In 2016, automotive supplier Webasto made the decision to expand its product portfolio. In addition to its core business with roof and thermal systems, the automotive supplier now also produces charging solutions and battery systems for electrified vehicles of all kinds. A modern production facility for battery systems was built in collaboration between Webasto and Kuka to manufacture the variable range of battery systems.

Flexible multi-product line

"As the global market leader in our existing business, we have expertise that plays an important role, especially for solutions in electromobility. This includes comprehensive know-how in thermal management, the integration of large components in vehicles and many years of industrialization experience," explains Dr. Hartung Wilstermann, globally responsible for the battery business at Webasto

Production of battery packs for a European bus manufacturer has already started at the Webasto plant in Schierling in the Regensburg district. As an expert in automation solutions, Kuka ensured the implementation and networking of the individual production steps and the smooth manufacturing process of battery pack production with a flexible multi-product line.

In addition, Webasto uses its comprehensive system expertise to effectively connect its product worlds. As the performance of batteries is highly temperature-dependent, the batteries have a particularly good performance and service life, for example. In addition to the production of individually developed batteries for its OEM customers, the automotive supplier also offers a standardized and scalable solution for commercial vehicles with its specially developed standard battery system.

A finished battery pack every 15 minutes

Each battery pack passes through the systematically interlinked production processes.

© Kuka

"The automotive industry is undergoing the biggest transformation in its history. The range of electric and hybrid vehicle models is expanding dramatically. The automotive industry's electromobility offensive is also having an impact on production processes: This is because conventional production lines for automobiles cannot be transferred to the production of electrified powertrains. Webasto started producing its standard batteries at the beginning of 2020. A finished battery pack is produced approximately every 15 minutes," says Dr. Joachim Döhner, Battery Senior Director Global Sales at Kuka, explaining the situation. The Kuka experts then planned and implemented the complex production process and integrated it into the Schierling plant.

The system is designed as a multi-product line and enables the production of different battery types. Each battery pack passes through the systematically interlinked production processes, which are partly manual and partly automated: from kitting, the assembly of the components required for the assembly of a battery, to battery module preparation and measurement, the automated application of the thermal paste - the so-called 'gap filler', the connection of battery modules and the battery housing, the assembly of the battery management system, to the screwing of the battery housing cover and finally the end-of-line tests of the finished battery pack.

Automation with AGVs

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

Automated guided vehicles (AGVs) are used to transport the required battery components to the individual production stations. The AGV also serves as a kind of central supermarket, for example by supplying templates in side-mounted drawers as safety instruments and placement aids for the workers' manual processing steps. The driverless transport vehicles play an important role in the implementation of 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 anywhere 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.

Predictive maintenance and traceability through data collection and analysis

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.

Another advantage of data acquisition is the traceability of each individual component installed in the battery packs. Based on these figures and characteristic values, but also on traceable usage data and condition parameters of the production system itself, predictive and proactive forecasts about upcoming machine maintenance, for example, and thus predictive maintenance and warranty are ensured.

According to documents from Kuka.