Battery Construction With A Digital Twin Increases Quality, Output And Performance

2023 Author : Hannah Pearcy | [email protected] . Last modified: 2023-06-01 01:49

Rosendahl Nextrom GmbH, manufacturer of battery, wire, glass fiber and cable machines, relies on an integrated automation and digitization strategy in order to be even more competitive and to bring new solutions to the market faster.

An essential part of this strategy are the digital twin for the simulation of processes and systems in virtual space as well as the necessary solutions from Siemens. This enables Rosendahl to shorten the time-to-market from the previous 24 months to now twelve months. With a single-pocket machine, cycle times could be increased from 140 to 160 plates per minute. In addition, the company uses digitalization to develop systems with a machine efficiency of 95%. In total, digitization at Rosendahl increases the quality, output and output of production.

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Digitization with simulation accelerates development

Among other things, the construction of a new machine for the production of lithium-ion batteries benefits from the consistent digitalization strategy. It is not, as usual, a linked system, but consists of individual production cells, which in turn are individually automated. This means that the production capacities of the machine can be ramped up and down flexibly, which benefits the changing market requirements.

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Design smart machines efficiently

Digitization is also accelerating development itself. "With the simulation, we skip whole steps in the development and manufacturing process and thus achieve the desired result faster," said Siegfried Altmann, CEO at Rosendahl. "We managed to produce a completely new generation of products within twelve months, which in the past took us a year and a half to two."

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What can the digital twin do?

This is largely due to the use of the interactive CAD / CAM / CAE system NX and the Mechatronics Concept Designer (MCD) from Siemens PLM Software. In addition, Rosendahl Nextrom relies on the engineering framework TIA Portal and the automation portfolio Simatic for cable production. In addition, Simatic S7-PLCSIM Advance dals Simulation for Virtual Commissioning is used in the test phase.

Use new opportunities through simulation

With the MCD, new processes can be simulated in advance and put through their paces. "In the past, the machine had to be built when we wanted to introduce new processes," says Altmann. "During commissioning, we had to check whether the machine was working as planned. Most of the time, a loop of one to one and a half months was required to make improvements. We save this time today."

In addition, customers can walk through the system in front of the real building in the virtual room and, if necessary, specify changes or special requests. The simulation also affects teamwork. "Tasks are perceived more holistically by simulation. And it helps our team to generate unique solutions," said the CEO.

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