Cell & Pack Manufacturing

CT Scanning - From R&D Tool to Production Quality Control Scope: Industry-wide view of industrial X-ray CT for battery inspection. Capabilities vary by cell format and system design. What CT does Computed tomography CT) uses X-rays and reconstruction to create a 3D volume of a battery cellʼs internal structure. Practical performance depends on the full imaging chain X-ray source, detector, geometry, and reconstruction). Strengths (typical)

Internal 3D visibility (geometry, alignment, placement)

Can detect hidden internal issues not visible from the outside

Enables quantitative 3D measurement and localization

Beyond pass/fail process feedback (geometry trends, defect KPIs and CpK into change control)

Useful for failure analysis and targeted production sampling, especially during ramps and change control Constraints (in production)

Typically higher cost and shielding footprint than 2D methods

Integration complexity (handling, safety, uptime in production)

Throughput and achievable resolution vary widely and depend on system design and X-ray output

Not always the best fit for very large assemblies where other methods suffice

From R&D to production CT is increasingly evaluated for use beyond R&D, including production sampling and selected inline quality control applications.

Recent advances: Higher-throughput industrial CT systems for battery cells combine faster full-cell scans, automated handling, and automated accept/reject (or severity scoring), making CT more practical for sampling plans and selected high-risk steps in production.

Evidence from larger datasets Published studies and teardowns with larger sample sizes report internal defect modes and build variations that may not be detectable with external-only inspection, supporting CT as a complement in targeted quality control.

Extracted from the PDF; charts and images may read imperfectly.