Battery MXP to reduce cell manufacturing costs and cut waste

1 min read

Honeywell has announced the launch of a Battery Manufacturing Excellence Platform (Battery MXP), an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered software solution.

Credit: Honeywell

The platform has been designed to optimise the operation of gigafactories by improving battery cell yields and expediting facility startups for manufacturers.

With traditional standalone solutions, battery manufacturers’ material scrap rates can be as high as 30% at steady state and even higher during the facility startup process. Consequently, this practice can lead to millions of pounds of wasted energy and material while a gigafactory slowly scales to a more efficient and profitable production over several years.

Battery MXP incorporates AI techniques in the manufacturing process, which enables the detection and remediation of quality issues before they result in scrapped material. The solution then utilises machine learning to identify conditions that lead to quality issues and turns 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 can 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 international demand for high quality lithium iron phosphate batteries as we prepare for the unprecedented surge expected over the next decade.”

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. The solution 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 electrification of everyday life continues to increase global demand for quality lithium-ion batteries to power electric vehicles, consumer electronics and battery energy storage systems,” said Pramesh Maheshwari, President of Honeywell Process Solutions. "With the construction of more than 400 gigafactories planned worldwide by 2030, Honeywell’s Battery MXP is a crucial technology that enables manufacturers to maximise cell yields and reach peak production much quicker than traditional methods.”