Manufacturing capability is the eternal internal skill of manufacturing industry. The requirements for battery manufacturing are evolving from ppm to ppb, and the pursuit of yield is approaching its limit. Digital technology has become a tentacle to reach its limit, and the application of new technologies is helping battery manufacturing costs, efficiency, and systems to move towards a new stage, promoting the transformation of extreme manufacturing. In terms of detection, machine vision is penetrating into the front, middle, and back stages of battery production, but there is still a lot of room for improvement in penetration rate. The industry is calling for machine vision inspection of battery production that is "understandable", not only to replace manual labor, but also to open up the "intelligence" of battery production lines through the collection and analysis of production data. In response to this, many machine vision equipment manufacturers have begun to delve into battery manufacturing production lines, creating battery testing solutions that are suitable for production line applications, and Weiya is one of them. From past application cases, it is not an exaggeration to say that Weiya is a machine vision expert in batteries. Weiya has a clear approach in the field of battery manufacturing: "adhering to long-term principles and doing difficult but correct things" as a value guide, penetrating the underlying technological barriers, deepening the application of battery production lines, and creating machine vision inspection solutions that are suitable for the battery manufacturing field. In terms of market: Since 2015, nearly 8 years of deep cultivation in battery manufacturing have helped MicroAsia quickly enter the supply chain of leading domestic and foreign battery companies. And recently, Weiya was awarded the "Joint Innovation Award" by SAIC Times in 2022, which was directly recognized by customers. In terms of products, a comprehensive machine vision inspection scheme has been laid out around the front, middle, and rear sections of the battery production line. After 2022, based on the commonalities of battery cell and module sections in a large number of cases, a standardized scheme has been launched for middle and rear section inspection. In terms of research and development, it connects optics, vision, machinery, electrical appliances, algorithms, and software, and enhances the production line application capabilities of the equipment through underlying technology breakthroughs. Based on this, Weiya assists in the detection process to refine the internal capabilities of battery manufacturing. The development path of Weiya is also a microcosm of the use of digital technology in battery manufacturing towards extreme manufacturing. Taking Weiya as the observation window, in the TWh era, the competition for battery manufacturing capabilities in the next stage is full of infinite possibilities of digital technology.Machine vision inspection for battery manufacturingThe battery manufacturing track has a long and thick slope for machine vision enterprises, but only when we truly enter will we realize the coexistence of challenges and opportunities. It should be noted that due to the late start time, domestic machine vision equipment manufacturers still have gaps in both software and hardware compared to overseas markets. As of 2016, the application of machine vision in battery manufacturing is still limited. At that time, in order to meet the high requirements of BMW Group for battery production lines, CATL needed to use machine vision inspection in the busbar welding and weld welding sections of the module section. Finding a qualified machine vision equipment supplier in China is not easy. Similarly, for domestic machine vision equipment enterprises, the battery manufacturing field that challenges high-precision detection requirements also requires courage. While other machine vision equipment vendors were still watching and hesitating, Weiya took on the project. What prompted Weiya to take on the project was not only the company's confidence in entering the field of machine vision in the consumer electronics and panel industries since 2013, but also its determination to conquer the high ground of battery manufacturing. Weiya told high-tech lithium-ion batteries that in addition to the common requirements of large-scale manufacturing for machine vision inspection with a wide field of vision, high precision, and high speed, attention should also be paid to the characteristics of battery production. Due to the use of a large number of welding processes, such as ultrasonic welding, pulse welding, etc., in the detection of various stages of power batteries, the welding structure is very complex, and the surface material of the workpiece after welding is bright and highly reflective. Conventional detection schemes are difficult to achieve accurate detection. Facing difficulties, in cooperation with CATL, Weiya has become a pioneer in using 3D+AI algorithms to solve industry problems in China. Afterwards, Weiya began to excel in battery manufacturing and testing. In terms of testing plans, various production processes of Weiya Battery have formed testing plans such as AOI for the size and appearance of lithium battery cells, 3D-AI testing for top cover welding, 3D-AI testing for sealing nails, battery module testing, coating testing, and AOI for the size and appearance of lithium battery cells. In terms of the market, Weiya has entered the field of battery manufacturing since 2016 and continuously entered the supply chain of battery enterprises. It has established cooperative relationships with leading battery enterprises such as CATL, BYD, Honeycomb Energy, Yiwei Lithium Energy, and Xinwangda, and has achieved large-scale delivery and acceptance (meeting the requirement of "zero missed inspections").Direct applicationOpen the production line with "intelligence"For the digital intelligent transformation of battery manufacturing, Ni Jun, chief manufacturing officer of Ningde Times, is optimistic about using 4T to promote: IT (Internet technology) DT (data technology) AT (analytical technology) OT (operational technology). He said, "If you don't have a deep understanding and integration of OT in an industry, you won't be able to help customers solve problems." The viewpoint of OT leading and full integration of IT, DT, and AT coincides with the path that Weiya adheres to. Weiya believes that exploring machine vision from either software or hardware alone is just talk on paper, and "software hardware collaboration" is the key to truly measuring machine vision devices. Adhering to this concept, Weiya plunged into the application scenarios of battery manufacturing. As the first machine vision equipment manufacturer to enter the field of battery manufacturing, Weiya's resume is simple but hardcore. 