How Many Workers Are Required for Semi-Automatic Sorting?

In some industries which require the rapid and accurate sorting of lithium-ion cells, such as for electric vehicles, energy storage systems, and electronics, the need for semi-automatic battery sorting machines may be growing. A common question for both manufacturers and facility managers is “How many workers do I need for semi-automatic sorting?”.
In this article, we’ll discuss some of the factors that go into how many workers are required for semi-automatic sorting, including the types of machines, how complicated the sorting is, and what level of operational efficiency is possible.
Saving the Time of Other Workers
Semi-automatic battery sorting machines seek to automate part of the battery sorting process and area and thus reduce some human hours while still requiring human oversight in part. In semi-automatic machines, workers typically need to load the cells onto the machine, monitor the operation, and adjust parameters as the process runs.
While not entirely self-operating, these semi-automatic machines do save a great deal of time compared to manual battery sorting as a function of their speed, excellent performance and repeatable results in general. By automating and increasing speed, the machines reduce waste and reduce the inclusion of human error and generally streamline the sorting process.
What Determines How Many Workers are Needed?
The number of factors that go into how many workers a semi-automatic sorting operation will require to run smoothly is considerable.These are:
1)Machine Capacity and Speed
Both the speed of the machine, and its material throughput capacity, will limit how many workers will be necessary at the station. The more cells per minute it can process, and the more it can hold, fewer workers would generally be needed, “o watch” it left, willing as they are!
A machine for output sorting thousands of cells per hour, may only need one perhaps two people to “watch” it, and ensure that it is actually sorting similar these cells. In a later configuration, further down the line, it may take a few operators to load, to unload the sorted cells, to deal with cells of poor quality, etc.
2)Type of cell being sorted
A generic packing standards for sorting a smaller “cell”, such as 18650s, 21700s, etc., will result, in a way, in the workloads being a touch more automated, less fiddling, allow level ambitions, whilst more cells, especially pouch cells, may be too engaged, curly, too fragile for the machine, and loading and unloading loads a touch more romance than simply dropping the cell into the sort, or unloading the good cell using a lightweight set of tweezers.
There is sometimes a visual inspection of whether the machine is indeed sorting the cells to carry out, and indeed this may “call for a touch more labour” than simpler sorting.3) Complexity of the sorting process. A particular type of sorting depending upon, for example, voltage, salt, or what cell, may demand greater attention from the worker to the out, changing the setting or making up his mind about what cell is what, by reference to the machine’s sort code. If his sorting machine has sensors that indicate the battery’s charge or discharge capabilities, for example, the worker may have to consult these and kick a few switches in order that the machine will sort correctly. Meshing such a machine may demand the instant attention of a skilled worker.
4. Degree of automation of the sorting system. Even though some semi-automatic machines perform part of the work automatically, some may still require 90% of the job to be done by hand. Such machines sorta the cells only: to sorta them into bins, that is left to man. More advanced systems demand less help from man; some probably do most of the job automatically.
Some, for example, take the cells up on conveyors; also perhaps have a magnetic or robotic arm for snatching the appropriate cells off on to the available bins. Others may exclude the sorting itself, and have the cells pulled and loadedWhereas, a mechanized machine in this line is tended, machine tending will take less of the workers’ time. If the machine is not a well oil piece of precision, the workers will have to spend as much time adjusting and repairing on the job, and may require an attendant or two.In some instances, cleaners, gages, calibrators, inspectors, etc. will have to be there with a dedicated worker to make sure the machine is kept at the peak of operating efficiency.
Typical requirements of workers for semi-automatic sorting jobs
Just based on the above, the number of workers involved can vary, and depends on the specifics of each battery sorting situation. In sufficiently general fashion, for sorting machines of low capacity, and low speed, two or three workers may be in on running the machine; typically this might be one for loading, and monitoring of the machine, and one or two who are concerned with doing the actual sorting work unloading the cells, or directing them into particular pathways. To make sure the machine was operating right. For moderately high volume, medium speed sorting machines its likely only two to four workers will be needed; one for overseeing operation of the machine, and perhaps one for monitoring quality of sorts and troubleshooting, or possibly one to two others involved or one to two helpers if the cells to be sorted are on the exotic, or complex size. For larger operations where big fast machines are going to be used, one or two workers may be sufficient, one for monitoring the functions and data produced by the machine, and another for inspecting and taking quality control interventions.
Conclusion
As pointed out then, the number of workers typically needed for semi-automatic sorting varies considerably with power of the machine, the complexity of sorting task(s) and the level of automation involved. In most typical uses, significantly less workers will be needed than in a fully manual system, though at least a few will always be needed for oversight, quality control and maintenance activities. For the business particularly worried about lowering labor costs, while not sacrificing efficiency of sorting, machines that are high capacity per machine, and highly automatic in sorting are going to represent a worthwhile investment reducing the number of workers required for the job without a degradation in quality and accuracy.
By understanding these factors better, manufacturer will be more capable of judging the number of workers needed for their battery sorting activities, and to plan accordingly.