The Spring Festival is approaching, and the tide of homecoming has quietly begun.

Outside the window, the warm sun is scattered all over the new energy trams speeding on the way home, light and shadow interlacing, power surging, wheels rolling, the starting point of this green journey, but has long been opened ......

The birth of a battery pack

According to EVTank, global sales of new energy vehicles reached 18.236 million units in 2024, a year-on-year increase of 24.4%. The growth in sales of new energy vehicles has also driven the rapid development of the lithium battery industry, with global lithium battery production reaching 1,525GWh in 2024, a year-on-year increase of 26.0%.

In the surge in demand, a domestic TOP-level new energy enterprises in the intelligent factory, new energy tram “heart” - lithium battery production line, precision Estun robot is busy on the production line. This is the place where a battery pack is born and the starting point of a green journey.

From positive electrode dosing, negative electrode dosing, to coating, tabbing, winding/stacking, shelling, to module assembly and PACK line, every step is crucial, and every detail determines the performance and quality of the battery. And Estun, is the intelligent guardian in this complex production process.

Lithium battery cell manufacturing

In the outpost of Li-ion battery process - core manufacturing battlefield, from the production of film to the synthesis of the core, as if a magnificent transformation, from fragmented parts into the “heart” containing unlimited energy.

In this high-tech feast, Estun covers the whole process of battery cell production with its ingenious ER3/ER6/ER10/ER20/ER50 series SCARA robots. Responding to the industry's high-tempo production challenges, Estun ensures that every piece of battery cell can be released in the best condition, which lays a solid foundation for the safety and stability of new energy vehicles, and at the same time injects a constant power for the future development of new energy.

On the intelligent production line, when the paste is coated on the collector and enters the drying and slicing process, Estun's SCARA robot shuttles through the hot pressing, X-Ray inspection, pairing, shelling and liquid injection of the battery cell, etc., to ensure that each and every battery cell has a uniform heartbeat and reliable quality with millimeter-level accurate positioning paired with ultra-stable performance.

Die-cutting process

Die-cutting process in lithium battery manufacturing is mainly responsible for the cutting and slitting of the pole piece, the precision and consistency of the pole piece will directly affect the overall performance of the battery, so the die-cutting machine is one of the key equipments in the production of lithium batteries, and its control algorithms are extremely demanding.

Estun die-cutting machine operation and control program with mature winding and unwinding tension control algorithms ensures tension control accuracy and punching accuracy, with punching accuracy of ±0.02mm, ensuring the precision of die-cutting of pole ears. At the same time, TRIO controller can realize multi-axis synchronous control, and the punching efficiency reaches 280PPM, which ensures the production capacity and guarantees the die-cutting quality of lugs.

Coiling process

As the production process advances, the winding process becomes an important test. Here, the diaphragm, positive electrode sheet and negative electrode sheet are precisely wound into individual cores, and the tension control of the electrode sheet and diaphragm directly affects the tightness and consistency of the core.

By virtue of its excellent tension control and alignment technology, Estun's winding machine operation and control solution achieves ≥99% yield and >20ppm winding efficiency, successfully crossing the barrier of the winding process, and sending the prototype of the “heart” of the new energy tram to the next stop of the green journey - the module PACK process section. -Module PACK process section.

Lithium battery module PACK process section

When the cores come to the module assembly and PACK line processes, a high beat production line is unfolding in an orderly manner. In order to meet the requirements of high-tempo production of super-large cells for lithium batteries, Estun has customized and developed the ER50-1200-SR heavy-duty SCARA robot, which, with its new structure and built-in alignment design, has demonstrated high productivity in the module process section, such as cell loading and polarity testing.

Before and after module assembly, it is necessary to stick X/Y adhesive tape on the bottom of the battery block. The adhesive effect of the adhesive tape has a direct impact on the sealing of the battery pack. A good adhesive tape ensures a tight connection between the internal components of the battery and prevents the electrolyte from leaking due to poor sealing, thus improving the safety of the battery.

In this application, Estun's ER220-3100 robot, with its long arm span, high speed, high inertia, and high torque performance, applies X/Y adhesive tape to the large surface of the battery cells, effectively guaranteeing the accuracy and efficiency of the operation, and improving the safety performance and durability of the battery. At the same time, the wrist double support adopts a fully sealed structure, with a protection level of IP67, fearless of humidity, dust and other harsh environments.

Next the battery pack comes to the resonance of light and electricity - welding the bar tabs to the poles. This process will determine the conductivity of the battery and further enhance the overall structural strength of the pack as well as its sealing, which will help extend the life of the battery.

Estun provides a robotic laser Busbar welding solution that integrates a high-performance UNO series robot + Blackbird control system + SCANLAB galvanometer module + Keens vision system + IPG ring spot laser, etc., which greatly ensures the conductivity of the battery pack. At the same time, Busbar welding is suitable for multiple short weld seams and more intensive process requirements, zero contact with the workpiece during the welding process, the weld position can be flexible and changeable, which greatly improves the production efficiency.

Gathering sand into towers, accumulating small things into big things. In the metamorphosis from small cells to large battery packs, heavy-duty robots play a crucial role. Heavy-duty robots have strong load capacity, stability and accuracy, which can easily realize module assembly, significantly improve production efficiency, reduce labor costs, and ensure the stability of product quality.

Estun has a full range of 220kg-700kg heavy-duty robots, which are widely used in lithium batteries, metal processing and other industries, with high-speed, high-precision, super anti-jamming ability, can be equipped with 45M ultra-long cables, to adapt to a variety of scenarios of load applications. The application of heavy-duty robots not only improves the automation level of lithium battery production and reduces production costs, but also provides a strong guarantee for the stability and safety of the production process.

Complete solution for digitizing lithium batteries

In the whole production process, a pair of digital eyes has been closely following, that is Estun's E-Noesis new generation industrial Internet platform.

E-Noesis new-generation industrial internet platform realizes millisecond data collection through intelligent gateway, and based on edge computing and cloud computing platform, it presents real-time, systematic and all-around production data of equipment and production line, witnessing the birth of a green “heart”.

In every process section of the lithium battery industry, you can see the figure of Estun. At the end of the production line, a battery pack was finally born, and the green journey officially started!

When this new energy tram, loaded with technology and innovation, slowly drove into the familiar hometown path, the joy from the inside out not only came from the satisfaction of homesickness, but also from the pride of choosing the green way of traveling.

Behind all this is the unremitting efforts of Estun and other enterprises in the new energy tram manufacturing chain, weaving a bright future of green travel with wisdom and craftsmanship.

At this moment, looking out of the window at the gradually lit lights, the heart is full of warmth and hope - this is not just a journey home, but also a firm step towards a greener, smarter life for mankind!