The 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 the project was the requirement for agile flexibility, which will allow UKBIC to manufacture a wide range of Modules & Packs, and support various customer requirements without the need for major process or site changes.
Working in collaboration with engineers from UKBIC, Comau UK 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 facility is located in Coventry, England, about 30 miles southeast of Birmingham and 20 miles from the Comau UK facilities in Rugby, where the company has been engineering sustainable automation solutions since 1991.
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 Comau-developed 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.
In addition to helping ensure the safety and reliability of the manufactured batteries through the use of smart cameras, thermal imaging and End-of-Line leak test technologies the solution has built-in scalability to handle greater production volumes when required.
UKBIC is part of the UK’s Faraday Battery Challenge programme, which is designed to fast track the development of cost-effective, high-performance, durable, safe and recyclable batteries.