Production of large-area lithium-ion cells - Preconditioning, cell stacking and quality assurance

In times of climate change and shortage of fossil fuels, electro mobility provides a clean and sustainable solution. The growing number of electric vehicles generates a huge demand on lithium-ion cells. Due to higher quality requirements and different conditions of operation compared to consumer cells adapted production processes and systems are needed. Consequently, this paper analyses the process chain for lithium-ion cells and proposes solutions for the automation of important process steps suitable for mass production, in particular the pre-conditioning of the electrodes and the cell stacking. Additionally, an approach for the detection of particles on electrode surfaces is presented. (C) 2012 CIRP.