Epec's Blog | Electronics Manufacturing Solutions

When battery packs are placed into storage, it is easy to assume they will be ready whenever they are needed. In reality, a stored battery pack is still changing over time. The cells continue to self-discharge, the pack continues to age, and the storage environment can affect the condition of the pack long before it is installed into equipment.

At the conclusion of our webinar, Hidden Costs and Challenges of Offshore Battery Pack Manufacturing, we had several questions submitted to our presenter, Battery Product Manager Anton Beck. We compiled these into a readable format on our blog.

Battery management systems (BMS) are safety devices integrated into battery packs to monitor the cells during charging and discharging phases. These systems can activate safety controls when problems arise while logging data that you can use to evaluate the cell's stability. When functioning properly, the BMS can improve the efficiency and longevity of the battery pack. Unfortunately, BMS design flaws may cause serious risks and failures to cells.

Products that use battery packs may require certification through national and international quality and safety organizations. These regulations ensure that the battery packs meet compliance standards for packaging, transportation, use, storage, and disposal.

Printed circuit board assemblies used inside battery packs operate in a uniquely demanding environment. They are often enclosed, exposed to temperature swings, subjected to charge and discharge cycles, and expected to perform reliably for years without service.

Medical devices using portable battery packs require special design considerations to ensure optimal power for these devices while upholding the highest levels of safety. The medical devices can use lithium-ion, lithium metal, lead acid, NiMH, silver-oxide, and alkaline battery cells based on power requirements and usage. The battery packs cannot malfunction when in use, during sterilization, or when placed into storage.

Controlling thermal management requires the use of external and internal devices to ensure that the battery operates at the optimal level in the specific environment when there are fluctuating temperatures.

Battery pack designs take into consideration the type of environment for the application. Harsh conditions such as extreme temperatures, vibrations, shocks, moisture, dust, and humidity may degrade battery cells.

Every device requires unique power and energy needs, whether it requires a strong jolt of power when starting up or a steady amount of energy for long periods of work activity. Yet factors such as aging, degradation, extreme temperatures, and severe discharging events can impact the available capacity of a battery cell.

Lithium-based battery packs require battery management systems (BMS) to monitor important functions. These functions include the temperature, voltage, current, charging/discharging rates, capacity, and the overall health of the batteries. If an issue arises, such as high temperatures or overcharging, the BMS collects the data and sends it to the device's control system.