42 n CONVEYORS AND MATERIAL HANDLING April 2026 www.drivesncontrols.com Linear transport tech tackles battery assembly challenges The Italian firm IMA is a world leader in automated machines for the processing and packaging of pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food, tea and coffee. To expand into the electric vehicle sector, it founded a new business, IMA EV-Tech, which develops technologies and assembly lines for EV components such as batteries, hydrogen cells, traction motors, stators and rotors. One of IMA EV-Tech’s recent machines assembles battery cells. The individual cells look like small cylindrical cans. Although they are conceptually simple, producing them on a large scale is complex. The anode and cathode are separated by a polymer material and rolled together to form what is known as a jelly roll. The cell consists of this jelly roll and other elements housed in a cylindrical metal container that is sealed hermetically, and filled with an electrolyte. Assembling these cells involves a number of challenges. Handling, manipulation and inspection must be managed with high throughput, and high demands on the quality of the end-product. Another factor to consider is that cell production lines often have to operate in clean and dry rooms to prevent contamination and to ensure the quality and durability of the cells. In these rooms, critical parameters such as temperature, humidity and particle concentration are strictly controlled. In this context, using machines that not only increase productivity but also save space is a big advantage. For these and other reasons, IMA EV-Tech has based its cell assembly line on Beckhoff’s XTS linear transport system which consists of individually controllable “movers” that transport items along a track. IMA had previously used the system in the pharmaceutical sector and for food and beverage applications. The XTS system allows the individual phases of the assembly process to be decoupled and overcomes the limitations of sequentially controlled production processes. IMA found it can increase the speed and precision of production, while reducing the working space needed. Five enclosed XTS systems with a total length of around 43.5m move items around the production machine. The movers operate with a positioning accuracy of ±0.25mm, ensuring the required high precision. The cell assembly phases are combined with functional and visual inspection processes, which are carried out using image-processing systems and X-ray detectors. If these processes were carried out entirely sequentially, some steps could become potential bottlenecks due to their longer throughput times. This is where the flexibility of the XTS system comes into play, especially with the ability to place multiple cells simultaneously on multiple instances of slower workstations. According to IMA EV-Tech, this enables a significant increase in system throughput. The system also takes up much less space than conventional production transport technologies. This results in an assembly line with high productivity and quality, combined with a small footprint. The application has an efficient, modular structure that enables orderly and scalable management of the production processes. Dividing the assembly line into functional sections has a clear operating logic, while the XTS system also enables flexibility and precision in parts-handling. Although the shapes and sizes of the battery cells are standardised, the assembly line must also be able to process product variants that require extra steps, such as the incorporation of plastic elements. A mover system can adapt quickly to different production requirements. New stations and devices can also be integrated if required, increasing the line’s flexibility. For example, new work processes could be added in the future or certain process steps excluded. This makes it easier to manage product variants without compromising the performance of the line. “In parallel to the assembly line for cylindrical battery cells, we have developed assembly solutions for prismatic cells,” explains IMA EV-Tech’s sales manager, Fabio Tozzi. “Their shape and composition, which varies greatly in terms of size, process sequence, and components to be assembled, requires an additional degree of flexibility. “Our aim is to provide the market with modular solutions that can be adapted to the needs of each individual customer and integrate all the necessary processes,” he continues. “At the same time, we want to further increase the performance of the An Italian producer of components for electric transport systems has turned to a linear technology to help it solve some of the problems that it previously encountered when assembling battery cells. The technology also saves space and adds flexibility to the assembly process. IMA EV-Tech’s cell assembly line incorporates five separate XTS tracks
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