Conveyors are a critical element in any production line, transporting products around the plant and providing essential links between different processes. A well-designed conveyor system will save time and energy, not to mention resources and, ultimately, money. Battery manufacturing is no different. Whether you’re producing Lithium ion cells or installing battery packs into automobiles, your conveyancing system is the lifeblood of your factory.
Battery manufacturing includes complex processes and the conventional battery conveyors (belt/chain) tend to vibrate, Batteries needed to be handled with extreme care especially pouch cells since they don’t have outer case for protection these factors reduce the speed of the process and the demand for battery capacities is high and there is need for speed for ultimately increasing the capacity and bringing down the cost.
A better conveyancing solution for battery production
MagneMotion addresses this challenge. MagneMotion and iTRAK is an intelligent, highly cost-effective conveyor system specifically designed to move light loads quickly and efficiently, outperforming conventional belt and chain conveyors. The intelligent conveyor technology has become popular in battery gigafactories and is being deployed globally on a mass scale. MagneMotion uses a new form of production technology known as Independent Cart Technology (ICT), which uses a magnet-based transport system for more free-flowing product movement. When combined with Rockwell Automation’s expertise, this approach can have a significant financial impact for battery manufacturers.
This selection of standard building blocks, each of which is a motorized track section, forms an almost endless variety of layout options which is available to meet IP65, making it ideal for cleanroom and washdown environments.

Picture Credits: Rockwell Automation Battery project e-book
Key Features of MagneMotion:
- Intelligent motion – Accurate positioning, bi-directional travel, smooth motion and continuous carrier tracking and reporting.
- Process optimization – Simulation and configuration tools which simplify system design and optimization.
- Complete traceability – Know the unique ID and location of each carrier with complete reporting for audit trail and the ability to prioritize routing.
- Flexible layouts – System layouts can be oriented in a variety of different ways Easy to clean and maintain – IP65 washdown capable with fewer moving parts requiring less maintenance.
Independent Cart Technology in action
Independent Cart Technology (ICT) Challenge: One of the largest battery manufacturers in Asia was looking for the best possible solution for material handling in a new greenfield plant. The request for proposal was published prior to any plant layout design in order to get the best from any new innovations or concepts.
The desired outcomes from the project included:
- One transport system for all functions
- Faster acceleration between stations to increase line performance with variable speeds on each section
- “Soft-stop” with higher repeatability at each station to help respect cell integrity
- Greater reliability by design, compatible with dry room and clean room environments Solution This was a great opportunity to develop an entire conveyor line based on ICT, using modular solution MagneMotion and iTRAK.
The first proposal submitted was based on the initial line design, however the final proposal was also impactful on the plant layout, replacing many of the mechanical turntables, transfer and other actuators inside each machine.
The impact of using MagneMotion and ICT brought the following results to the Gigafactory:
- Productivity increased by 40% versus traditional conveyor lines
- 20% energy saving
- 30% floor layout saving
Learn more about Independent Cart Technology here Fast, Controlled, Flexible Motion with MagneMover LITE – YouTube
Reference:
- Rockwell Automation E-Book page.
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