Rapid Innovation and Increased Production Capacity: 3D Printing Technology Empowers CATL to Achieve Innovation and Intelligent Manufacturing of Battery Cell Fixtures

CATL Headquarter (source: https://nai500.com/)

Traditional Manufacturing Methods Bring Innovative Challenges

As one of the world’s largest power battery manufacturers and an innovative pioneer in the field of new energy batteries, CATL has always been committed to technological breakthroughs in power batteries and energy storage systems.

CATL production scene (source: https://www.catl.com/news/846.html)

CATL production scene, highly automated PACK wire drawing (source: https://www.catl.com/news/6733.html)

Although CATL has a lot of innovation needs, in the battery cell assembly process, the traditional tooling and prototype verification production model cannot save costs while ensuring large-scale and rapid innovation iterations.

The traditional manufacturing model has the following limitations in terms of innovation in the battery cell production line:

• Slow response speed: Traditional CNC processing has a long delivery cycle, usually requiring 2-4 weeks to deliver, which seriously restricts the speed of product iteration.
• Limited design innovation: Manufacturing complex structures through traditional methods often involves many difficulties, such as tool customization and material limitations.
• Insufficient flexible production capacity: It is difficult to respond quickly to demands for multiple varieties and small batches.
• Long technology verification cycle: Low efficiency of fixture adaptation during new product development.

This model can no longer meet CATL’s rapid innovation needs. Therefore, how to break through the manufacturing bottleneck, optimize the manufacturing of fixtures and prototypes, and build a more flexible production system, has become a key issue for CATL’s technology upgrade.

Faced with these challenges, CATL urgently needs to establish an agile tooling and prototype manufacturing system that can support continuous innovation.

CATL production scene (source: https://www.catl.com/news/8247.html)

3D Printing Technology Brings Flexible Manufacturing Solutions

After in-depth technical evaluation, CATL chose to enter into a strategic partnership with Raise3D, a leading industrial 3D printing company, to build an independent and controllable agile manufacturing system. This decision was based on the three core values of Raise3D:

• One-stop solution to meet diverse needs: Through the combination of additive and subtractive manufacturing, dual processes are used to ensure product quality. At the same time, from pre-sales consultation to after-sales service, a one-stop service system is provided.

• DfAM service, in-depth cooperation from design to manufacturing: Through DfAM, based on the capabilities of additive manufacturing technology, design optimization is carried out to reduce the number of parts, simplify the assembly process, optimize the product structure, achieve cost reduction and improve product performance, and shorten the development cycle.

• Large-scale production to ensure efficient delivery: Relying on the high printing accuracy and stability of Raise3D printers to ensure the consistency of mass-produced products. Through mass production, the unit production cost is reduced while ensuring fast delivery.

Raise3D tailored a set of fixture and prototype production models for CATL, based on its actual production characteristics. Raise3D’s professional team worked with CATL to ensure fast and high-quality delivery of printed parts, starting from material matching, to design, templates, process optimization, and finally, batch printing.

In terms of printers, Raise3D, with its years of experience in 3D printing, has provided CATL with a variety of models using FFF, DLP, SLS and other processes, with a total of hundreds of devices deployed. Raise3D’s equipment has always been known for its high precision and high stability. At the same time, with Raise3D’s rich proprietary materials and OMP (Open Material Program) materials, it fully meets CATL’s different production scenario requirements.

Raise3D’s 3D printers

At the same time, Raise3D’s self-developed RaiseCloud enterprise-level cloud platform, relying on its powerful features such as multi-task management, team printer management and remote monitoring, realizes the intelligent scheduling and remote monitoring of CATL’s cross-regional equipment clusters, and builds a full-link digital flexible manufacturing system from equipment to management. As a network-based 3D printing cloud platform, in CATL’s actual production, RaiseCloud helps CATL reduce the number of equipment operators and release printing capacity with its reliable data security, flexible and personalized operation interface, and powerful remote management functions, thereby improving overall efficiency.

CATL’s customized RaiseCloud interface (for reference purpose only)

Innovation Breakthroughs and Capacity Improvement

By introducing 3D printing technology, Raise3D helped CATL accelerate its R&D cycle and greatly improved the speed from product to mass production.

