Battery manufacturing is one of the most demanding processes in modern production, and every step counts.
As part of the Pepperl+Fuchs Group, VMT and sister company Polyplan combine their expertise to offer customized automation solutions for the entire battery manufacturing process – from electrode production to the finished battery pack. Within this network, VMT contributes decades of experience in machine vision and quality inspection.
One core contribution lies in quality inspection of the gap filler: heat-conducting paste applied between the battery modules and the battery tray to safely dissipate heat generated during charging and discharging. With the VMT SpinTop G2, the continuity and correctness of these adhesive beads can be checked directly during application, without adding extra cycle time. The inspection system is mounted directly on the robot arm, with two rotating measuring units capturing the bead shape in three dimensions.
Since its market launch in 2024, the new SpinTop G2 generation uses high-quality lasers with blue and red light instead of infrared, significantly improving detection quality at greater distances and on dark surfaces. With up to 900 scans per second and double the resolution of its predecessor, the system also reliably inspects fine sealing beads just a few millimeters thick, for example around the battery tray before the pack is closed.
The VMT LineRunner, a laser triangulation sensor, plays a further role in battery manufacturing: it supports precise object position correction even under difficult lighting conditions and changing surface properties.
Built on more than 25 years of experience delivering turnkey vision systems, from the press shop to the body shop to final assembly, VMT continues to expand its expertise into new applications across the fast-evolving battery production landscape.
Read the full story, including further insights from Pepperl+Fuchs and Polyplan, on the Pepperl+Fuchs amplify magazine: https://amplify.pepperl-fuchs.com/2024/powered-by-expertise/
