Can lithium-ion and other specialty battery manufacturers keep up with the growth potential in the new world fueled by electrons rather than heat? That all depends on how well they can master manufacturing. Lithium-ion batteries are inherently complex. It is an enormous challenge to make them at consistently high quality. Compounding the challenge are the ever-shifting conditions: constant innovation in materials, chemistry, and form factors plus frequent changes based on customer requirements and applications. Manufacturing prowess well could differentiate a company and set it up for success.
Making these batteries is a multi-mode, sensitive operation. There are interdependencies between steps, opportunities for contamination and human error, and the final product’s selling price depends on manufacturing excellence. In addition, new chemistry, form factors, and approaches are emerging for new applications, so there’s a steady stream of experiments and new products in the mix.
All of these factors mean a manufacturing execution system (MES) is required. This is the only type of system that can support all aspects needed for success in this complex production environment.
Yet, not just any MES will do. Five key characteristics make an MES capable of supporting Lithium-ion and specialty battery manufacturers. Multi-mode support is paramount for batch slurry mixing, roll, winding, assembly, sealing, and testing. Flexibility for the high mix and R&D experimentation is also fundamental.
Read the entire blog post by clicking on the image on LinkedIn to learn more about these characteristics battery manufacturers should seek in MES, plus discover the other three.
Thank you to Eyelit for supporting us in expressing our views on the important features of MES for battery manufacturers.
