Future-Proof Lead-Batteries: Non-Destructive Inline cell connector welding Inspection
Power the next generation of reliable vehicles. A leading battery manufacturer seeks a non-destructive, inline post-weld inspection that delivers fast, trustworthy pass/fail decisions at line speed. Help future-proof lead-acid batteries for functional-safety programs—and turn proven physics into a compact, production-ready solution with a clear path to pilot and scale.
Who can participate?
Startups, scale-ups, research labs, and industrial NDT providers with non-destructive inspection expertise (e.g., ultrasound), inline automation, and quality assurance.
Applicants must be able to validate on supplied samples and run a prototype-line pilot in the EU, with a clear path to EU Machinery Directive conformity and production integration or show when and how this will be possible in the future.
#NonDestructiveTesting #InlineInspection #BatteryManufacturing #QualityAssurance #FunctionalSafety
✅ Completed 🏆 Prize Validate and scale your solution with a leading battery manufacturer and establish a long-term partnership
🌎 Scope International
❓Questions Feel free to join our Q&A Calls
Core Question
How can we achieve accurate, inline cell connector weld OK/NOK inspection within ≤30s and a ~1×1 m footprint to support ppm-level functional-safety claims? The final cycle time is 11s per battery. For the co-development and piloting phases a ≤60s timeframe is fine.
Goals and Criteria
The solution must:
- deliver accurate OK/NOK cell connector weld classification, and this accuracy must be validated against destructive ground truth (tested on known OK/NOK samples)
- operate inline within a total cycle time of ≤30 seconds (for the co-development and piloting phases a ≤60s timeframe is fine). The final target is ≤11s per battery.
- fit into a compact ~1×1 m station
- be designed in conformity with the EU Machinery Directive
- must be production-safe and PFAS-free
- take place within the EU (all execution and pilot activities)
Ideally the solution should also:
- provide defect typing and quantification (e.g., % cold-press, inclusions) supported by fast, reliable analytics.
- include a clear automation and fixturing concept, plus a parallelization strategy (if needed) to consistently meet the production takt.
In Scope:
- Post-weld NDT preferred; in-process monitoring acceptable only if equivalent in accuracy/reliability.
Out of scope:
- Pure resistance checks; slow/expensive methods (e.g., impedance spectroscopy); post-lid/in-field tests; oversized (~3 m) equipment.