In the Battery Use Case Area in Hall 26, Bosch Rexroth will showcase process solutions for recycling electric vehicle batteries – with the benefits of reduced safety risks, increased process efficiency, and improved cost-effectiveness in diagnostics, discharging, and dismantling. The rapid spread of electric vehicles is a cornerstone of global strategies to achieve climate targets. It is forecast that the volume of batteries to be recycled will increase at least tenfold over the next five years.

This imminent increase poses challenges for the existing recycling infrastructure – particularly in terms of handling and dismantling, and especially if the condition of the battery is unknown. Bosch Rexroth offers solutions for manual processing through to semi- and highly automated concepts based on its wide range of products from the fields of assembly technology, linear technology, control systems, and drives. These take established principles from production and apply them not only to the specific requirements of dismantling and material recovery, but also to the potential implementation of automated processes that minimize human intervention in critical phases.

In the Battery Use Case, the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Battery Cell Production FFB will show how digital technologies and innovative logistics solutions contribute to the industrial independence of Europe's battery cell production. Together with the EDAG Group, the Fraunhofer FFB will present a virtual demonstrator of the FFB PreFab. The immersive 3D environment allows visitors to take a virtual tour of the research production site in Münster – including clean and dry rooms. The entire process chain of battery cell production is clearly visualized: from electrode production and cell assembly through to battery formation. This allows complex, large-scale factory structures to be experienced intuitively and makes the industrial scaling of new technologies clearly understandable.

In addition, FFB spin-off Syvairo will be presenting its mini-environment transport box. The gas-tight container system with continuous atmosphere monitoring allows sensitive battery intermediates to be transported under controlled, protected conditions, for example with argon or nitrogen. The solution reduces quality losses and increases process reliability while supporting resilient, cross-site production networks.

SCHUNK – automated handling in battery cell production

Battery cell production lies at the heart of the energy transition – and at the same time it is one of the most demanding industrial disciplines of our time. Processes must be extremely clean, precise, and fast in order to deliver high-quality and cost-efficient cells. Automation solutions that master these three challenges are the key to success. SCHUNK has established itself as a reliable technology partner in this environment. With a deep understanding of the physical, chemical, and mechanical requirements of cell production, the company develops systems that function just as reliably in clean and dry rooms as they do in high-speed lines. High-quality materials, intelligent sensor technology, precise mechanical systems, and modular design – all of these factors help manufacturers to stabilize and scale their processes worldwide. In the "Battery Use Case", SCHUNK will be demonstrating various process steps for efficient handling of prismatic battery cells during loading into and unloading from welding systems – from the removal of several cells to redefined positioning in a downstream welding cell and the subsequent removal of the welded cells.