Honeywell anticipates that its new battery manufacturing excellence platform will lower the costs of cell production, speed up the ramp-up cycles, and decrease material waste by 60% at startup.
Honeywell recently introduced the Battery Manufacturing Excellence Platform (Battery MXP), an AI-powered software tool engineered to optimize the operations of gigafactories from the outset by enhancing battery cell yields and speeding up facility startups for manufacturers.
Typically, battery manufacturers face material scrap rates as high as 30% in a steady state, with rates even higher during the initial startup phase. This can result in substantial losses in energy and materials as a gigafactory gradually moves towards efficient and profitable production over several years.
Battery MXP leverages AI techniques within the manufacturing process to identify and address quality issues before they lead to scrapped materials. It utilizes machine learning to pinpoint conditions that cause quality issues and converts this data into actionable insights, enabling manufacturers to boost efficiency and productivity.
Battery MXP aims to help manufacturers shorten production ramp-up times, decrease startup material scrap rates by 60%, and enhance delivery rates to keep up with the rising demand for lithium-based batteries.
John Kem, president of American Battery Factory, emphasized the importance of Honeywell’s Battery MXP and its automation capabilities in rapidly and efficiently establishing a solid foundation for their network of gigafactories. He noted that this technology is critical for their manufacturing operations because it helps reduce waste and accelerate scaling. Additionally, it ensures they can meet both domestic and international demands for high-quality lithium iron phosphate batteries, gearing up for the anticipated growth in the next decade.
Battery MXP offers bidirectional traceability and genealogy, tracking battery cells from raw material to finished product in real time, which ensures product quality at every stage. Additionally, the platform addresses various challenges in battery manufacturing, such as process controls, workforce management, and prevention of thermal runaway battery fires, enhancing safety for both gigafactory operators and end-users.
Pramesh Maheshwari, President of Honeywell Process Solutions, highlighted that as daily life becomes increasingly reliant on electricity, the global demand for high-quality lithium-ion batteries—used in electric vehicles, consumer electronics, and battery energy storage systems—is rising. With plans to build over 400 gigafactories globally by 2030, Honeywell’s Battery MXP is emerging as a crucial technology that enables manufacturers to optimize cell yields and reach optimal production levels significantly faster than traditional methods.
