Case study · Gigafactory · France · 6 months

Commissioning more than 100 test benches in a cell gigafactory

In 6 months, more than 100 test benches commissioned and accepted, written procedures, and teams trained to take over.

Context

A French lithium-ion cell gigafactory had to bring its fleet of test benches into service: cyclers, data acquisition systems and automation. Teams were still being built and the production schedule was tight. Every late bench delayed cell qualification testing.

What I did

Bench commissioning and acceptance

Commissioning and acceptance of more than 100 test benches, one by one, until each was ready for the test teams.

EMC and data acquisition

EMC test protocols and configuration procedures for National Instruments PXI and cDAQ acquisition systems, so every bench was configured and checked the same way.

High-current cabling

High-current cabling study: cable routing, lengths and electromagnetic compatibility, which drive both measurement quality and power supply sizing.

Team training

On-site training of operators, technicians and engineers throughout the assignment, on the benches they would run afterwards.

Result

  • More than 100 benches running and accepted in 6 months
  • Written, reusable procedures to configure and check the benches
  • Teams able to operate and evolve the benches on their own

Lessons for your project

With a fleet of benches, time is rarely lost on a single bench. It is lost on problems that repeat from one bench to the next: inconsistent configuration, EMC issues found late, teams waiting for the expert for every adjustment. Writing procedures and training teams during commissioning, not after, is what keeps the schedule.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to commission a fleet of test benches?

It depends on the number of benches, their complexity and the state of the installation. In this case, more than 100 benches were commissioned and accepted in 6 months.

What does test bench acceptance include?

Checking power and measurement channels, safety functions, communication with the control system, and validation tests, before handing the bench over to the teams.

Contact

Let's talk about your test project.

A first conversation with no commitment, in English or French.

contact@bertrand-consulting.fr
+33 6 33 72 47 43
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