Envision AESC, a leading global battery technology company, has invested in a Baty Venture Plus Vision System from Sheffield-based
Bowers Group to boost its non-contact inspection of battery cells.
With a UK base in Sunderland, the company manufactures lithium-ion battery cells, modules and packs to support customers, as well as working towards solving the challenges for a sustainable future with advanced technology.
Through Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) driven innovations in battery technology and multi-disciplinary applications, Envision AESC establishes scenarios to enable electric vehicles (EVs) to participate in the renewable energy eco-system and provides a dynamic balance to promote the common development of clean energy and new energy in the EV industry.
Routinely inspecting parts such as EV battery modules and EV battery cells, destined for its customers around the world, Envision AESC prides itself on delivering the highest quality. Prior to the purchase of the Baty Vision System, the team at Envision AESC found that its measurement studies were both time-consuming and complicated.
It needed a machine that provided consistent accuracy and which could offer the highest quality, as well as providing the best tool to allow them to test supplier parts issues and undertake internal investigations.
Choosing the Baty Vision System was the natural choice for Envision AESC, due to its ease-of-use and adaptability. The Venture Plus offers a large measurement range, with its bridge-type construction made from aluminium, resulting in low inertia and low thermal mass.
Chris Woodhams, Envision AESC quality assurance engineer, said: “The ease of use in measuring, programming and generating inspection reports, and the flexibility of combining the benefits of a Vision system with traditional touch probe CMM ensures the Baty Venture is a valuable tool in both routine and non-routine inspections.”
Being non-contact, the Vision System allows inspection of live cells without the risk of electrical contact. Also, a number of Envision AESC’s components are particularly complex designs, that make traditional touch-probe inspection not always practical.
Typically used by the quality engineering function within the company, from QA inspectors, through to quality engineers, the team at Envision AESC has found the Baty Venture Plus extremely easy to use, and intuitive for users that have never previously used CMM systems.
The usage of the Baty system can vary depending on the workload at the time, but typically is in use at least 75% of the working week, either completing final inspection reports for customer products, performing routine product audits, or undertaking inspection or investigative work.
For the parts and components that are measured by the Baty Venture Plus, the accuracy has proven to be more than adequate and provides accuracy above that of conventional shadowgraph systems.
Mr Woodhams said: “The Baty Venture Plus has reduced the amount of time and complexity to conduct measurement studies, freeing up resources in other areas and allowing routine inspections to be standardised for true data comparison analysis.
“The support and service from the Bowers Group were always good. Any responses to queries we have had were typically received within the same day and most issues were fixed within 24hr of initial contact.”
The speed that programmes can be created for new components, and be up-and-running, compared to other CMM systems, has proven to be highly advantageous for rapid investigative inspections, while the versatility of both touch probe and vision system is supportive in the range of products and components Envision AESC inspects.
The vision system is also being used more frequently as an important part of the company’s calibration and verification schedule.