RWTH Aachen University’s Chair of Production Engineering of E-Mobility Components (PEM) has developed a virtual configuration method for battery production facilities, designed to support the setup of cell manufacturing at the Fraunhofer Research Production Battery Cell FFB in Münster.
The new modelling approach, focused on digitalising cell finishing processes, was first presented at a conference in New York State in July and has now been published in the journal Robotics and Computer-Integrated Manufacturing under the title “Modelling Flexible Configuration of Cell Finishing for Future Battery Production Research.”
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According to PEM Director Professor Achim Kampker, the approach addresses a key gap in the industry. “The numerous interrelationships in the product and production system, as well as the continuous development dynamics, are hardly taken into account in the current planning of cell finalization so that no systematic approach to configuration design has yet been established,” Kampker said.
The study, based on real industrial data, outlines eight potential plant configurations for large-scale battery cell production, particularly in the energy-intensive cell finishing stage. Researchers say that the model offers a more sustainable path to reducing production costs and improving competitiveness.
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Developed under the FoFeBat2 project launched in 2021, the tool uses a structured database of products, processes, and parameters to simulate production scenarios. Its main purpose is to enable dynamic configuration of cell manufacturing at the Fraunhofer FFB site.
“Cell finalization is still characterized by enormous challenges, which are reflected in cell-specific plant technology, long process times, and massive energy requirements,” said PEM researcher Sicong Deng. He added that virtual modelling allows “flexible and efficient production development and optimisation,” helping to integrate new technologies into industrial-scale battery production.