Pallet system for round battery cells
Definition of the task
A manufacturer of batteries for electric vehicles joins together individual round cells to make battery modules. The manufacturer would like these round cells to be inspected fully automatically in the goods receipt area. To this end, it requires a pallet circulation system with different interfaces. A robot removes several individual round cells as a set from the packaging and places them on the conveyor technology. The cells first need to be separated in order to ionise them against electrostatic charge. They are then to be placed in individual compartments of a tray. Along the circulation system, the individual cells undergo various inspections. The trays need to be stopped at the stations and positioned in such a way that the inspections can be performed automatically. The circulation system also needs a mechanism by which to separate defective parts. A tray holds 14 cells and must have run through the compete circuit within 15 seconds. On account of the many test and robot stations along the circuit, the space available on site is very limited.
Solution from mk
An mk ZRF-P 2040 timing belt conveyor was used to implement this pallet circulation system. Index stations allow the trays to be positioned within an accuracy of +/- 0.2 mm. This ensures that the automated checks can be performed reliably. A ramp feeds into the conveyor technology. The robot places the cells onto this ramp. They are separated and then slide into the individual compartments of the tray. Due to the short cycle times and limited installation space, a shuttle was constructed to transfer the trays to the pallet return. The conveyor technology transports the trays into the shuttle where they are then quickly transported to the parallel conveyor system for the return journey using a linear unit. At the end of the line, the cells are removed from the trays so that they are available for loading again.
Benefits for the customer
- Individual design from a standard construction kit
- Short cycle times for high output quantities
Products used
> ZRF-P 2040 timing belt conveyor
> LZR linear unit
