NOVELTY - Monitoring a process for manufacturing batteries, involves providing a thin film battery component having two opposing sides, a source of energy, and a radiation imaging sensor; pulsing energy from the source onto one side of the thin film battery component; and detecting radiation with the sensor from the other side of the thin film battery component. The method further involves repeating the pulsing, the detecting, and the preparing in continuous manufacturing process. The sensor includes a photon detector or bolometer or microbolometer.    USE - For monitoring a process for manufacturing batteries such as lithium-ion battery, silver-zinc battery or a nickel metal hydride battery (claimed) for small and large scale energy storage applications including portable devices and vehicles.    ADVANTAGE - The method provides improvements in the detection of defects during manufacturing of batteries. The method has reduced production cost, and reduced degradation over product life cycle. The flash thermography technology can improve manufacturing effectiveness by providing rapid monitoring of anode and cathode films during the manufacturing process prior to assembly of the films into a battery, which reduces variability and the likelihood of premature cell failure. The technology is robust and rapid, enabling the inspection of the anode/cathode components on time scales consistent with automated production of batteries.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - Monitoring a process for manufacturing batteries, involves providing a thin film battery component having two opposing sides, a source of energy, and a radiation imaging sensor; pulsing energy from the source onto one side of the thin film battery component; and detecting radiation with the sensor from the other side of the thin film battery component. The method further involves repeating the pulsing, the detecting, and the preparing in continuous manufacturing process. The sensor includes a photon detector or bolometer or microbolometer. The sensor detects infra-red radiation or detects millimeter wave radiation. The component is generally isothermal before the pulsing. The component has a coating applied on the other side. The component includes planar metallic foil having a coating on the other side. The component is one of a cathode or anode. The component is used in a lithium-ion battery or in either of a silver-zinc battery or a nickel metal hydride battery. An INDEPENDENT CLAIM is included for a system for monitoring a process for manufacturing thin film battery component, comprising: a radiation sensor providing a signal corresponding to the temperature of the film of the thin film battery component; an actuatable source of radiation adapted and configured to emit radiation in repetitive short pulses directed at the thin film battery component; and a computer having memory and software, where the computer is operably connected to the source to actuate a series of pulses, and the computer prepares data in memory corresponding to the signal, where the sensor and the source are arranged on opposite sides of the thin film battery component. The sensor is an imaging sensor. The data corresponds to a two dimensional representation of the temperature of the battery component. The data includes a representation of non-adhered coating on the battery component. The thin film battery component has been severed from a larger section of thin film material, and the software uses the signal to detect debris on the component from the severing operation. The thin film battery component has a thermal time constant TAU measured by specific equation as given in the specification.