Battery Testing

In our lab Battery Testing, we provide performance testing for battery cells and systems regarding efficiency and effectiveness, aging, safety and reliability.

For aging investigation and lifetime analysis of battery cells and battery systems, we offer long-term tests lasting several months including both the investigation of cycle life and the analysis of calendar aging. We provide scientific support for the tests and advise you on the test design.

Our laboratory equipment includes battery test systems, electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and calorimetry, which are used for testing in the climatic chamber or in air-conditioned rooms according to standards or customer requirements.

The range of services offered by our laboratories also includes destructive tests by means of mechanical, electrical and thermal mishandling. 

With the continuous rapid development of the battery market, especially in mobile and stationary applications, the need for repeatable examination and testing of cells and systems continues to increase significantly. Flaws in battery design (both at cell and system level) can lead to either reduced performance and financial losses or even critical damage and accidents. Established test methods and novel characterization capabilities in the test lab can identify defects at the cell level as well as in the system structure and in the system design at an early stage.

To pursue this goal, we offer battery testing from cell to system level, according to customer specifications or according to established standards (e.g. UN38.3, IEC 62133, IEC 62619; IEC 62841). Furthermore, we provide support to our customers in the research of aging effects and in the development of application-oriented measures for lifetime optimization. Our modern equipment guarantees a reliable and safe operation of the battery tests.

Ensuring reliable, high-quality battery cell production is a complex task in which a number of influences must be taken into account. The quality of battery cells is reflected in a wide variety of parameters such as mechanical stability, capacity, performance or service life. This is due to the variation in material quality, in production processes such as mixing, coating, during assembly and forming. This can lead to more wastage.

To significantly reduce wastage, production facilities need real-time feedback from the production process. End-of-line quality determination and evaluation of battery cells are key tools in this context, which can be used to identify optimization potential at an early stage, minimize reject rates and thus reduce production costs. Hence, we are developing methods for the non-destructive quality determination of battery cells that are suitable for use in production lines, for example as part of the "OrtOptZelle" project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). In our battery test laboratory, mechanical, optical and electrical methods are used to classify batteries for this purpose. Subsequently, these methods are validated by post-mortem analysis, which includes cell opening, characterization of samples in microscopes, surface and chemical analysis.

In addition to quality determination and assessment in cell manufacturing, our methods and processes are particularly applicable in the context of qualitative incoming goods inspection for battery system builders.