How Mondragon Assembly automates Prismatic Battery Assembly for a leading european Solar Panel Manufacturer
How Mondragon Assembly Automates Prismatic Battery Assembly for a leading european Solar Panel Manufacturer
Implementation of a pilot automated line enabling greater efficiency, flexibility, and quality control in the production of prismatic batteries for energy storage.
Energy storage innovation through industrial automation
The energy storage sector is growing fast, driven by the demand for sustainable and efficient solutions. In this context, a leading European manufacturer of solar panels part of the BOD Group technology consortium, with diverse industrial activities, faced a critical challenge to support its growth strategy: diversifying its business and expanding its product portfolio. Until now, its operations had focused exclusively on solar panel manufacturing, but the increasing demand for energy storage solutions led the company to explore new opportunities.
The challenge: Expanding into energy storage
Solar power generation does not always align with peak consumption times, making battery storage systems essential. However, this solar technology company lacked in-house expertise in battery manufacturing. To overcome this, they sought a partner with proven skills in industrial automation and battery assembly lines.
Mondragon Assembly’s solution: a pilot automated assembly line
Together with the manufacturer, Mondragon Assembly designed and implemented a flexible pilot assembly line for prismatic batteries. The system integrates automation, scalability, and adaptability, allowing the company to manufacture different formats without major modifications.
Key features of the automated battery assembly line
The solution includes advanced automation technologies to guarantee efficiency, flexibility, and quality control:
- Battery Check (OCV Testing): A robot performs charge and discharge tests to verify the condition of each cell before assembly, ensuring that only optimal units continue through the line.
- Insulation Placement: This phase features a precise application system for insulation material, guaranteeing the protection and safety of each battery cell.
- Thermographic Imaging and Thickness Control: Thermal imaging technology is used to check material uniformity, ensuring defect-free manufacturing.
- Laser Cleaning: This phase is essential to ensure precise welding. Removing impurities via laser technology significantly enhances material adhesion and prevents connection defects.
- 4kW Laser Welding: One of the most critical phases, where an automatic positioning system enables two types of high-precision welds—BB-CELL and LEX PCB-BB—ensuring robust and durable connections. Laser calibration is crucial in this phase, as any deviation could affect the final product quality.
- Final Assembly Stage: In this final phase, the battery is sealed and finished to ensure protection and proper operation before distribution.
Results and benefits
The project has enabled the solar panel manufacturer to strengthen its position in the renewable energy storage market by achieving:
- Time and cost optimisation through automation.
- Product diversification, combining solar generation with storage solutions.
- Improved reliability thanks to cutting-edge technologies such as 4kW laser welding.
What’s Next?
This collaboration marks the start of a long-term strategy to transform energy storage manufacturing. The company’s commitment to innovation, combined with Mondragon Assembly’s industrial automation expertise, opens the door to future technological advances in the renewable energy sector
Looking to automate your battery manufacturing process? Discover how Mondragon Assembly can design scalable and efficient assembly lines tailored to your energy storage needs.