Rockwell Automation Bring more power to electric vehicle and battery production User Manual

Bring more power to

BEGIN

electric vehicle and
battery production

Maximizing speed, exibility and
throughput in production processes

a need for

SPEED

Whether you’re an EV start-up or established automaker, you’re

starting in the same place, with a challenge of turning an EV
concept into a road-ready offering.

To be productive and stay competitive, you need connected,
information-driven operations to produce vehicles as rapidly as
possible, with the lowest possible cost and risk. And you need
agile production systems that allow you to quickly and effortlessly
pivot if demand or technology changes.

There’s nowhere to go but

up in the electric vehicle

(EV) market. It’s estimated

that nearly 6 out of every

10 new vehicles sold by

2040 will be electric.

If you’re an EV battery maker, you have the tremendous

challenge of delivering enough power for the world’s growing
volume of EVs. Accomplishing this requires operations that can:

• Maximize battery production rates to meet exponential
demand growth.

• Use track-and-trace capabilities to consistently deliver
high-quality, safe batteries.

• Adjust on the y to keep up with the rapid evolution of
battery technology.

As you build a giga-scale production plant to meet demand, you
need a smart and scalable production strategy that allows them
to build for growth from the start.

A need for
speed
PG 2

Win the race
to market
PG 3

The connected
EV factory
PG 4

Realizing The
Connected
Enterprise
PG 5

Built
to last
PG 6

The future of
the automotive
powertrain
PG 7

The rise
of the
giga-plant
PG 8

Enabling
faster
startups
PG 9

The driving
force
PG 10

The whole
story
PG 11

You r
project
lifecycle
par tner
PG 12

2

Win the race
to market

To meet demand and get in front of growing competition, you
need to get your electric vehicles (EVs) to market quickly and at
the lowest possible cost.

LAUNCH FASTER

Rediscover what’s possible at the launch stage and accelerate your

manufacturing plans by working with a partner that gives you a depth of

expertise and breadth of thinking.

Rockwell Automation launch- and program-management teams can help you

develop your manufacturing plans in a way that reduces time and risk. They can

provide consultation and design support for factory production planning. They

can also reduce the risk of startup delays and align all areas of your plant by

helping you develop corporate control standards and specications – and then

help enforce those standards with OEMs or other suppliers.

The high-quality data

CONNECT MORE EASILY

Build out your infrastructure in faster and simpler ways with the technologies

like an Industrial Data Center (IDC).

Deploying a server rack can be a hassle, requiring that you work with several

vendors to build and support it. An IDC can help simplify server deployment in

your plant with a virtualized environment. The IDC provides compute, storage

and multi-layer network switching for all your applications in a pre-engineered

and validated package.

A need for
speed
PG 2

Win the race
to market
PG 3

The connected
EV factory
PG 4

Realizing The
Connected
Enterprise
PG 5

Built
to last
PG 6

The future of
the automotive
powertrain
PG 7

The rise
of the
giga-plant
PG 8

Enabling
faster
startups
PG 9

The driving
force
PG 10

required for smart

operations is only possible

with strict adherence

to specications and

seamless integration of

plant-oor equipment.

The whole
story
PG 11

You r
project
lifecycle
par tner
PG 12

3

3

The connected EV factory

Connected from mine to dispatch bay, a Rockwell Automation connected EV factory
launches faster, for less cost, with less risk – and achieves optimized production to
the fastest possible timescale.

It starts with smart connected assets, connected to an EtherNet/IP™-enabled network.

On top of this foundation is our Integrated Architecture® automation infrastructure. It replaces multiple

disparate control systems with one common framework to maximize eciency and productivity. It

allows you to use one software platform to program controllers, one protocol to seamlessly send data

across different networks and one software package to congure all your graphics displays.

Layered above are information solutions capabilities – in the FactoryTalk® Cloud, on premises and at

the edge. These capabilities include scalable MES systems powered by AutoSuite™ software, scalable

analytics powered by FactoryTalk® Analytics, mobility and collaboration tools, and connected services.

IN FOCUS: Simulation software

An information solution like our Emulate3D™ simulation software can speed up launches and reduce
start-up risks by using the power of your own machine data. The software uses a digital twin, or digital
replica, of a machine to prototype and test machines before they’re built. This can help you identify
issues in the design stage and optimize machines.

Then, as your launch date nears, the software can help you avoid costly changes and keep the launch
on track with virtual commissioning. This involves synchronizing a machine’s model to its controller to
validate and debug the machine before it’s commissioned.

