Honeywell has launched its Battery Manufacturing Excellence Platform (Battery MXP), an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered software solution designed to optimize the operation of gigafactories by improving battery cell yields and expediting facility startups for manufacturers.
With conventional standalone solutions, the material scrap rates of battery manufacturers can be as high as 30% at steady state and even higher during the facility startup process. This can result in millions of dollars of wasted energy and material.
Battery MXP incorporates AI technology in manufacturing, enabling the detection and remediation of quality issues before they result in scrapped material. Using machine learning, Battery MXP can identify quality issues, turning this data into action-oriented insights that manufacturers can use to improve efficiency and productivity.
By delivering powerful data that can improve quality control and decision-making on the plant floor, Battery MXP is designed to help manufacturers cut production ramp-up time, reduce startup material scrap rates by 60%, and increase delivery rates to meet the growing demand for lithium-based batteries.
“With Honeywell’s Battery MXP and its automation capabilities, we will be able to quickly and effectively establish a foundation for our network of gigafactories,” said John Kem, president of American Battery Factory. “This solution is vital in our manufacturing operation because it allows us to reduce scrap and scale up quickly, while also ensuring we meet the U.S. and international demand for high-quality lithium iron phosphate batteries.”
By providing bidirectional traceability and genealogy, Battery MXP tracks battery cells from raw material to finished product in real time, helping to ensure product quality at every step. It also helps to address other key challenges faced by battery manufacturers by offering solutions for process controls, workforce management, and thermal runaway battery fire prevention. These safety elements aid both operators in the gigafactory and end-users of the batteries to stay safe.
The use of automation to advance the world’s electrification journey supports the alignment of Honeywell’s portfolio to the automation and energy transition megatrends. Honeywell is applying its complete portfolio in industrial automation, cyber secure IoT (Internet of Things), material handling, building automation, and safety solutions to help battery manufacturers bring reliable products to the market as quickly as possible to meet the projected demand for battery cells.
Filed Under: Software, Technology News