By 2028, the 40-plus electric vehicle (EV) battery-manufacturing sites in the U.S. could annually output product capable of 1,037 GWh … tracking to increase by twentyfold from the size of the industry just a few years ago, according to the U.S. Dept. of Energy. One geographical corridor running from Michigan to Alabama currently dominates the industry, benefitting from a $2.8B federal infrastructure investment to (among other things) develop of commercial-scale facilities for extracting, processing, and recycling battery materials including lithium and graphite.

In fact, Tesla, Toyota, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis, and Volkswagen all have invested in North American battery-making facilities; Ford and Mazda have also made moves (albeit tentative and rescaled) to leverage such facilities.

So, Design World asked several industry experts about the efforts they’re seeing to make the energy and automotive industries (and their support of EVs) more domestically reliant. Here’s what those experts had to say.

What’s the latest in U.S and Canadian EV battery manufacture?

Lin: The U.S. and Canada have significantly enhanced their competitiveness in EV battery manufacturing through government initiatives, technology advancements, and industry collaborations. Policymakers in both countries have implemented a range of incentives, tax credits, and regulations to promote widespread adoption of electric vehicles. They’ve also supported domestic development in upstream and midstream processes through the Inflation Reduction Act’s battery rules.

Continued collaborations among automakers, technology companies, and battery manufacturers to develop increasingly efficient and cost-effective EV batteries (and scale manufacturing to mass production) remains vital. Creating a sustainable electric mobility ecosystem in the U.S. and Canada will necessitate development of upstream, midstream, and downstream battery-production efforts — and successful scaling to meet EV market demands.

Caldwell: Technological advancements and manufacturing changes in the automotive industry continue to drive innovation. To accommodate rising demand for affordable eco-friendly modes of transportation with less moving parts, EVs equipped with high-capacity batteries are now the focus of future U.S. and Canadian transportation — as well as automation.

Garbe: Given all the uncertainty geopolitically and in the global economy, it’s extremely important to establish strong North American supply chains to support the battery and EV market. The latter has moved from targeting early adopters (attracting only those willing to pay a premium for an EV) to having broader appeal. These new customers are more price-sensitive … so the best way to ensure competitively priced vehicles is to establish reliable large-scale supply chains that are local. Significant investments and the leveraging of incentives offered by the Inflation Reduction Act have provided a strong foundation for the sustainable growth of the U.S. and Canadian EV market.

Leath: Many automotive companies are trying to figure out where they want to offer advantages in the EV space. The experience of the EV vehicles from manufacturers such as Tesla prove to be a green initiative and one that saves consumers both money and maintenance effort — not to mention an enjoyable driving experience. Because these vehicles don’t need the exhaust and engine components of internal-combustion vehicles but do need to bear heavy batteries, manufacturers are looking for new processes to produce them. For example, gigacasting entire frames eliminates separate forming and joining processes but requires preparation and finishing processes that differ from those of traditional casting approaches before the cast parts are ready for assembly with the rest of the vehicle. New materials are also being used for further lightweighting efforts while increasing vehicles’ strength and safety. U.S. manufacturer Tesla is leading the way with their processes, and companies such as GM and Toyota are taking notice.

Donlon: Demand for e-mobility has been expanding in North America. While many people traditionally think of battery-powered electric vehicles as the only EVs, it’s actually hybrid vehicles as well as e-bikes, e-scooters, and e-motorcycles that will continue to expand the market. Top objectives are quality, short lead times, and reduced costs for components and sub-assemblies — all arguments to use automation during production.

In fact, mobility electrification has only increased the need for electronics in the past only used on traditional two and four-wheel internal-combustion vehicles.

How is automation used in this specialized market?

Marks: With various global goals around electrification and sustainability, the demand for lithium-ion batteries (both for EVs and battery storage) is continuing to grow at a rapid pace. The world will need a lot more batteries than today’s supply, capacity, and operations can support. North America is in a strong position to contribute to that global supply.

Automation will be key to meeting this need. The battery manufacturing drive is coming right at a time where companies cannot find the experienced people needed to perform battery manufacturing operations manually. Moreover, best-in-class automation will be critical to safely achieving the high purity and quality necessary to produce EV batteries.

Ikeuchi: EV markets are seeing substantial growth thanks to increased demand and new global policies. As EV advancements drive investments in automated production infrastructure, some aspects of EV manufacturing necessitate careful consideration of the most appropriate motion systems.

Lin: From the initial handling of raw materials to the final stage of recycling used batteries, our automation solutions cover the entire spectrum of battery production. We provide pneumatic and electric automation components as well as process valves to meet the rigorous specifications required for the cost-effective mass production of EV batteries. These automation components are well-suited to various stages of the manufacturing process, including handling raw materials, producing battery cells, assembling modules and packs, and recycling used batteries.

Marks: EV battery manufacture involves a very complex and involved supply chain. Emerson supports the entire supply chain —from the mine to the Gigafactory — in extraction, lithium processing, precursor and active-material production, battery assembly, and even battery recycling. There’s a lot of built-in advanced functionality (especially between the DeltaV Automation Platform and advanced control from Emerson-supported AspenTech) to improve end users’ ability to drive processes and eliminate supply-chain variabilities.

Within the lithium-battery value chain, companies use our systems because they can scale and grow. After all, when companies aim to engineer better batteries, they need supporting technologies for research and development efforts as well as scale production efforts.

Many innovators start in small facilities and focus on testing and validation. When they have a success, these innovators must then quickly scale in facility size and functionality. Using our vast and integrated portfolio, such innovators can easily mature while still maintaining the quality and compliance needed to achieve commercial production.

What specific components and systems are used in battery manufacture?