BUT IS IT SECURE?

Security is a top priority
in connected plants. We

can help you implement

security in a layered and

holistic way to help protect

your intellectual property

and your plant uptime.

A need for
speed
PG 2

Win the race
to market
PG 3

The connected
EV factory
PG 4

Realizing The
Connected
Enterprise
PG 5

Built
to last
PG 6

The future of
the automotive
powertrain
PG 7

The rise
of the
giga-plant
PG 8

Enabling
faster
startups
PG 9

The driving
force
PG 10

The whole
story
PG 11

You r
project
lifecycle
par tner
PG 12

4

Realizing The

Connected Enterprise

Shorter timelines, connectivity and increased exibility are key requirements for EV and
EV battery production plants as innovation continues to unfold.

A leading tier one automotive supplier faced similar challenges as customer demand

created the need to frequently adjust production volume. The increased exibility

and changeovers were at odds with ongoing pressure to reduce downtime and boost
productivity.

They turned to Rockwell Automation for help accessing and leveraging data to make more
informed operational decisions. The company successfully integrated AutoSuite™ MES
to collect manufacturing performance data, improve processes and generate production

reports. Maintenance activities were managed through FactoryTalk® AssetCentre and real­time data reporting was achieved with Allen-Bradley® PanelView™ and FactoryTalk® View

software.

This improved connectivity helped the facility execute more than 11.5 million data collection
transactions each day. The result was a 50 percent increase in OEE and productivity,

despite the increasing exibility demands on the facility. They also reduced project

development time from 6 to 3 months, a large competitive advantage in an increasingly
competitive market.

A need for
speed
PG 2

Win the race
to market
PG 3

The connected
EV factory
PG 4

Realizing The
Connected
Enterprise
PG 5

Built
to last
PG 6

The future of
the automotive
powertrain
PG 7

The rise
of the
giga-plant
PG 8

Enabling
faster
startups
PG 9

The driving
force
PG 10

The whole
story
PG 11

You r
project
lifecycle
par tner
PG 12

5

5

Built to last

Experienced operators can use AR-based

knowledge-capture tools to record procedures,

Your EV production operations must be as nimble as they
are productive to keep up with growing demand and evolving

vehicle technologies. By creating smart, exible and scalable

operations, you can remain competitive over time.

The latest digital technologies can help you stay productive even as your
operations undergo changes.

As production processes evolve, for example, a digital twin allows you to test new

products and congurations before you physically implement them to reduce

downtime risks. Augmented reality (AR)-based knowledge-capture tools also
allow you to capture and share step-by-step instructions to help cut training time,
increase operator effectiveness and achieve compliance.

Operations designed for resiliency and agility can give you the ingenuity you need
today and prepare you for future growth.

MES/MOM applications can address your specic manufacturing challenges, and

grow with your operations and their needs. A quality application, for instance,
can track, identify and alert when a machine’s or operator’s processes go
outside of their prescribed limits. Then, when you’re ready, you can scale up MES
applications to an enterprise MES software.

note relevant locations and highlight key safety

precautions. New operators can then use this

recording to learn on the job.

Flexible production solutions can help you more easily respond to demand and

technology changes.

Our QuickStick® and iTRAK® motion-control systems with independent cart
technology can help you speed up changeovers and reduce downtime. Their

software-congured move proles allow you to change system functions with

the push of a button. They also allow you to move components or even car bodies
around a plant faster and more precisely than conventional mechanical solutions.

A need for
speed
PG 2

Win the race
to market
PG 3

The connected
EV factory
PG 4

Realizing The
Connected
Enterprise
PG 5

Built
to last
PG 6

The future of
the automotive
powertrain
PG 7

The rise
of the
giga-plant
PG 8

Enabling
faster
startups
PG 9

The driving
force
PG 10

The whole
story
PG 11

You r
project
lifecycle
par tner
PG 12

6

6

THE FUTURE OF THE AUTOMOTIVE POWERTRAIN

The continuing story of innovation in the automotive industry
shows no sign of coming to an end. The latest chapter is the
change in fuel sources.

Currently, the battery represents a third of the cost of an
EV. As battery costs continue to fall, demand for EVs will
rise, and soon the automotive market is set to become
the single largest application for batteries. That means
a growth in demand to 40 million new EV batteries a year
to power the new vehicles.

The challenge if you’re a battery manufacturer is to

accelerate production at a sucient rate to meet

demand in the short term. You also need to future-proof
production operations for further inevitable innovations
in the automotive powertrain.

