Research Fab Battery Cells

Battery research in Germany as a technology location

The demand for innovative battery technologies is constantly increasing, especially in view of the energy and mobility turnaround and the ensuing shift towards electro mobility. The development and production of these technologies is in its infancy in Germany and because of this it offers great innovation potential. Many players in politics and industry will benefit from battery cell research which will strongly contribute to strengthen Germany as a technology location on international stage in the long term.

Research Fab Battery Cells

This is where the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Battery Cell Production FFB comes in, which deals with the opportunities of transferring innovative battery cell concepts into industrial products, taking into account new and innovative production processes. The cell production of lithium-ion batteries is to be promoted by making production facilities more flexible and modular and by developing novel concepts for a more sustainable use of resources. Industrial companies of all sizes as well as research partners can benefit from the results of the project.

Fraunhofer IGCV supports battery cell research primarily through its expertise and experience in the field of processing technology. In the context of battery cell research production we are responsible for aspects of factory planning and evaluation, production management, plant and control engineering.

New production processes for battery research

Optical inspection of battery electrodes at Fraunhofer IGCV
© Fraunhofer IGCV
Optical inspection of battery electrodes at Fraunhofer IGCV

The holistic approach to battery cell production includes the following points:

  • Mass production of lithium-ion battery cells (cost, quality, speed, process reliability)
  • Flexibilization and modularization of production facilities
  • Pilot production of new cell formats
  • Integration of innovation modules for novel processes/cell generations
  • Development of novel factory and plant concepts to increase resource efficiency
  • Training of experts for cell production
  • Development of new plant technology for the industry
The overall FFB project is organizationally assigned to the Aachen Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT. Fraunhofer IPT is supported by eight Fraunhofer Institutes in Germany, including Fraunhofer IGCV. Other partners in the research production of battery cells are the university institute »Münster Electrochemical Energy Technology« (MEET) and the Chair »Production Engineering of E-Mobility Components« (PEM) at RWTH Aachen University. The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) with more than 700 million euros. In cooperation with the »Institute for Machine Tools and Industrial Management« (iwb) of the Technical University of Munich, Fraunhofer IGCV is involved in a leading position for a work package and it supports other work packages of the battery cell research production.

Battery cell research at Fraunhofer IGCV

Quality inspection and technical cleanliness

Fraunhofer IGCV deals with quality testing and technical cleanliness within the production process chain as part of the battery cell research production. This includes, for example, the recording and automated classification of quality characteristics of the separator foils used, the cleanliness testing of assembled battery electrodes and the selection and implementation of cleaning technologies within the production process chain according to requirements.

Design of flexible transport systems

Due to the great product variance as well as the later integration of the innovation modules, a high degree of flexibility is required for material transport. This challenge can be met by using driverless transport systems (AGVs). Energy-oriented operation is necessary to ensure that the full potential can be exploited. This enables deployment planning based on the current battery capacity and the energy required for the job before selecting an available transport system. For this purpose, the various systems are evaluated and selected.

Experience through reference projects

In order to be able to deal with concrete questions, Fraunhofer IGCV can rely on the experience gained from numerous reference projects. The following focal points are of particular importance:

Cooperation with Fraunhofer IGCV

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Industry solutions

The key sectors of Fraunhofer IGCV:

  • Mechanical and plant engineering
  • Aerospace
  • Automotive and commercial vehicles

Competences

We are shaping the way into the future of efficient engineering, networked production and intelligent multi-material solutions.