Cell & Pack Manufacturing

Manufacturing Process Map - 1. Electrode Production COATING & DRYING

Challenges

dispersion uniformity; viscosity consistency; reaction time of mixing team to batch variation

Challenges

wrinkling/elongation of substrate & cracks/tears of electrode from thickness variation; managing target density; electrode waste

MIXING

Slurries are formed from active material, binder, solvent, and additives that improve dispersion and viscosity control. Mixing order, speed, tooling, and material variability all affect the final slurry and may require recipe adjustments to hit viscosity specs.

SLITTING & NOTCHING

CALENDARING

Electrodes are densified to a target value

Electrodes are cut into singulated segments or pancake rolls. Uncoated areas are cut out leaving the parts where tabs will be grounded. Detection & marking of electrode defects occurs here. For contamination: must contain proper brush clearance & vacuum systems.

Thickness is verified here, but primary quality screening occurs during slitting.

60100 m/min

depending on patch design

depending on calculation method & other factors

of total manufacturing cost

pouch film speed

cylindrical (pattern coating) film speed

scrap rate

m/min

Slurry is coated onto the current collector 54% of electrode cost). Operators must continuously adjust pump speed, die gap, and die-lip settings as slurry viscosity varies with temperature and batch changes. In-line gauges enable tight control, but poor reactions lead to foil breaks and long oven/die-head downtime.

VACUUM DRYING

Removes residual water that would react with electrolyte and cause HF / swelling. Not needed when electrodes are made in dry rooms.

Challenges

electrode uniformity; processing time; utilization loss (lengthy oven cool down & heat up cycles due to broken foil pieces); Finally, operator training and reaction time to all these issues

Challenges

edge quality due to blade edge wear (burrs are dangerous), difficult to inspect at speed; tool wear; lowest OEE of any process due to lengthy marking process; contamination

Challenges

processing time; large footprint; mostly batch; usually Karl Fischer titration is used for water-content checks

Graphics courtesy of LG Energy Solution. Reproduced with permission. Source: LG Energy, BCG, internal expertise

Extracted from the PDF; charts and images may read imperfectly.