ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | JULY/AUGUST 2023 33 They can verify that anode overlap is sufficient to prevent short-circuits and do so at any point in the manufacturing process, even after the battery pack has been completely assembled. More importantly to the future of EVs—and indeed any electromechanical device that requires a battery—is the ability to optimize existing designs, evaluate new materials, and possibly develop storage technologies that would completely revolutionize the industry. NEW SOFTWARE CAPABILITIES EXPAND ANALYSIS SCOPE Recent developments are making this last possibility more likely. Volume Graphics has introduced several new tools, such as an anode overhang analysis function that provides enhanced visualization and reporting for this common measurement. There is also a new auto-segmentation feature that allows the operator to digitally “paint” a representative section of a structure they wish to analyze, after which the software will identify and mark any like structures (Fig. 5). One of the most exciting of these developments is a machine-learning function that automates much of the effort that comes with image processing. Customers can train the software on which part features or details to look for and what to do with them when found. For instance, the computer could reference previously saved models in the Paint & Segment function just described, thus automating the segmentation process to detect undesired foreign particles within a battery cell. Given the growing demand for greener transportation—and the batteries that will power the vehicles that manufacturers offer in response— capabilities such as described above will become essential to support the transition to EVs of all sizes and capabilities. The push in this direction is already taking shape. Many countries have goals of phasing out internal combustion engines by at least 2040, which means that factories worldwide will be called upon to produce safe, efficient, and costeffective batteries in never-beforeseen quantities. ~AM&P Note: All figures are courtesy of Volume Graphics.WaygateTechnologies (formerly GE Inspection Technologies) provided the scans of Figures 2 and 3. For more information: Pascal Pinter, product manager for material research and development, Volume Graphics, Czernyring, Speyerer Str. 4-6, 69115, Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, +49.6221.7392060, pascal.pinter@volumegraphics.com, www.volumegraphics.com/de. References 1. N. Winton, Electric Car Fire Risks Look Exaggerated, But More Data Required for Definitive Verdict, Forbes, March 2, 2022, https://www.forbes.com/ sites/neilwinton/2022/03/02/electriccar-fire-risks-look-exaggerated-butmore-data-required-for-definitiveverdict/?sh=35b15c32327e. Fig. 5 — The Paint & Segment tool in VGSTUDIO MAX so ware allows the user to simply “paint” the structures they want to segment within a dataset (le ) and the tool will automatically complete the task (right). ASM HANDBOOK, VOLUME 5A: THERMAL SPRAY TECHNOLOGY VOLUME EDITOR: ROBERT C. TUCKER, JR. ORDER TODAY! Visit dl.asminternational.org or call 800.336.5152.
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