Steel Strip of Battery Module: Why Do We Still Need Humans to Step in at the Moment When the Squeezing Platform Is Released?

2025-03-03

Imagine you are assembling an oversized "battery building block" - automated equipment inserts the battery cells into the squeezing platform and stacks them layer by layer, just like adding ingredients to a sandwich. With a "buzz" from the hydraulic device, all the battery cells are instantly pressed tightly together. At this time, the master craftsman quickly puts on the steel strip. The moment the squeezing platform is released, the rebound force of more than a dozen battery cells is instantly converted into the tightness of the steel strip.

Wait a minute. Isn't it more sensible to let the machine play this precise mechanical game automatically? Today, we are going to uncover the mystery of why, in this seemingly "semi-automated" process, humans are still the best guardians.

Steel Strip Tightening: A Long-Planned "Release of Pressure"

The tightening of the steel strip for the energy storage module is essentially a mechanical magic trick:

1. The squeezing platform acts as the "villain": It uses several tons of pressure to squeeze the battery cells to a state of "almost suffocation"

2. The steel strip acts as the "peacemaker": It is put on the battery cells while they are being flattened, forcibly locking their close contact

3. The release of pressure acts as the "matchmaker": The moment the squeezing platform is released, the battery cells want to bounce back to their original shape, but they are firmly "locked" by the steel strip, and they will stay together for 20 years from then on.

This set of operations seems to be something that a fully automated production line should do, but when it comes to the crucial action of putting on the steel strip, most factories still choose to let humans do it. Can't the machine even learn to put on a simple ring?

Three Failures of the Robot

Failure Scene 1: The "Collective Dance" of the Battery Cells

When the squeezing platform is released, the battery cells don't just stay in place obediently - they will move slightly, just like marbles on a trampoline. The human master can instantly judge which battery cells are "messing around" and use the steel strip to cover the most critical force-bearing points. However, if the machine vision misjudges by 0.5 millimeters, it may put the steel strip around the "waistline" of the battery cell, just like fastening a seat belt around the navel of a person, which simply can't withstand long-term pressure.

Failure Scene 2: The "Jammed Tape" Steel Strip Show

In its free state, the steel strip is a stubborn "straight guy". To make it hug the battery cell group obediently, it needs to be bent into a specific arc first. Humans will put it on while turning it, just like coiling a string of prayer beads. However, if the robotic arm doesn't get the angle right, it may get the steel strip stuck on the edge of the squeezing platform - the scene instantly turns into a "steel strip swing", and the machine has to be stopped and the master craftsman has to be called to rescue it.

Failure Scene 3: The "Black Box Operation" of Pressure Release

When the squeezing platform is released, the rebound force of battery cells in different batches can vary by 15% (just like some people can jump 1 meter high wearing sports shoes, while others can only jump 30 centimeters wearing leather shoes). Humans can adjust the position in real time according to the feel of the steel strip's tremor, while if the machine operates according to a fixed program, it may result in some modules having the steel strip too loose (the battery cells will expand later and break the steel strip) or too tight (it will directly cause "internal injuries" to the battery cells).

The Hidden Skills of the Human Master

1.Dynamic Capture Vision

Within the 0.8-second window period when the squeezing platform is released, the master can simultaneously monitor the displacement trends of the three layers of battery cells and predict the best locking position of the steel strip like a gambling master memorizing the cards. This instant spatial perception ability can't be achieved even by the most expensive 3D vision system at present.

2.Pressure Conduction Touch

When putting on the steel strip, the fingers can feel the "breathing rhythm" of the battery cell group - if the rebound force at a certain place suddenly weakens, it means that there may be a battery cell below that is deformed by the pressure, and the position of the steel strip needs to be adjusted immediately. This tactile feedback is 0.3 seconds faster than the force sensor, which can be called the "conditioned reflex" in the battery industry.

Versatile Troubleshooter

Encounter glue overflowing from the edge of the battery cell? Just use a spatula to scrape it a few times and then continue to put on the steel strip; find burrs on the edge of the steel strip? Just turn it to a different direction to avoid the vulnerable part. If these improvised operations are left to the robot, it will trigger a safety alarm and stop the work in no time.

Easter Egg Time: Installing the Wisdom of the "Transformers" on the Production Line
In this mechanical game between the steel strip and the battery cells, Huiyao Laser Technology (Luoyang) Co., Ltd. is writing a new possibility - the flexible manufacturing equipment we specially developed for the battery module Pack production line is like installing "tactile nerves" on the production line:
Intelligent Squeezing Platform 2.0: It can monitor the pressure distribution of the battery cell group in real time and automatically generate the best strapping coordinates for the steel strip, allowing the human master to bid farewell to the era of "blind aiming".
Steel Strip Adaptive Pre-bending Machine: It can bend the steel strip into a perfect curve within 3 seconds, and the success rate of putting on the steel strip is increased to 99.8%. The robot will no longer get stuck and make a funny face.

Rebound Force Training Model: By predicting the "stubbornness value" of the battery cells through a large amount of data, it can calculate the elastic margin of the steel strip in advance, so that each module has a "golden bell cover" tailored for it.
As one of the few equipment manufacturers in China that master the full-link technology of squeezing and strapping, we deeply understand that true flexibility is not to eliminate manual labor, but to let the machine learn the "magical touch" of humans.
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