Development of a virtual quality gate concept based on high-potential tests for lithium-ion battery cell manufacturing

Lithium-ion batteries (LIB) are considered a prominent energy storage technology, especially in the field of electromobility. In this sense, early quality control of battery cell manufacturing is crucial as it can increase energy and material efficiency by stopping further production of critical cells. This paper proposes a virtual quality gate (VQG) concept for inline quality control of battery cell manufacturing. Based on that, only the cells that meet the predefined quality requirements can proceed to the next process steps. For quality control, the VQG includes high-potential tests (HiPot), a measurement method to characterize the electrical insulation properties of separator layers under a defined electrical voltage. As a use case, the Effects of the lamination process of electrodes and separators on cell quality are investigated using the VQG. Data-driven modeling is implemented to predict and classify cell quality concerning the process parameters of lamination. As a result, early-failure detection and better decision-making for battery cell manufacturing are achieved, increasing efficiency from both economic and environmental perspectives.