EP-4742347-A1 - SECONDARY BATTERY MANUFACTURING EQUIPMENT AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SECONDARY BATTERY BY USING SAME

Abstract

According to exemplary embodiments, a secondary battery manufacturing facility is provided. The facility includes: a first jig assembly configured to fix a workpiece and comprising a first opening exposing a surface of the workpiece; a second jig assembly configured to fix the workpiece and comprising a second opening exposing a surface of the workpiece; a beam irradiation system configured to irradiate a welding beam onto the workpiece through one of the first and second openings; and a cleaning assembly configured to clean the first opening and the second opening.

Inventors

• LEE, JIN YONG
• YOON, MYEONG HO
• CHOI, JAE HO
• HWANG, IN WOO
• PARK, Bae Geon
• SHIM, Sung Joon
• JANG, YUN HO
• KIM, KYUNG JOO

Assignees

• LG Energy Solution, Ltd.

Dates

Publication Date

20260513

Application Date

20250203

Claims (14)

1. A secondary battery manufacturing facility comprising: a first jig assembly configured to fix a workpiece and comprising a first opening exposing a surface of the workpiece; a second jig assembly configured to fix the workpiece and comprising a second opening exposing a surface of the workpiece; a beam irradiation system configured to irradiate a welding beam onto the workpiece through one of the first and second openings; and a cleaning assembly configured to clean the first opening and the second opening.
2. The secondary battery manufacturing facility of claim 1, wherein the cleaning assembly is configured to move between a working position overlapping each of the first and second openings and a standby position spaced apart from the working position.
3. The secondary battery manufacturing facility of claim 1, wherein the first jig assembly is configured to move in a first direction toward the second jig assembly to fix the workpiece.
4. The secondary battery manufacturing facility of claim 1, wherein the cleaning assembly comprises a tool body and a spatter collection pan coupled to the tool body.
5. The secondary battery manufacturing facility of claim 4, wherein the tool body comprises a first portion configured to clean the first opening and a second portion configured to clean the second opening.
6. The secondary battery manufacturing facility of claim 5, wherein the first portion has a tapered shape toward the first opening.
7. The secondary battery manufacturing facility of claim 5, wherein the second portion has a tapered shape toward the second opening.
8. The secondary battery manufacturing facility of claim 4, wherein the tool body has a hardness lower than the hardness of a jig of the first jig assembly.
9. A secondary battery manufacturing method comprising: moving the cleaning assembly comprising the tool body to the working position; and moving a first jig assembly comprising a first opening and a second jig assembly comprising a second opening toward the tool body to remove spatter from the first and second openings.
10. The secondary battery manufacturing method of claim 9, wherein in the working position, the tool body overlaps each of the first and second openings.
11. The secondary battery manufacturing method of claim 9, wherein the tool body comprises a first portion having a tapered shape toward the first opening and a second portion having a tapered shape toward the second opening.
12. The secondary battery manufacturing method of claim 9, wherein the spatter is removed by physical contact with the tool body.
13. The secondary battery manufacturing method of claim 9, wherein the tool body has a hardness lower than the hardness of a jig of the first jig assembly.
14. The secondary battery manufacturing method of claim 9, wherein after removing the spatter from the first opening, the cleaning assembly is moved to a standby position spaced apart from the working position.

Description

[Technical Field] The present disclosure relates to a secondary battery manufacturing facility and a method for manufacturing a secondary battery using the facility. This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0019288, filed on February 8, 2024, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. [Background] Unlike primary batteries, secondary batteries can be charged and discharged a plurality of times. Secondary batteries are widely used as an energy source for a variety of wireless devices, including handsets, laptops, and cordless vacuum cleaners. In recent years, the primary use of secondary batteries has shifted from mobile devices to mobility, as energy density improvements and economies of scale have dramatically reduced the manufacturing cost per unit capacity of secondary batteries and increased the range of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) to be on par with fuel vehicles. To keep up with the rapid growth in demand for secondary batteries for mobility, cell manufacturers are facing huge capital expenditures. To maximize the return on capital invested, companies are looking to increase productivity per line, and research is ongoing to improve yields and increase productivity. [Summary] [Technical Problem] The technical challenge of the present disclosure is to provide a productive secondary battery manufacturing facility and a method for manufacturing secondary batteries using the facility. [Technical Solution] According to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure to address the above challenges, a secondary battery manufacturing facility is provided. The facility includes: a first jig assembly configured to fix a workpiece and comprising a first opening exposing a surface of the workpiece; a second jig assembly configured to fix the workpiece and comprising a second opening exposing a surface of the workpiece; a beam irradiation system configured to irradiate a welding beam onto the workpiece through one of the first and second openings; and a cleaning assembly configured to clean the first opening and the second opening. The cleaning assembly is configured to move between a working position overlapping each of the first and second openings and a standby position spaced apart from the working position. The first jig assembly is configured to move in a first direction toward the second jig assembly to fix the workpiece. The cleaning assembly includes a tool body and a spatter collection pan coupled to the tool body. The tool body includes a first portion configured to clean the first opening and a second portion configured to clean the second opening. The first portion has a tapered shape toward the first opening. The second portion has a tapered shape toward the second opening. The tool body has a hardness lower than the hardness of a jig of the first jig assembly. According to exemplary embodiments, a secondary battery manufacturing method is provided. The method includes: moving the cleaning assembly comprising the tool body to the working position; and moving a first jig assembly comprising a first opening and a second jig assembly comprising a second opening toward the tool body to remove spatter from the first and second openings. In the working position, the tool body overlaps each of the first and second openings. The tool body includes a first portion having a tapered shape toward the first opening and a second portion having a tapered shape toward the second opening. The spatter is removed by physical contact with the tool body. The tool body has a hardness lower than the hardness of the jig of a first jig assembly. After removing the spatter from the first opening, the cleaning assembly is moved to a standby position spaced apart from the working position. [Advantageous Effects] A secondary battery manufacturing facility according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure includes a cleaning assembly. Accordingly, the time required to clean the jig assembly can be reduced, and the productivity of secondary battery manufacturing can be increased. The effects that may be obtained from the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to those mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned may be clearly derived and understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure belong from the following description. That is, unintended effects of practicing the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may also be derived from the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure by one of ordinary skill in the art. [Brief Description of the Drawings] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a secondary battery manufacturing facility according to exemplary embodiments.FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a secondary battery manufacturing facility according to exemplary embodiments.FIG. 3 shows the openings of the first and second jig assemblies.FIG. 4 is a flowchart to illustr