State-of-the-art production for innovative battery systems

"We are opening a new chapter with battery production.", says Dr. Hartung Wilstermann, globally responsible for the battery business at Webasto. In 2016, the decision was made to expand the product portfolio: in addition to the core business with roof and thermal systems, the automotive supplier now also produces charging solutions and battery systems for electrified vehicles of all kinds. "As a long-standing partner of the automotive industry, we have been shaping trends and developments in the industry together with our customers.", says Wilstermann. To manufacture the variable range of battery systems, one of the most state-of-the-art production systems for battery systems was built in cooperation between Webasto and KUKA.

The automotive industry is undergoing the most significant change in its history. The model range of electric and hybrid vehicles is expanding dramatically. The automotive industry's electromobility offensive is also impacting on production processes: Because conventional production lines for automobiles cannot be transferred to the manufacture of electrified powertrains. Webasto started production of its standard batteries at the beginning of 2020. A finished battery pack is produced approximately every 15 minutes. The experts from KUKA planned and implemented the complex production process and integrated it at the Schierling plant.

The battery is the heart of electric vehicles. It consists of many individual components and electronic parts. Assembly and handling therefore require high precision in a limited space.

Driverless transport vehicles (abbreviated FTF or AGVs) are used to transport the required battery components to the individual production stations. The AGV also serves as a kind of central supermarket, supplying side-mounted drawers containing, for example, templates as safety instruments and positioning aids for the manual processing steps of the workers. The driverless transport vehicles play an important role in implementing the space-saving system. In the mobile trolleys with drawers, the AGVs transport not only the safety templates for the safe execution of manual production steps, but also individual battery components. This means that they do not have to be stored temporarily somewhere and are automatically available at the right place at the right time. Webasto thus saves storage space and avoids intersecting material flows in the production line.

The new system is not only space-saving but also transparent: it provides Webasto with an overview of process data such as torques, measured values from electrical tests and values for checking the tightness of the individual modules.