A subsidiary of Wauseon Machine, McAlister Design & Automation's Battery Test and Assembly System inspects and tests battery cells and the assembly of battery packs, commonly used in electric vehicles and consumer products.
Developed to support market changes and future growth, it allows battery pack manufacturers to ensure quality meets or exceeds the requirements for its design. The system tests each individual battery cell before incorporating it into the pack, mitigating the number of packs that falter because of a potential issue with a single battery cell.
It uses industry-standard battery cell packaging, minimizing the amount of operator handling during the introduction to the testing and assembly process. Additionally, the company modeled the Battery Test & Assembly System around the 2170 battery for broader application benefits.
Users can capture, store, and analyze battery cells and pack data, trace battery pack and cell performance over the entire life cycle of the product, manage incoming supplier quality, and trace defects across the value stream.
The system focuses on flexibility—using vision guidance for robotic components, 6-axis robots, and conveyors—allowing the system to be modified or reconfigured for different battery sizes or battery pack configurations. The system design also features asynchronous testing and assembly stations, maximizing its throughput and minimizing the amount of time it takes to assemble a battery pack. Plus, its pre-engineered software makes for an easily scalable and adaptable system.
To accommodate lithium-ion batteries, the system offers integrated dunnage inspection, providing fire hazard mitigation and a safer working environment for system operators.
