Virtual Experiments for a Sustainable Battery Cell Production

On the path towards a sustainable society, the availability of energy storage systems is an essential step - leading to increased demand for batteries. To achieve a sustainable society, it is necessary to manufacture batteries also in a sustainable way. One approach lies in virtual experiments. They aim at identifying parameters, recipes, and technologies in the digital world, before applying them to the physical production system. Thus, manufacturing is optimized in regard to sustainability indicators such as material consumption, emission, and waste - but also in regard to costs, quality, and yield. The faster ramp-up is especially important in the production of battery cells, due to the highly complex processes and critical materials. In this paper, we introduce a concept for virtual experiments platform in battery cell production. It includes collection of data, data aggregation, a simulation environment, as well as an optimizer. Also, it is integrated into existing production and IT systems. The virtual experiments platform functions as a service of a digital twin. Validation is conducted by realizing the virtual experiments platform on the electrode production of lithium-ion batteries.