Siemens Equips Own Assembly Line in Battery Module Factory With Modern Technology

Together with the Prime Minister of Norway, Erna Solberg, Siemens opened a battery module factory in January in Trondheim, Norway. The ultra-modern, robotized factory has been partially equipped with Siemens components. 55 battery modules are assembled in this facility each shift – primarily for the marine and offshore market. As Siemens has also recognized high demand for electrification solutions outside Norway, the new battery module factory will primarily be serving an international market.

The international market for electric and hybrid drives is growing. For example, data collected over four years of use shows that the operating costs of fully electric vehicles, such as the ‘ampere’, have fallen by 80 percent – with a simultaneous reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of 95 percent. Not only the marine industry but also the offshore sector is looking for new energy storage concepts for operating drilling platforms. Siemens is meeting this demand by building the battery module factory in Trondheim where the BlueVault lithium ion batteries are assembled. The robotized and digitalized production line with eight robot stations is fully automated and encompasses unpacking production parts to checking the finished battery module.

Automated production with Siemens technology
The modules assembled here are liquid-cooled. Each battery comprises nine modules which each in turn comprise 28 battery cells producing an output of 60 kilowatt hours. Siemens components were used in many of the automated process steps in the factory. This included overall control of the line, individual control of each production station, and the testing station. A Sinamics DCM DC converter is used for the drive while operation is via a seven inch touchscreen TP1500 Comfort Panel Simatic HMI. Failsafe Simatic controllers in CPU 1516F-3 and CPU 1517F-3 designs ensure reliable automation and products from the Scalance portfolio provide a stable network and communication infrastructure.

Leveraging massive potential
"We are working on the assumption that this [marine and offshore] market will grow significantly in the future. This is why we are investing heavily in the development of safer and more reliable battery solutions," states Bjørn Einar Brath, Head of Offshore Solutions at Siemens. "We are also seeing high levels of interest in these solutions outside Norway. The new battery factory will therefore primarily serve an international market."