Archer Completes Installation “Of High-Volume Battery Pack Manufacturing Line”
Archer Aviation announced this week, it has completed the construction of a high-volume battery pack manufacturing line. This facility is housed at Archer’s ‘Integrated Test Lab and Manufacturing Facilities’ in San Jose, California and will have the throughput necessary to support the planned high volume aircraft production at the company’s manufacturing facility in Georgia, on track to be completed later this year, reports a press release.
The release explains. “The battery pack manufacturing line was built to be an automotive-style production that is designed for high-volume from day one with the final phase of the facility set to be capable of producing up to 15,000 battery packs per year.”
It goes on, “Archer has applied automation in key areas of the manufacturing process to improve quality, operator safety and data traceability. This includes cell test and load, adhesive dispensing, laser cleaning, laser welding and end of line testing.”
Tom Muniz, Archer’s CTO, commented, “This is a major milestone as designing, developing and mass producing propulsion systems that are purpose built for electric aircraft is the key to unlocking the electrification of aviation.”
He continued, “The facility gives us the capability to scale our battery pack production to meet the demands of the output that our Covington, Georgia facility is capable of.”
Archer’s automated battery cylindrical cell loading station
Archer decided to “vertically integrate its design and manufacturing of the battery pack” including multiple 50 ft drop tests simulating extreme impact scenarios, “to ensure it meets rigorous levels of safety, performance and reliability necessary” for the Midnight aircraft and to pass the challenging FAA’s Type Certification program.
The battery pack uses a proprietary and robust thermal runaway containment strategy, employing cylindrical cells which have a track record of safety, performance and scalability.
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(Images: Archer Aviation)
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