TIME

Brief description

The accelerated transfer of existing innovations from the laboratory and pilot plant scale to commercial-scale production of battery cells will secure Germany’s future status as a technology leader, while also providing added value for Asian and European cell manufacturers. To achieve this, economies of scale must be realized so that the high requirements for quality, yield, and throughput of lithium-ion cells and components for large-scale production are met. This requires full automation of all process steps. In TIME, the consortium is jointly developing, within a scaling research project, an AI-based inline measurement technology combined with the digitization of data processing and data management in line with Industry 4.0 up to an industrial scale, in collaboration with partners from electronics development, data processing, plant engineering, and application.

The goal of TIME is to integrate a monitoring system based on laser speckle photometry (LSP) into an industrial pilot plant at Fraunhofer FFB for the detection and classification of real defects and the determination of porosity in the drying and calendering of electrodes. The result will be a technology demonstrator that raises the current TRL5 to TRL7, with hardware and software capable of performing their functions at web speeds of up to 50 m/min and a maximum film width of 700 mm - compared to the status quo of a maximum web speed of 10 m/min and a film width of 400 mm. A data management system will be developed for the handling and processing of measurement data, including decisions regarding the quality of the electrode/cell.

The project is divided into ten work packages:

AP1: Specification of the LSP, data structures, and interfaces; LCA analysis
The Fraunhofer FFB is defining specifications for analog and digital interfaces and conducting an LCA analysis.

AP2: LSP Method – Functional Patterns
In this work package, the two functional models of the LSP system will be developed using both hardware and software engineering. The requirements specifications developed in WP1 will be used for this purpose.

AP3: Implementation of LSP in the calender
The two functional prototypes will be further developed into plant designs for integration. Initial test runs will be conducted without the Fraunhofer FFB. Subsequently, both finalized measurement systems will be integrated into the FFB PreFab pilot line.

AP 5: Measurement Data/Database
The data from the OPC UA interface is stored and contextualized based on its relevance to the project. The database to be used is selected based on the expected data formats and volumes. The data comes from the actual Fraunhofer FFB pilot production.

AP10: Testing/Validation of the Results
Validation of the entire system at FFB PreFab. This involves specifically collecting data sets from production campaigns to verify the requirements for the LSP. The results are evaluated from both technical and economic perspectives.

The growing demand for lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, consumer electronics, and stationary storage is driving global capacity expansion, with Europe aiming to increase its share of production to about 20% by 2030 - in Germany, companies such as PowerCo and CATL are set to generate over 107 GWh to meet this demand. The mechanical and plant engineering sector offers German companies significant potential, as approximately €290 billion is expected to be invested in production facilities worldwide by 2030. The TIME project supports this development by testing automated processes for highly automated, digitally controlled series production. The results are utilized and disseminated through patent applications, publications in trade journals, and presentations at international conferences. Scientific and technical exploitation takes place through the networks of Fraunhofer FFB and IKTS, with the LSP system capable of being expanded to additional production lines and process steps in the short to medium term. The results are disseminated through conferences, technical publications, and integration into teaching and training for young professionals, contributing to the qualification of skilled workers in battery technology.