EV Battery Insights Powered by Dragonfly

During this year’s Control show, Comet Yxlon introduced its new automatic analysis software for batteries to the market.

The rise of e-mobility has propelled the battery market into enormous growth in recent years, with no end in sight. In the same proportion, demand is increasing for inspection technologies to ensure the performance and safety of batteries and, as well, force the current high levels of scrap to their knees and maximize manufacturers’ productivity. X-ray technology is best suited for this purpose, particularly computed tomography, which can get applied to analyze battery cells, modules, and even entire packages in detail.

To ensure the complex battery cells are the powerhouses expected to be no mistakes must occur during production. There are plenty of sources of error: fractures, air inclusions, foreign bodies, deformations, faulty weld seams, or inadequate alignment of the inner layers. It becomes dangerous when the overhangs are insufficient and contact between the cathode and anode leads to a short circuit and, consequently, a fatal fire. The safety issue is paramount in battery testing. Therefore, checking and measuring the overhangs is the highest priority.

Objective, reliable, and repeatable test results can only be obtained with evaluation by software. The software knows no fatigue or sensitivities. The basis of Battery Insights is the 3D image analysis software Dragonfly, which enables the use of deep learning models. Dragonfly offers exceptionally high sensitivity for detecting possible defects. And the automatic evaluation can also be adapted to the specific requirements of the individual manufacturer. Battery Insights takes care of the fully automatic checking of overhangs and can also process entire batches with the help of appropriate multi-part holders. The report, as well generated automatically, provides information on the condition of every single cell and can be used to identify trends and optimize the production process for significant scrap reduction.