Honeywell’s Battery MXP Optimizes Process for Lithium-Ion Manufacturing

Honeywell International Inc. has introduced its artificial-intelligence-driven, large-scale Battery Manufacturing Excellence Platform (Battery MXP). Honeywell aims to meet global demand for lithium-ion batteries by providing its customers with a comprehensive portfolio of products for aiding efficient, more sustainable, and large-scale battery manufacturing. The newly announced software solution will enable gigafactories to rapidly produce batteries for global demand.

Battery manufacturers aim to secure operational excellence during large-scale battery manufacturing to economize on time, resources, and cost while meeting high safety and performance standards. Image used courtesy of Honeywell

Achieving Operational Excellence

Advanced process measurement and control solutions are needed to help achieve operational excellence during manufacturing. Often times, start-up manufacturers cannot facilitate rapid, large-scale production of batteries required to meet the increasing demand for electric vehicles.

Manufacturing facility operations must save on material costs and energy, support safe working conditions, and implement thorough quality control to build secure and high-performing Li-ion batteries that meet EV performance and safety requirements. Battery MXP aims to reduce start-up waste of materials and time.

Mixing Batch Uniformity and Coating Quality

Honeywell’s batch automation solution, Experion Batch, offers a virtual unit operations controller for simulated configuration, testing, deployment, and validation of batch units. Users can plan, view batch history, and monitor batch workflows. Users can get alerts of any batch delays and benefit from system-guided troubleshooting if any other problems arise. Experion Batch is a powerful visualization tool for monitoring and streamlining the batch mixing step.

Honeywell’s scanning and sensing technologies measure particular characteristics of coating profiles online and in real-time, executing feedback control of line speed and coating heads by referencing MD/CD control algorithms. Scanners such as the 5080 Series scanners, provide rapid scanning and real-time insight generation, streak detection, high-resolution, total electrode basis weight measurement, and same-spot measurements to monitor coating and maintain coating quality.

Honeywell’s Model 3-5080-00 Super Clean Scanner features same-spot measurement for coat-weight control. Image used courtesy of Honeywell

Honeywell’s platform features the non-nuclear Optical Caliper Sensor, the first chromatic confocal displacement sensor to use direct coating thickness measurements to adapt to the effects of vibration and heat. According to Honeywell, the solution offers repeatability and precision at the sub-micron level. Dryer system control and optimization is another feature of the Battery MXP offering, providing control of incoming and outgoing dryer air-flow rates, which affect coating porosity. If coating porosity is not optimum, this can impinge upon the wettability of the electrode, which can incur safety and filling problems as well as low specific energy. Honeywell’s canning technology enables customers to optimize coating thickness and weight while reducing cycle times.

Maximizing Production Quality

Honeywell’s OptiVision Manufacturing Execution System allows users to unify coding for calendering, coating, and splitting operations. The system integrates data and measurement systems, along with visualization systems to optimize process control, minimize variability, reduce resource waste, and achieve a favorable return on investment for production assets.

According to Benchmark Source, over 400 gigafactories will be in operation by 2030 to keep up with the demands of this electrification era. Honeywell, an automotive and aerospace manufacturer, has provided battery makers with a comprehensive set of tools and solutions with Battery MXP to secure and optimize battery manufacturing operations, reducing time to market, complying with battery safety and performance requirements, and facilitating wider adoption of EVs and other electrified products.