“Adopting the Rockwell Automation

solution has helped to standardize our
MES landscape.”

- Jagdish Belwal, Chief Information Oce, Tata Motors

A need for
speed
PG 2

Win the race
to market
PG 3

The connected
EV factory
PG 4

Realizing The
Connected
Enterprise
PG 5

Built
to last
PG 6

The future of
the automotive
powertrain
PG 7

The rise
of the
giga-plant
PG 8

Enabling
faster
startups
PG 9

The driving
force
PG 10

The whole
story
PG 11

You r
project
lifecycle
par tner
PG 12

7

The rise of the giga-plant

Meeting the demand for EV batteries requires scaling
up production at an unprecedented rate. Nothing less

than giga-plants – massive production facilities – will

achieve the necessary output. However, sheer size
should not be the only principle.

You have a unique opportunity to design and build digitalized,
state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, which deliver massive

product volumes at a level of eciency never before seen. These

plants require:

• A data and information strategy, designed-in from the
beginning

• Factory operations that deliver information to drive business
analytics and better business decisions

• Seamless supply chain connectivity and operation, backward
to the mines and forward to product dispatch, to improve

cost-eciency and product quality

Unlock the power of data

Rockwell Automation can identify the data you’ll need to effectively
manage your giga-plant and then design those requirements into your
facility. We can also help craft strategies for turning plant data into

valuable information. For example, we can help you use a digital thread of
information to improve production eciencies and achieve consistent

product quality.

Get agile

Our QuickStick® and iTRAK® motion-control systems with independent

cart technology can operate faster and more exibly than traditional

mechanical solutions. These systems can help you:

• Create faster, more exible battery lines using their independent,
programmable movers.

• Dramatically reduce changeover times with simple software

proles that allow you to change products at the push of a button.

• Reduce maintenance and downtime because they have fewer
moving parts.

• Built-in exibility and scalability, to leverage emerging
technologies.

A need for
speed
PG 2

Win the race
to market
PG 3

The connected
EV factory
PG 4

Realizing The
Connected
Enterprise
PG 5

Built
to last
PG 6

The future of
the automotive
powertrain
PG 7

The rise
of the
giga-plant
PG 8

A digital thread connects previously siloed business

functions and improves their ability to work together.

Enabling
faster
startups
PG 9

The driving
force
PG 10

The whole
story
PG 11

You r
project
lifecycle
par tner
PG 12

8

ENABLING FASTER STARTUPS

Speed, exibility and connectivity are not only critical for today’s

gigaplant, but for the OEMs supporting the exponential growth
needs of the EV market as well.

Hirata is a provider of modular assembly cell systems (ACS)
used for production of EV batteries and other auto components.
As manufacturers are competing to quickly scale production,

Hirata has been called on to support the EV industry’s rst mass

production line. They want smaller machines with the same output,
delivered faster than ever before.

To save footprint, Hirata optimized axis architecture, added more
operations to each station and more gantries in each ACS. The
machines connect to end users’ MES for seamless integration and
real-time data.

A key to success was having a single automation provider, and
Hirata turned to Rockwell Automation. The gantries are controlled
by Kinetix® 5700 servo drives. Movement and assembly of materials

is controlled with a ControlLogix® control system. And PowerFlex®

525 AC drives move the conveyor between cells.

In the end, Hirata achieved a 30 percent footprint and 10 percent

startup time reduction for this EV battery production machine that

is a rst of its kind.

A need for
speed
PG 2

Win the race
to market
PG 3

The connected
EV factory
PG 4

Realizing The
Connected
Enterprise
PG 5

Built
to last
PG 6

The future of
the automotive
powertrain
PG 7

The rise
of the
giga-plant
PG 8

Enabling
faster
startups
PG 9

The driving
force
PG 10

The whole
story
PG 11

You r
project
lifecycle
par tner
PG 12

9

The driving force

Building a giga-scale factory can present giga-scale

challenges to the inexperienced or inexpert. With over 4000

successfully designed, installed and commissioned automotive
manufacturing projects globally, Rockwell Automation is a highly

“A robust solution based on an

experienced partner in the eld.

Faster launch

Experience helps Rockwell Automation

know – and avoid – the pitfalls and

stumbling blocks that can signicantly

delay launch. We also know the

shortcuts that can actually shorten

your launch schedule by many months.

Flexible technology

Our product range comprises the

most integrated and comprehensive

technology available for EV and EV

battery manufacturing.

