The challenge
CATL is the world's leading manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries. Battery production is a complex, lengthy process with many control points, large data volumes and various testing methods, which makes the process hard to control and can reduce efficiency.
The main problems:
- The production process is complex and has many steps, so workers can easily make mistakes.
- Data on materials, batches, quality and inventory cannot be collected in time, so managers cannot control material use in real time.
- In the long production process, managers responsible for scheduling, product tracking, quality and equipment cannot follow operations in real time or schedule production in a unified way.
- Production information is neither up to date nor accurate, which makes it hard to track, analyse and optimise overall production.
The solution
CATL introduced an RFID-based production management system for battery manufacturing, using Chainway UR4 and UR8 fixed RFID readers. The system makes production transparent, reduces manual intervention, collects line data accurately in real time and supports production planning and scheduling.
How the system works
- RFID tags are fitted to the carriers on the production line; product information is written to the tags and linked to the products. RFID readers are installed at the material loading and unloading points of each process.
- When a tagged carrier enters a process step, the reader captures the tag data and sends it to the system for collection, analysis and statistics.
- Built on a unified database, the system supports production scheduling, product tracking, quality control, equipment fault analysis and reporting. Over the network it provides shop-floor management information to the production, quality, process engineering and logistics departments.
Configuration: Chainway UR4 and UR8 fixed RFID readers.
The result
- Transparent material flow: RFID tags and readers collect logistics, production and quality data in real time.
- Full traceability: the system records and analyses processes, equipment, operators and quality. By batch and production time, the product's materials and its storage and shipping data can be traced.
- Fewer errors: the system prevents manual errors at material loading and skipped process steps during production.
- Continuously improving quality: quality defect data is collected in real time, the system gives early warning of potential rejects, and product quality can be improved continuously based on the analysis.
