Stellantis’ Comau provides battery manufacturing line for UK battery industralisation centre. Comau has been selected by the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC) to develop and deploy a semi-automated battery module and battery pack assembly line for the publicly-funded ‘open-access’ battery production development facility.
UKBIC is an important part of the UK’s Faraday Battery Challenge program, which is designed to fast track the development of cost-effective, high-performance, durable, safe and recyclable batteries.
The Comau-developed Module and Pack assembly line is the first of UKBIC’s innovative battery manufacturing equipment to have been installed, commissioned and available for its customers to use.
One of the unique elements of this project was the requirement for agile flexibility, which
will allow a range of Modules & Packs to be manufactured at a single premise. The final
facility developed by Comau UK has overcome this challenge, giving UKBIC the ability to
support a wide range of customer requirements without the need for major process or site
changes.
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Working in collaboration with engineers from UKBIC, Comau provided all the necessary
technology and know-how to manage the entire battery Module & Pack manufacturing
process, from cylindrical cell preparation and pouch cell stacking to the battery pack
assembly.
The project, which highlights Comau’s continued investments in the electrification sector, leverages the global leader’s 45+ years of expertise in automation and digitalization technologies.
To meet the demand for UK-produced batteries, which is expected to reach a total of 440
gigawatt-hours per year by 2040 (Source: McKinsey, June 2019), the 18,500 m2 UKBIC facility with its new Module and Pack manufacturing line will allow British companies to determine whether their prototype technology can be manufactured at the required volume, speed, performance and cost to be commercially successful.
The facility is located in Coventry, England, about 30 miles southeast of Birmingham and 20 miles from Comau’s UK facilities in Rugby.
Comau’s highly flexible assembly line supports a full range of sizes and specific product
variances, and have the built-in scalability to handle greater production volumes when
required.
By integrating its advanced technology, such as robot assembly modules, smart
cameras and thermal imaging, pick and place grippers, and End-of-Line leak test
technologies, the solution will help ensure the safety and reliability of the manufactured
batteries. In addition, Comau can help validate battery-related technology and design
parameters to further increase the efficiency of the proposed solutions.
Andrew Lloyd, Comau’s Automation Systems and Electro-Mobility Business Segment Leader.
We are honoured to be at the forefront of technology development efforts that will expand the UK electrification market by bridging the gap between basic research and product development.
“Being selected as the main technology partner by UKBIC for its Module and Pack assembly line is a direct result of our proven ability to support our customers in every step of the electrification process.”
John Coombes, Managing Director, Comau UK:
The combination of Comau UK’s close collaboration with the customer and their dynamic resolve to adopting solutions has proven to be a winning approach for both companies.
“More importantly, the cutting-edge facility will allow UKBIC to remove barriers that can slow the development of these promising new technologies.”
Ian Whiting, UKBIC’s Commercial Director, added:
We’re delighted to have our Module and Pack line up and running at UKBIC, the first part of the facility which customers can use.
“From the outset, the team at Comau have helped us realise our goal of proving whether promising technologies can be manufactured at the required volume, speed, performance and cost to be commercially successful.”
- The state-of-the-art battery production development facility enables the scale-up of UK battery manufacturing.
COMAU UK PROVIDES BATTERY MANUFACTURING LINE FOR THE PIONEERING UK BATTERY INDUSTRIALISATION CENTRE, Turin, April 8, 2021