KUKA’s Post

Together with Fraunhofer IPA and our KR QUANTEC, we dismantle battery systems and can thus recycle valuable components. 🚙♻️     As part of the “DeMoBat” research project, we are looking at the future of the automotive industry, in particular the challenges surrounding electric car batteries. The more electric cars are produced, the more used batteries are produced. Dismantling these batteries is essential in order to be able to recycle the individual parts. 🛠️🔋    “Dismantling batteries poses three major challenges,” explains Anwar Al Assadi, group manager at Fraunhofer IPA. “Firstly, you need specially qualified specialists, because working with high-voltage technologies requires special and often time-consuming training. Secondly, manual disassembly is associated with a health risk due to the high voltage and dangerous gases, and in the worst case, self-ignition can occur. And thirdly, dismantling by hand takes a very long time and is correspondingly cost-intensive. This often makes recycling seem unprofitable at the moment.”     This is where our robot-based solution comes into its own. Our KR QUANTEC helps to reduce the shortage of skilled workers, minimize the safety risk and improve the cost-effectiveness of battery recycling. 🦾

Dismantling battery systems using the KR QUANTEC and thus recycling valuable components? This was the focus of the joint research project “DeMoBat” with Fraunhofer IPA. 🚙🤖    E-mobility is an integral part of the future of the automotive industry. But more electric cars also mean more used batteries. They currently have an average lifespan of around ten years.     However, in order to recycle a battery, it must first be dismantled. This is the only way to recycle the individual components - a complex and life-threatening process.  🔋♻️    These sound like challenges that are perfect for a robot-based solution: The use of robots reduces the shortage of skilled workers, minimizes the safety risk for employees and ensures that battery recycling is also economically viable through efficiency. 👏    "We have built Europe's largest test facility for dismantling batteries here. And we have shown how automation solutions can play a decisive role in making e-mobility even more sustainable,” explains Anwar Al Assadi, Group Manager at Fraunhofer IPA. Find out more about the project "DeMoBat" here: https://lnkd.in/dcNV-YVx   #KUKA #KUKArobotics #automation #robots #HomeOfRobotik #emobility 

How green are electric cars really? 🚙 This is certainly a controversial question. What is clear is that if the car batteries and the raw materials used in them are recycled and reused instead of being sent to landfill, this can make a decisive difference in terms of #sustainability. ♻ I recently had the opportunity to get to know the #DeMoBat project of the Fraunhofer IPA in Stuttgart live on site together with Thomas Schmidberger. A KR QUANTEC robot from #KUKA is used there to dismantle battery systems from different manufacturers and vehicle types. The robot carries out various work steps such as disconnecting cables, loosening screws and opening sealing joints. The robot-based solution has two major advantages compared to being carried out by a (human) employee: it makes dismantling economically viable for companies (which is a decisive factor for the attractiveness of battery recycling) and it relieves humans of work that is life-threatening due to the high voltage. Win-win! 🤖 If you want to read the whole story, feel free to do so here: https://lnkd.in/dTr3kYqW

I have previously shown how we can solve the task of battery production and here I will show how we propose to solve this task of separating and sorting recyclable components. Bosch Rexroth Solutions Set’s for EV Battery Recycling - coping with the upcoming circular economy challenges and solving customer needs with regards to heavy-duty transfer, diagnosis, discharging, disassembly by providing innovative automation as well as hard & software solutions. https://lnkd.in/eNQaRPV2 #automation #robotics #customized #functional #automatic #digitalisering #processautomation #industrialautomation

Friday news briefs - A new study led by PhD candidate Diani Sirimewan, “paves the way for the use of advanced robotics and automation for construction waste processing,” according to a statement this week from Monash University. - GoZero. Group’s subsidiary Nexport has been appointed as a preferred supplier of buses to Transport for NSW. - OncoSil Medical has received commitments for a capital raising of up to approximately $1.48 million before costs. - Micro-X announced on Thursday that the first commercial purchase order for an Argus camera has been received. - Aurora Labs (A3D:ASX) is continuing its engagement with defence and aerospace customers, such as Chiron Global Tech, for the use of its industrial print services to print components for defence applications. - The project led by Think Water Darwin in collaboration with Eco Detection and Terracorp Industries and supported by Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre Ltd uses a sophisticated “capillary zone electrophoresis” method, and will help ensure safe, high quality drinking water. #manufacturing #australianmanufacturing #ASX #manufacturingnews #robotics #wastemanagement #recycling #constructionindustry #defence #defenceindustry #additivemanufacturing

