The manufacture of the lithium-ion battery cell comprises the three main process steps of electrode manufacturing, cell assembly and cell finishing. The electrode manufacturing and cell finishing process steps are largely independent of the cell type, while cell assembly distinguishes between pouch and cylindrical cells as well as prismatic cells.
In addition, the transferability of competencies from the production of lithium-ion battery cells is discussed. The publication “Battery Module and Pack Assembly Process” provides a comprehensive process overview for the production of battery modules and packs. The effects of different design variants on production are also explained.
You will also learn how to analyze battery performance (e.g., capacity, cycling stability, fast charging capability) by yourself in the lab, which is a similar process to that used by the Gigafactories (e.g., Northvolt, CATL). After taking this course, you will gain insight into various aspects of battery materials and battery manufacturing.
After taking this course, you will gain insight into various aspects of battery materials and battery manufacturing. Moreover, an interesting aspect of the course is that you will be able to spend a lot of time in the lab (more than 50% of the course time) and fabricate and analyze a working battery by yourself using different equipment and tools.
In order to engineer a battery pack it is important to understand the fundamental building blocks, including the battery cell manufacturing process. This will allow you to understand some of the limitations of the cells and differences between batches of cells. Or at least understand where these may arise.
Each step will be analysed in more detail as we build the depth of knowledge. The cell manufacturing process requires 50 to 180kWh/kWh. Note: this number does not include the energy required to mine, refine or process the raw materials before they go into the cell manufacturing plant.