According to statistics, in 2023, Raise3D’s equipment has achieved the following cumulative production capacity breakthroughs:

• 100,000 print jobs were executed
• Failure rate was as low as 2.1%
• The total annual consumption of consumables reached 33.6 tons
• The total equipment utilization rate was as high as 98%
• Delivery cycle was 30% shorter than the industry average

The introduction of 3D printing technology not only solved specific production problems, but also promoted the leap in CATL’s overall innovation capabilities.

CATL uses Raise3D printers to manufacture parts

Example 1: Battery Cell Model

The 3D application development of a battery cell model, when using traditional manufacturing processes, requires a production cycle of up to 15 days. The weight of a single part exceeds 500 grams, and the cost is as high as 27.8 USD. However, the use of Raise3D’s printing process has greatly shortened the production cycle to 8 hours, and the parts can be produced on the same day. The weight is reduced to about 150 grams and the cost is as low as 11.1 USD. Within 2 days, 4 times and 8 sets of sample iterations can be achieved, which greatly reduces costs and shortens the development cycle while optimizing the design.

Example 2: Flat Sheet

Take a single production equipment as an example. This equipment involves 10 to 20 kinds of flat sheets. These parts have complex structures. Through traditional processing methods, there are often many difficulties, such as tool customization and material restrictions. However, through 3D printing, they can be formed in one piece, and the production cycle and cost can be greatly reduced. The smallest flat sheet can be printed in just 20 minutes; and some key flat sheets with special structures can be printed at a cost as low as 5.7 USD through 3D printing.

Example 3: Transfer Pallet

A certain transfer pallet was originally manufactured using traditional technology, with a production cycle of up to 40 days and a single piece weight of up to 8 kg, resulting in high power consumption and increased wear and tear on the logistics line, as well as certain safety risks. By introducing 3D printing technology, the production cycle is shortened to 10 days (a 75% reduction), the single piece weight is reduced to 2 kg (a 75% reduction), and costs are reduced. In addition, the significant reduction in pallet weight significantly reduces energy consumption and wear and tear on the logistics line, further improving safety.

Example 4: Bushing Tooling

Take a bushing tooling as an example, both its inner and outer surfaces are positioning surfaces. Using traditional technology, it is impossible to achieve one-piece molding, and it can only be assembled after being made into loose blocks. Therefore, there are problems such as long processing cycle, complex installation, and difficulty in debugging, and the cost per piece is high.

By using 3D printing technology to directly print the entire solid cavity, the production cycle can be shortened by 50%, and the weight of a single piece can be reduced to 1 kg (a 70% reduction). At the same time, costs can be significantly reduced and the debugging process can be greatly simplified.

Example 5: Buffer Barrier Assembly

A certain buffer barrier assembly was originally produced using traditional technology, which had problems such as long production cycle (40 days) and high cost, making it difficult to meet the needs of rapid cutting and pulling. After the introduction of 3D printing technology, the production cycle can be shortened to 10 days (a 75% reduction), and the weight is reduced by 40%, which not only significantly improves production efficiency, but also reduces overall costs, perfectly meeting the needs of rapid cutting and pulling.

One technical person in charge of CATL said:

“3D printing technology, with its revolutionary manufacturing concept, has opened up unlimited possibilities for design innovation and production transformation. Raise3D’s complete 3D printing solution has not only greatly improved CATL’s innovation efficiency and shortened its product iteration cycle, but also significantly released CATL’s production capacity potential through digital and intelligent production methods, demonstrating its irreplaceable strategic value in emergency delivery and flexible production.”

Conclusion

The practice of CATL shows that 3D printing technology is changing from “replacing traditional technologies” to “driving comprehensive innovation”. This transformation not only improves manufacturing efficiency and production capacity, but more importantly, builds a technical foundation for continuous innovation. Today, with the rapid development of the new energy industry, the accumulation of such innovative capabilities will surely become the core competitive advantage of enterprises. Raise3D’s one-stop solution will become the first choice for new energy enterprises to innovate and increase efficiency.

If you also have the need to introduce 3D printing solutions, please contact us at inquiry@raise3d.com. We will provide you with professional technical evaluation and full-process support.