Full integration

Rockwell Automation solutions provide

complete and seamless connectivity

from the sensor to the ERP.

Leading partners

We have the most comprehensive

PartnerNetwork™ program and the

closest relationships with leading

manufacturing partners, worldwide.

Worldwide support

Wherever your factory is being built, we

provide total on-the-spot support, from

design to launch.

EtherNet/IP network, and the fact
that its architecture is open and
more technologically agonistic,
made Rockwell Automation more

attractive in the long term.”

Alastair Moore,

Section Manager Assembly Engineering,

Toyota Motor Manufacturing (UK) Ltd.

A need for
speed
PG 2

Win the race
to market
PG 3

The connected
EV factory
PG 4

Realizing The
Connected
Enterprise
PG 5

Built
to last
PG 6

The future of
the automotive
powertrain
PG 7

The rise
of the
giga-plant
PG 8

Enabling
faster
startups
PG 9

The driving
force
PG 10

The whole
story
PG 11

You r
project
lifecycle
par tner
PG 12

10

10

THE WHOLE STORY

The more experience you can call on, the

smoother the design, construction, and

operation of your EV giga-plant will be.

Rockwell Automation has experience in the

following EV manufacturing spaces:

• Drive unit

• Electric motor

• Power electronics

• Battery cell

- Cylindrical

- Prismatic

- Pouch

• Battery Module

• Battery Pack

• Mixing

• Coating

• Slitting

• Assembly

• Filling

• Calendaring

• Winding

• Stacking

• Sealing

• Labeling

• Formation

• Testing

• Machining

• Casting

• Material Flow

A need for
speed
PG 2

Win the race
to market
PG 3

The connected
EV factory
PG 4

Realizing The
Connected
Enterprise
PG 5

Built
to last
PG 6

The future of
the automotive
powertrain
PG 7

The rise
of the
giga-plant
PG 8

Enabling
faster
startups
PG 9

The driving
force
PG 10

The whole
story
PG 11

You r
project
lifecycle
par tner
PG 12

11

Your project
lifecycle partner

Rely on our experience at every stage
of the project lifecycle:

Rockwell Automation can work with you throughout your
entire manufacturing project lifecycle.

Experience tells us rst, that no two automotive projects are the

same. Second, it helps us to understand that the factory of the future
will be as different from a traditional automotive project as an EV is
from a horse. Third, we know that the factory of the future needs to be
under construction now, to be ready to meet demand.

1. Factory production planning

Consulting, process design, supplier
engagement, MES design

2. Production Equipment
Development

Design, including specication

development, automation libraries,
production engineering

3. Equipment Installation

Integration, including line integration,
network validation, and startup
engineering

4. Start of Production

Launch, followed by maintenance
engineering, production reporting,
OEE and KPIs

5. Ramp-up and Optimization

Predictive maintenance, production
analytics, and production
acceleration

6. Product Design

Digitization, including – for example
– battery process know-how and a

battery design studio

7. Production Planning

Plant simulation

8. Production Engineering

Automation concepts for digital
equipment, based on battery libraries

9. Production Execution

Plant integration from the production
Control Center

10. Service

Including Predictive Maintenance and
Condition Monitoring

A need for
speed
PG 2

Win the race
to market
PG 3

The connected
EV factory
PG 4

Realizing The
Connected
Enterprise
PG 5

Built
to last
PG 6

The future of
the automotive
powertrain
PG 7

The rise
of the
giga-plant
PG 8

Enabling
faster
startups
PG 9

The driving
force
PG 10

The whole
story
PG 11

You r
project
lifecycle
partner
PG 12

12

Working together with

BACK

Rockwell Automation

Make more of your Connected Enterprise by connecting with
Rockwell Automation and our partners.

• Get answers to your questions on sales, products, services and
technical support. Find out more.

• Access help to design, build and maintain your system solution
through the Rockwell Automation® PartnerNetwork
distributors, system integrators and others. Find out more.

™

of leading

Allen-Bradley, AutoSuite, ControlLogix, FactoryTalk, expanding human possibility, Integrated Architecture, Kinetix, PanelView, PartnerNetwork, and PowerFlex are trademarks of Rockwell Automation, Inc.

EtherNet/IP is a trademark of ODVA, Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective companies.

Publication AUTO-SP010B-EN-P - February 2021 | Supersedes AUTO-SP010A-EN-P - February 2019

Copyright © 2021 Rockwell Automation, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Printed in USA.