RECYCLING HIGH VOLTAGE BATTERY SYSTEMS // Our colleagues from EDAG PS participated in “Battery Systems 2024,” hosted by Automotive Circle, where over 70 international companies discussed the development and production of battery systems for electric vehicles. One of the key highlights was a presentation by Robert Wilschrey on recycling technologies and automation in the recycling process, covering: 🔋 End-of-life processes and circular strategies: Exploring national and international approaches to battery recycling, addressing both challenges and opportunities in Europe. 🔋 Technological advancements in recycling: Innovations in recycling heterogeneous battery systems in batch size 1, and the impact of design changes and new materials on the recycling process. 🔋 Safety and automation: Implementing automation in recycling and managing hazardous substances and high-voltage safety. At the exhibition stand, Robert Wilschrey and Rudi Panek discussed solutions and the economics of battery recycling processes. For more information on establishing competitive European battery production by leveraging local expertise and meeting EU standards, click here: https://lnkd.in/e5a7JDY5 #Automotiveindustry #EVBatterysystems #Batteryrecycling #AutomotiveCircle #EDAG

Just finished reading the paper "Recycling lithium-ion batteries from electric vehicles" by Gavin Harper, Paul Christensen et al., in Nature. The paper emphasises the looming challenge as millions of EV batteries approach EOL in the coming decade. What stood out to me in the paper was the focus on automating battery disassembly to improve efficiency, reduce human risk, and lower recycling costs. Robotic systems are being piloted to handle complex disassembly tasks, but challenges arise due to the lack of standardisation in battery design and the need for more advanced AI and computer vision capabilities. The potential for robotics to improve material separation and make recycling economically viable is exciting, but there’s still significant progress to be made in this area. This aligns perfectly with our vision for Oscorp Energy, where we’re working to build an automated, self-sustaining recycling facility that addresses these challenges head-on. Hats off to Gavin Harper, Paul Christensen and their team for advancing this critical area of research and pointing the way toward a more sustainable future! . . . . #EVRecycling #Sustainability #CircularEconomy #LithiumIonBatteries #Innovation #oscorpenergy

For the second time in a row a Dürr innovation has convinced an independent review board to win the #Automotive News #PACE Award. The #EcoInCure cures complex car bodies with superior paint #quality faster and more efficiently than conventional ovens. #electronicsnews #technologynews

The second day of E-Waste World Conference & Expo - Battery Recycling Conference & Expo #EBME2024 has concluded. I want to extend my gratitude to the organizers, Ben Horley & November Walker, for inviting me to this exceptional conference. It was a pleasure to give a talk 🎤, listened to Dr. Niklas Niemann, and moderate the panel discussion with experts Paudy O'Brien, Arthur Schmid, Robert Mitchell. It’s remarkable to see the progress industries have made in developing advanced automation and robotic systems 🤖 for disassembling EV batteries 🔋 compared to just a few years ago when the vision for robotic disassembly was still unclear. However, most of these robotic systems developed by the industry are limited to handling only one type of EV battery. This limitation raises a critical question: Should we first develop tailored AI-based robotic manipulation techniques, or is the technology already available, and we just need to implement it? In my opinion, we are still in the research phase. Despite the push from strategies like Net Zero 🌱, we need to be realistic about the current capabilities and future advancements. At REBELION EU PROJECT, we are focused on developing learning-based robotic techniques for EV battery disassembly that can be generalized to different battery models, and also be used for the disassembly of other complex products like wind turbines and electric motors. Additionally, it was a pleasure to reconnect with my expert colleague Gavin Harper during this conference. #EVBattery #BatteryRecycling #Robotics #roboric_disassembly

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀? 𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗲-𝗺𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿! Imagine a world where dismantling battery systems is not only efficient but also environmentally friendly. It’s already happening – and it’s transforming the way valuable materials are recycled! With robotic precision, batteries can be taken apart faster than ever before. Cutting cables, loosening screws, and opening sealing joints becomes a seamless task. The challenge? The sheer variety of battery systems on the market. But with the power of 6-axis flexibility and high torque capacity, the solution is already here. 💥 Maximize sustainability ⚙️ Boost recycling efficiency 🔧 Handle diverse systems with ease Is your business facing automation challenges, or are you planning new automation projects? Don't hesitate to get in touch – professional consulting and project planning included! #Automation #Robotics #BatteryRecycling #Sustainability #eMobility #TechnologyInnovation Video/Credit by/to Kuka