Precise Material Position Measurement Minimizes Waste in EV Battery Manufacturing

Misaligned materials can cause serious problems in the manufacturing process if not caught quickly. Operators need to know right away when even very fine materials are out of alignment.

The EV battery manufacturing process uses several materials that begin as rolled sheets, or webs. These materials may be films, foils, or plastics with different finishes and colors. In a finished battery cell, each material has a specific function such as an anode, cathode, or insulator, so the order and alignment of the material are critical. At different points in the process the sheets may be aligned with each other, serve as a substrate for chemical coatings, or cut to a specific size to be wound or stacked. Slight misalignment of a sheet or uncertainty in positioning can result in wasted material, decreased throughput, and avoidable costs associated with correcting a positioning issue. Between lost material costs and decreased operational efficiency, the impact of uncertain alignment can be significant.

Using single edge mode, the EG24 High Precision Edge Sensor can accurately track the position of a sheet by measuring one of the sheet’s edges. Accurate tracking of the edge is possible on nearly any material type and is a result of sensor’s 10-micron resolution. This ensures precise positioning, which in turn prevents material waste in cutting, layering, and alignment applications. The 2 kHz measurement frequency of the EG24 rapidly measures the edge so any deviation in material position can be quickly identified and corrected.