As automakers race to meet this call for greener mobility solutions, the battery industry is faced with a colossal challenge: scaling up battery production to deliver exceptional performance, reliability, and safety, all while driving down the overall costs. Addressing these hurdles with innovation and determination, Liminal, a trailblazing technology company, has unveiled an unparalleled solution set to transform the very fabric of battery manufacturing—EchoStat®.

The journey towards a future dominated by electric vehicles is not without its roadblocks. Challenges with battery reliability have proven to be significant speed bumps in the shift towards e-mobility, causing setbacks for both automakers and battery companies. Scaling battery cell manufacturing to meet the rigorous quality and reliability standards demanded by EVs is a feat that’s often underestimated. To fulfill this growing need while maintaining the highest quality standards, battery manufacturers are increasingly seeking data-backed insights to elevate their production systems to a new level of intelligence.

Liminal’s EchoStat® emerges as a breakthrough battery technology solution, revolutionizing battery manufacturing by employing a combination of ultrasound imaging and machine learning analytics. This powerful technology swiftly and efficiently conducts high-quality inspections and process control within the battery production process. It detects flaws at their very source during production, recording the precise environment in which they occurred. This data is then leveraged to consistently refine the manufacturing process, leading to higher output and substantial waste reduction.

With EchoStat®, we’re reducing waste, improving quality, and empowering manufacturers to meet the surging demand for electric vehicles. This is a quantum leap toward a cleaner, greener future. — Andrew Hsieh, CEO & Co-Founder

Establishing a battery factory is a formidable task, taking up to a year to reach a 50% yield and even longer for high yield and profitability. A significant challenge in battery production is the lack of effective inspection during cell finishing, leading to reliance on electrical test data, which has limitations in detecting process issues and predicting quality, especially for larger EV cells.

To ensure performance, automakers often overbuild battery packs by 10%, adding weight and cost. EchoStat® intervenes early, identifying issues at their origin during production, reducing scrap and costs while elevating overall cell quality. Liminal’s solutions tighten the feedback loop, reducing costs, enabling cell recycling, and fostering environmental benefits.

In the critical electrolyte distribution process, EchoStat® excels. It reveals the precise moment cells achieve full saturation. Customers have successfully reduced soak time by up to 50%, from 24 to 12 hours, maintaining cell quality. EchoStat® performs in-line quality control, analyzing cells swiftly. It generates Statistical Process Control (SPC) charts, detecting outlier cells and correcting process drift within hours, a significant improvement over current methods taking days to weeks. The results are lower scrap costs and opportunities for cell recycling and rework.

The key differentiator of Liminal’s solution lies in its non-invasive and non-destructive approach. EchoStat® delivers a comprehensive analysis of each battery cell’s physical condition during production, achieving this remarkable feat in a matter of seconds. This real-time analysis capability empowers manufacturers to detect and address potential issues early in the process, significantly mitigating the risk of flawed or poorly constructed batteries reaching the market.

The environmental impact of battery production has become a critical consideration. One of the remarkable advantages of Liminal’s EchoStat® lies in its ability to minimize risk through early flaw detection. This proactive approach enables customers to catch and resolve design or production anomalies in real-time, thereby preventing the emergence of flawed or poorly constructed batteries. This, in turn, significantly decreases the cost of scrap before these defects find their way into the market.

Furthermore, EchoStat® leads to the reduction of wasted time and materials, a critical factor in the efficient scaling of EV and battery companies. As these companies expand their operations, EchoStat® empowers them to scale quickly and profitably, all while producing safe, reliable, and high-quality batteries. By minimizing production waste, battery companies are not only contributing to a cleaner environment but are also ensuring that their operations are cost-effective and sustainable.

EchoStat® also boasts unparalleled versatility. It can handle all common types of EV battery cells, regardless of their size or chemistry. Liminal has developed systems that cover pouch, prismatic, and cylindrical form factors. The application of ultrasound pulses on one side of the cell, with response signals recorded on the opposite side, allows EchoStat® to comprehensively cover the entire cell area.

The insightful capabilities of EchoStat® are further elevated by its analytics platform. This platform, powered by proprietary machine-learning software, provides deep insights into each cell’s variation from the baseline. It offers invaluable insights across multiple production runs and production lines, leading to enhanced efficiency and quality consistency.

The ability to bring new batteries to the market quickly is of paramount importance. Liminal’s EchoStat® not only accelerates time-to-market for new batteries but also contributes to a substantial reduction in the cost of scrap. This data-driven approach ensures that batteries are produced to the highest standards, resulting in heightened production efficiency, improved productivity, and enhanced profitability for manufacturers.

Liminal’s commitment to revolutionizing quality control, efficiency, and reliability in battery manufacturing resonates with the industry’s need for innovation that bridges the gap between rapid scaling and uncompromised quality. By enabling manufacturers to meet the surging demand for electric vehicles while upholding the highest standards, EchoStat® plays a pivotal role in driving the transition to a cleaner, more sustainable, and electrified future.

With the transformative shift from traditional vehicles to EVs, Liminal’s EchoStat® acts as the enabler that ensures these EVs not only meet the expectations of performance and reliability but also adhere to the stringent demands of environmental sustainability. The battery industry’s journey is marked by challenges, but with the revolutionary capabilities of EchoStat®, these challenges transform into solutions, becoming stepping stones towards a future where every battery is a testament to quality, efficiency, and environmental responsibility.

Liminal’s dedication to pushing the boundaries of battery manufacturing excellence, as exemplified by EchoStat®, has the potential to reshape the landscape of the EV revolution. By reimagining battery manufacturing from the inside out, Liminal not only meets the needs of today but also paves the way for a brighter tomorrow, where the electrified future we envision becomes a reality, one battery at a time.