 Festo EXCH-60。平面式门架用于进行高速装配操作，在这种操作中，需要快速灵活地定位小而轻的批量生产物品。EXCH 由两个固定电机驱动，提供最佳动态响应。不再需要对每个轴使用单独的门架，提供了精确的对准。在高达 5m/s 的速度和高达 50m/s2 的加速度下，它能够每分钟进行 100 次抓取，重复精度为 ±0.1 mm。对于 Festo 的 Steve Sands 来说，使用 EXCH 是一个重要的步骤：“这个项目是 Festo 平面式门架第一次在英国使用。现在纳入电动汽车蓄电池试产线的自动化技术最初是为建造太阳能电池板而开发的。它非常适合抓取精密部件，并非常精确地放置它们。” 2D 平面式门架由 CPX 阀岛控制。它能将最先进的电子器件和气动装置安装在单个独立的基座上。
为未来铺平道路
新的自动化解决方案已经不仅仅引起了机器制造和自动化技术领域的兴趣。对于华威大学的 Robert Harrison 教授来说，该试点项目证明了“高速蓄电池单元抓取系统和其他工位将使我们能够展示我们自动化蓄电池单元到模块封装工艺的能力，并有助于为升级到全面生产工厂铺平道路。” Harrison 教授认为，该项目将有助于开发电动和混合动力汽车的新一代牵引蓄电池。该自动化系统专家表示：“它将结合最佳的人工和自动化装配方法来制造蓄电池组，并为基于自动化技术的英国新型汽车供应链奠定基础。”
WMG
Coventry CV4 7AL
华威大学
英国
主营业务：研发
Horizon Instruments
Ghyll Industrial Estate
Heathfield, East Sussex
英国
主营业务：设计和构建集成式自动化解决方案