Background
A Tier 1 supplier producing EV battery trays and die-cast motor housings needed to replace a manual single-channel leak test station with an automated, multi-channel solution. The existing process used one LY-series instrument per part, requiring a technician to manually connect fixtures and record results — limiting throughput to 90 parts per hour and introducing per-operator result variability.
The new requirement: validate four battery tray variants simultaneously, achieve a 23-second maximum cycle time, integrate with the existing Siemens S7-1500 PLC, and log every result with the tray serial number to the plant MES.
Test Requirement
| Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|
| Part | EV liquid-cooling battery tray (die-cast aluminium) |
| Test method | Direct pressure, positive pressure |
| Test pressure | 150 kPa |
| Leak limit | ≤ 0.5 kPa pressure drop over 10 s dwell |
| Channels required | 4 simultaneous, independent |
| Cycle time target | ≤ 23 seconds total |
| Integration | Siemens S7-1500 PLC via digital I/O + Ethernet |
| Traceability | Per-tray serial number, barcode scan, MES upload |
Solution
Figurtech deployed an LM Series 4-channel system with a custom 4-port aluminium fixture designed to simultaneously connect to four tray coolant inlet/outlet ports. The fixture uses push-to-connect pneumatic fittings with quick-release levers for 3-second manual connection by the operator before the automated cycle begins.
The LM instrument runs an automatic 4-stage cycle — Fill (3 s), Stabilize (5 s), Measure (10 s), Exhaust (2 s) — triggered by PLC start signal. Each of the four channels reports an independent OK/NG result. The barcode scanner captures the tray serial number before cycle start, and the full test record (pressure trace, pass/fail, serial number, timestamp) is sent to the plant MES via Ethernet at cycle completion.
Standard Leak Validation
Before delivery, each channel of the LM fixture was validated against three calibrated standard leak holes: a tight-seal blank (reference), a 0.5 kPa-equivalent standard leak (limit), and a 2× over-limit leak (gross rejection). All four channels demonstrated consistent OK and NG discrimination across 50 consecutive test cycles.
Results After Deployment
- Cycle time: 20 seconds achieved (target was 23 s)
- Throughput: 720 trays/hour (up from 90 with single-channel manual process)
- False reject rate: < 0.1% after fixture seating optimization
- MES integration: 100% per-tray traceability from first production day
- Operator intervention: fixture connection only — all cycle control, data logging, and NG sorting automated
Instruments Used
- LM Series 4-Channel Leak Testing System — 4 independent channels, 0–1200 kPa, PLC digital I/O + Ethernet
- Custom 4-port aluminium tray fixture with push-to-connect fittings and quick-release levers
- Calibrated standard leak holes at 0.5 kPa and 1.0 kPa for channel validation
- Barcode scanner integration for per-unit serial number logging
Testing EV battery trays or die-cast motor housings? We can design a multi-channel fixture and system for your specific port layout and cycle time.
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