At the Application Park of HANNOVER MESSE 2026, Bosch Rexroth, together with six other exhibitors, is showcasing a fully networked value chain spanning from the battery cell through battery pack manufacturing to recycling. The company’s focus is on automation solutions for the recycling of electric vehicle batteries that reduce safety risks, increase process efficiency, and improve cost-effectiveness.

Challenge for the existing recycling infrastructure

The volume of electric vehicle batteries being recycled will increase tenfold over the next five years. However, it is not only the volume but also the wide variety of battery types that will pose a challenge for the existing recycling infrastructure in the future. Based on its broad portfolio of drive and control technology as well as assembly, linear, and screwdriving technology, Bosch Rexroth offers a comprehensive range of solutions for every level of automation—from manual processing through partially automated to fully automated manufacturing. With its scalable overall concept, the company reduces safety risks, increases process efficiency, and improves cost-effectiveness in diagnosis, discharging, and disassembly.

Smart Pre-Treatment Increases Recycling Rates

To ensure cost-effective and safe battery recycling, Bosch Rexroth applies established production principles to the specific requirements of disassembly and material recovery, implementing automated processes that minimize human intervention during critical phases. Intelligent solutions for pre-treatment—the preparatory stage for recycling—ensure higher-quality recyclates and increase the recycling rate.

Manual as well as semi- and fully automated concepts

As part of the diagnostic process, the type and condition of the battery are first recorded—a challenge particularly with older batteries that do not yet have a digital battery passport. A diagnostic system determines whether and how a battery pack can be safely discharged. Bosch Rexroth offers both a mobile and a stationary discharge system for this purpose. Components from linear, screw, and assembly technology, as well as cobots, complement the solution portfolio for transport, handling, and disassembly, enabling both manual and semi- and fully automated concepts. Rexroth solutions build on one another, so that existing solutions can generally be reused during an expansion or retrofit.

Solutions for the entire battery production value stream

In addition to its recycling portfolio, Bosch Rexroth supports machine and plant manufacturers with a comprehensive range of solutions for the entire battery production value stream: from electrode and cell production through module and pack manufacturing to end-of-line testing. The key to the necessary scalability, short cycle times, low production costs, and high flexibility lies in a broad, flexibly applicable automation portfolio with open interfaces for digital networking. Bosch Rexroth offers individual components, system solutions, and subsystems from linear, screw, and transfer technology, as well as the consistently open automation system ctrlX AUTOMATION.

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