Seica showcases EV test solutions at E-Tech Europe

One of the main concerns of many OEMs, integrators, and new start-ups is the testing of EV battery packs: the need to increase production throughput, improve reliability of the manufactured product while optimising the cost of battery pack testing is a major challenge.

A case in point are the electrical connections between the cells of an EV battery: these connections are fundamental to the correct performance and safety of the battery, so testing the bondings is a mandatory step of the battery manufacturing process.

Seica has over 10 years’ experience in providing solutions for this type of testing, and the Pilot BT, on display at E-Tech Europe, represents the new generation of flying probe test solutions for the specific test requirements of this increasingly high-volume manufacturing process.

With its parallel testing architecture, the Pilot BT is able to perform parallel, very precise Kelvin tests of 16 cells at once, achieving production rates of nearly 2400 battery cells per minute, more than doubling first generation performance.

Its very large test area (1050 x 865 mm) not only enable it to handle the many battery configurations currently on the market, but the capacity to manage the configurations of the future.

The standard system configuration includes a pass-through conveyance by Bosch, but it can also be configured with customer-specified conveyance solutions integrated into completely automated lines.

The Battery Management System (BMS) is another fundamental component of any EV, and its correct operation is essential to ensure the performance, reliability and life of the batteries.

The Compact BMS Test System, which will make its debut at E-Tech, is the latest addition to Seica’s Compact line of functional test solutions.

Equipped with all of the standard test instrumentation of the Seica VIP platform, it also includes dedicated instruments designed specifically to meet the functional test requirements of Battery Management Systems (BMS).

These include Battery Cell Simulators which, along with hardware and software modules which provide CAN and LIN communication protocol capability, are able to simulate the full operating conditions of the BMS, providing the stimuli and measurements required to test all of its functions.

In addition to the Pilot BT and Compact BMS test systems, visitors to booth C30-D29 will be able to see Canavisia’s Industry 4.0 software and hardware solutions for the acquisition and digitalisation of data coming from machines, factories and buildings with the goal of optimising processes, maintenance and intelligent energy management on-site, over the web and from the Cloud.

The system Dashboard and APP provide a real-time view of the connected resources as well as statistical reporting, and the solutions are compatible with the most widely used protocols and management software, for easy integration into existing infrastructures.