Customer Story: Reading 3x3mm DPM Code on Electrodes Aluminum Tab in Battery Winding Process

The lithium-ion battery industry is a rapidly growing sector that is primarily driven by the increasing demand for energy storage solutions in various applications such as electric vehicles, consumer electronics, and renewable energy systems.

The manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries involves several complex processes.

• Electrode Preparation

• Separator Preparation

• Electrode Winding

• Electrolyte Filling

• Sealing

• Formation

• Testing

• Packing and Shipping

Code traceability is essential in the manufacturing process of lithium-ion batteries as it enables manufacturers to track and trace each battery's production history, from raw materials to final product. This helps to ensure that each battery meets the required specifications for use in various applications.

However, code reading in the manufacturing process of lithium-ion batteries can be challenging due to various factors, such as small size, high-speed production lines, vary materials and harsh production environments.

Recently, a well-known lithium-ion battery manufacturer was asking HEROJE for a better code reading solution for the battery winding process.

As known that the winding process is a critical step in the manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries. This process involves winding a thin electrode material around a metal or plastic core, typically made of aluminum or copper. The electrode material is coated with a binder and a slurry of active materials, such as lithium cobalt oxide, lithium iron phosphate, or lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide. The winding is then inserted into a cylindrical or rectangular container, known as a cell casing, along with a separator and electrolyte. The cell casing is then sealed to complete the battery. And accurate code reading is essential to ensure the traceability and quality of the batteries produced. However, there are several challenges in code reading during the winding process, including:

High-Speed Production Lines

The winding process is often performed at high speed to increase production efficiency, making it challenging for code reading to capture and read the codes accurately and quickly.

Small Size

The codes on the electrodes or separator film can be very small, making it difficult to capture and read them accurately.

Code Placement

The codes on the electrodes or separator film may be placed in different locations, making it challenging to consistently capture and read the codes.

Uneven Surface

The surface of the electrodes or separator film can be uneven or have wrinkles, making it difficult to capture and read the codes accurately.

Partially Obscured Codes

During the winding process, the codes on the electrodes or separator film may become partially obscured due to the folding or overlapping of the material.

Project Overview

Industry: Lithium-ion Battery Manufacturing

Application: Reading laser-marked DPM code on electrodes aluminum tab.

Challenges: Small-size 3x3mm DPM code, Low contrast, Reflective, Tight installation space and Uneven surface.

HEROJE Solution

Solving code reading challenges for battery manufacturing with HEROJE's HRX Series AI powered Code Reader.

HEROJE's HRX series AI-powered code readers provide a solution to the code reading challenges faced in the winding process of lithium-ion battery manufacturing. With full automatic tuning and focusing functions, multi group of illuminations for vary challenging situation in the manufacturing of lithium-ion battery. The HRX series code reader can efficiently and quickly read small codes on electrodes and separator films, even for reflective and uneven surface. The advanced decoding performance and fast reading speed of the HRX series code readers meet the demands of high-speed production lines, and the stable reading effect ensures the accuracy and traceability of the production process.