Sachdev: As EVs continue to grow in popularity, one of the biggest challenges for manufacturers is scaling quickly while meeting extremely high quality standards. There’s no room for error when producing EV batteries, as even small holes, scratches, or dents can degrade efficiency and compromise safety. To help battery manufacturers meet these challenges, we offer a powerful combination of:

• Software (VisionPro deep learning)
• Smart cameras (In-Sight 3D-L4000) and
• Lighting (Trevista CI dome).

Together, these can accurately differentiate between superficial and functional flaws in welds, cell surfaces, and glue seams.

Lin: In the handling of raw materials and recycling processes, we offer customizable process valves equipped with sensors and energy-efficient positioners featuring analog or digital feedback. These components ensure reliable and secure processes of the electrolyte and black mass. For sensitive production processes before the battery cell is sealed for testing, Festo offers an extensive range of copper-free, zinc-free, and dry-room compatible components, addressing the specific requirements to manufacture quality batteries.

We also provide the convenience of configuring multi-axis Cartesian gantries online for adhesive dispensing, cell placement, and module assembly in battery-pack production. The gantries provide high speed and accuracy … and help optimize the use of floor space in the manufacturing plant.

Leath: This year we’re releasing two arms specific to this market. One is a limited-axis large-payload arm made for manipulating battery trays. The other is a high-rigidity robotic arm made for use with friction stir welding — a process commonly used in battery tray production and finding its place in other applications involving dissimilar metals or airtight components.

Varley: At Mitsubishi Electric Automation, we’re heavily involved with global EV battery manufacturing. Our robotic focus is for smaller robots — those with 20 kg or smaller payload — and this type of robot is widely used in EV battery production. Our other automation products fit well with this industry as well.

Garbe: Festo’s product portfolio has been tailored to meet the specific needs of the battery ecosystem. This includes solutions for material extraction, cell production, EV integration, and the emerging battery-recycling industry. For example, we have a full line of process automation products (including corrosion-resistant ball and butterfly valve assemblies, for example) that excel in raw-material battery manufacturing processes. For battery assembly, we offer copper and zinc-free and dryroom-compatible variations of many automation components.

Case in point: Festo’s multi-axis Cartesian handling systems are widely used in battery-module assembly processes. Cartesian systems allow for high speed, high accuracy, and reduced footprints compared to other solutions. Plus we’re constantly developing new custom solutions to satisfy this dynamic market and encourage customers to challenge us with their most demanding applications.

Farahati: Today’s top EV challenges include limited driving range on a single battery charge; fire risks associated with liquid electrolytes in used in today’s batteries; and long charging times, especially in cold settings.

Within the specialized market of next-generation EV battery production, Schaeffler’s components and systems play a crucial role in advancing the emerging battery technology known as all-solid-state electrolyte batteries or ASSBs.

ASSBs are essential to the future of EVs due to their inherent advantages, which include:

• Higher energy density than current state-of-the-art batteries (resulting in longer range on a single charge)
• Faster charging times due to the unique anode design
• The ability to operate in higher temperatures without fire hazards (thereby improving reliability) and
• Increased safety (as ASSBs eliminate the use of flammable organic electrolytes present in current batteries).

Schaeffler is developing a next-generation ASSB that benefits from our company’s extensive engineering and manufacturing know-how to help overcome current challenges faced by ASSB production.

Because there is no liquid electrolyte between the anode and cathode, maintaining low ionic impedance during charge and discharge is essential. Here, special manufacturing techniques such as isostatic pressing apply high pressure and eliminate voids or gaps between grains and interfaces.

During the charge and discharge cycles, the anode and cathode of ASSBs expand and shrink, potentially causing cracks between grains and interfaces. To address this issue, we are designing an active-pressure battery module that constantly applies proper pressure to prevent crack initiation.

Moreover, Schaeffler has partnered with The Ohio State University to create a 25,000-square-foot battery research and development center on the university’s campus. Slated to open in April 2025, the facility’s areas of focus will include further development of ASSB technology.

Ikeuchi: IKO offers several solutions for EV battery manufacture, including linear guides and precision positioning tables for repeatable linear motion — key for equipment to move batteries or subcomponents from one workcell to another. Here, rolling-element linear guides with cylindrical rollers provide a large raceway contact area to deliver high load capacities and rigidity.

IKO positioning tables feature mechatronics suited to both the production and inspection of precision EV battery components; linear and rotary actuators deliver a wide range of load capacities and high positioning accuracy and repeatability as well as the ability to satisfy the high duty cycles associated with EV-component production. Other copper-free linear products with stainless steel parts abound. For example, IKO also offers a cleanroom-rated actuator that is suitable for the production of sensitive EV-related components .. and linear-motion guides and various actuators to deliver the precise motion that EV systems require — along with stainless-steel options and other protective accessories to properly handle sensitive lithium-ion battery elements.

MEET THE EXPERTS
Aaron Donlon | Product manager • Epson Robots
Chris Caldwell | Product manager – material handling • Yaskawa Motoman
Gian Sachdev | Marketing head – Americas demand generation • Cognex
Jarod Garbe | Industry segment manager — e-mobility • Festo
Josh Leath | Senior product manager — thermal • Yaskawa Motoman
Kenny Marks | Process systems and solutions business development manager • Emerson
Lawrence Lin | Business development manager • Festo
Patrick Varley | Product marketing manager — robotics • Mitsubishi Electric Automation Inc.
Rashid Farahati, Ph.D. | Director — corporate competence center • Schaeffler Americas
Yugi Ikeuchi | GM — Engineering and app development • IKO International

---

Filed Under: NEWS • PROFILES • EDITORIALS, EV Engineering, Trends
Tagged With: festo, Schaeffler, emerson, iko
 

---