Research Fab Battery Cells

Electrical power storage systems are of enormous importance for all sectors of the economy involved in the energy and mobility turnaround. The Research Fab Battery Cells (FFB), a new unit of Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT located in Münster, is therefore supposed to become the center of development of a modern and scalable battery cell production for Germany and Europe.

Together with partners from the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, RWTH Aachen University and the Battery Research Center Münster Electrochemical Energy Technology (MEET) of the University of Münster, we are thus closing the existing gap in the value chain for batteries and accumulators and helping to avoid dependency on other markets for energy storage technologies.

Modular and digital value chains for large series production plants

The aim of the Research Fab Battery Cells is to accelerate the innovation and commercialization process of production technologies for existing and future cell formats. The focus is on gaining experience in the operation of large-scale production in order to close existing competence gaps in this area.

Further objectives of the Research Fab Battery Cells are

• proof of reproducibility
  
• proof of scalability
  
• reduction of ramp-up times
  
• commercialization of next generations of cell formats, battery technologies and production processes
  
• training and qualification of professional staff

Project development in Münster

Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft intends to conduct the Research Fab Battery Cells in two new buildings that will be constructed in Münster’s Hansa-BusinessPark. The gradual development of the buildings and the on-site research infrastructure will be sub-divided into several stages. The construction will be overseen and managed by the government of North Rhine-Westphalia, acting through the state-owned company NRW.URBAN.

Initial research work is already taking place in the "FFB Workspace" in a clean room at the Alexianer Werkstätten Münster. Employees are testing the fully continuous mixing process there.

The structure of the future Research Fab Battery Cells is divided into up to three modular production lines, which are suitable for the near-industrial production of round, pouch and prismatic hardcase cells. The individual processes in the production lines are divided into the clusters electrode production, cell assembly, conditioning, testing and qualification. In addition, the Research Fab Battery Cells offers the appropriate infrastructure for individual testing and qualification of individual process technologies within the framework of flexible innovation modules with the aim of interface-optimized integration into the modular production lines.