2016 to 2021 is the period of deep cultivation in Weiya. Over the past 6 years, Weiya has only served two clients - CATL and BYD. The long-term deep cultivation of the two leading battery companies has given Weiya a deeper understanding of the testing needs for battery production. Weiya told high tech lithium-ion batteries that detecting defects is not difficult, but identifying defects is difficult. In specific production scenarios, how deep a scratch can be judged as a defect, and such details are often the true test of machine vision detection ability. After 2021, based on previous accumulation, Weiya has launched standardized testing plans for the common detection of battery cell and module segments, and promoted them throughout the industry. This strategy quickly helped Weiya enter the supply chain of battery companies such as Yiwei Lithium Energy, Honeycomb Energy, and Xinwangda. It is the company's strong testing capabilities that have helped Weiya win consecutive top customers. In the battery section, the complex and diverse types of defects pose greater difficulties for imaging and defect analysis. Nevertheless, the AOI solution for the size and appearance of Weiya's battery cells has shown impressive performance in practical applications by battery companies. In terms of hardware, high-speed line scanning real-time online technology is used to achieve deep customized imaging; In terms of detection accuracy, the measurement accuracy of cell dimensions (length/width/height) can reach 0.01mm, and the measurement accuracy in flatness and parallelism can reach 0.02mm; The detection accuracy of the appearance of the battery cell (scratches, pits, electrolyte corrosion, etc.) can reach 0.2mm. In terms of software, Weiya independently developed algorithms that combine the strengths of traditional 2D image algorithms, 3D point cloud algorithms, and AI deep learning algorithms to achieve defect detection and system classification, and generate real-time monitoring curves and output data analysis. In addition, seamless integration with MES can further collaborate with production systems to achieve timely warning. In terms of efficiency, the detection effect of complex defects such as pole scratches, pole pits, missing plastic parts, damaged explosion-proof film, blue film bubbles, electrolyte corrosion, aluminum shell pits, and aluminum shell pitting has greatly replaced manual visual inspection. A single equipment can save more than 12 people in labor. In addition, this scheme uses integrated imaging technology, which can achieve a defect detection rate of over 99% and a classification accuracy of over 95%. Compared with conventional schemes, it can improve the shipment yield rate by more than 2%.Through the bottom layerDeeply cultivate the high-precision track of battery testingWith the overall improvement of domestic manufacturing capabilities, a group of strong domestic substitutes have emerged in the field of machine vision. However, focusing on battery manufacturing, there are still a few machine vision equipment manufacturers that can truly meet the high-precision manufacturing requirements of batteries. And with its testing capabilities that fit the battery production line, Weiya has successively won top battery enterprise customers, becoming an undisputed "dark horse" in the high-precision testing field of battery manufacturing. The underlying driving force behind this is the company's values - adhering to long-term principles and doing difficult and right things. Weiya stated that it should be acknowledged that there is still a gap between domestic machine vision and advanced foreign equipment manufacturers in terms of software and hardware. However, deepening the cultivation of segmented tracks and polishing application capabilities is a key opportunity for domestic machine vision equipment manufacturers to catch up with overseas markets, as well as an important source of forging their own core advantages. In response to this, since entering the machine vision industry in 2013, Weiya has been firmly committed to self research and breakthrough in underlying technologies. The reason why it is "correct" is because of the control of the underlying technology. Compared to imported equipment, it can achieve flexible adjustments and solve more practical application problems in subsequent cooperation with customers. To truly break through the underlying technology, it is necessary to face difficulties in research and development investment, team building, and other aspects, which are also the "internal skills" that machine vision equipment manufacturers need to persist in for a long time. Since entering the field of machine vision in 2013, Weiya has been solidly and firmly committed to this path. At present, Weiya has established six independent R&D teams in optics, vision, mechanical, electrical, algorithm, and software, connecting the six aspects of light, vision, mechanical, electrical, computing, and software, laying a solid technical foundation for detection applications. Based on this, Weiya will focus on researching the underlying detection algorithms, attach importance to the quality of platform based applications, achieve the integration of algorithms and software into hardware carriers, and further promote the standardization of machine vision detection. The exploration of standardization also helps Weiya to explore more diverse application scenarios. In addition to continuing to maintain cooperation with battery companies, Weiya is also trying to collaborate with equipment manufacturers to integrate machine vision with the main equipment, which will further "slim down" the production line. It should be noted that the focus of competition in battery production has shifted from manufacturing scale to manufacturing capability. It is urgent to use digital technology to open up production lines and achieve the upgrading of manufacturing capability. The new stage of the competition will open up greater opportunities for the application of machine vision. Weiya's deep cultivation and development in battery testing have provided a paradigm for intelligent equipment applied in various aspects of battery manufacturing. In addition, for intelligent equipment such as machine vision, the historical opportunity for China's battery industry to go global is also an opportunity for domestic equipment to catch up with world-class manufacturing and become world-class manufacturing. Weiya, which accompanies domestic battery manufacturing towards intelligent manufacturing, will also serve as a typical example of the rise of domestic machine vision, keeping up with the pace of battery manufacturing going overseas and exploring broader market opportunities.