The production of the lithium-ion battery cell consists of three main process steps: electrode manufacturing, cell assembly and cell finishing. Electrode production and cell finishing are largely independent of the cell type, while within cell assembly a distinction must be made between pouch cells, cylindrical cells and prismatic cells.
Figure 1 introduces the current state-of-the-art battery manufacturing process, which includes three major parts: electrode preparation, cell assembly, and battery electrochemistry activation. First, the active material (AM), conductive additive, and binder are mixed to form a uniform slurry with the solvent.
The battery production department focuses on battery production technology. Member companies supply machines, plants, machine components, tools and services in the entire process chain of battery production: From raw material preparation, electrode production and cell assembly to module and pack production. Dr.-Ing. Dipl.-Wirt.-Ing.
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.
The first stage in battery manufacturing is the fabrication of positive and negative electrodes. The main processes involved are: mixing, coating, calendering, slitting, electrode making (including die cutting and tab welding). The equipment used in this stage are: mixer, coating machine, roller press, slitting machine, electrode making machine.
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.