Dürr Systems, a part of the German technology group Dürr, and LiCAP Technologies, a Californian coating expert, have been working on dry coating technology for production of battery cells. Now Cellforce Group, a German developer and manufacturer of high-performance battery cells, has joined the duo.
The goal is to offer Cellforce dry electrode coating solutions in addition to the established wet coating process.
Cellforce, a subsidiary of Porsche, recently licensed LiCAP’s Activated Dry Electrode technology. In 2023 Dürr acquired the French mechanical engineering company Ingecal, based near Lyon in France. Ingecal specialises in calendering technology, where anode and cathode materials are pressed onto the metal foil under high pressure. Dürr has already commissioned a gigawatt-scale proof-of-concept cathode line in Chassieu, also close to Lyon.
Together, the three partners are planning an innovative pilot plant for dry coating of electrode foils at Cellforce in Kirchentellinsfurt, Germany. This will enable energy savings of up to 40% by eliminating the need for drying ovens. Production time will be reduced by around 20% and CO2 emissions will be decreased by around 1 ton per 10kWh of electrode capacity produced, Dürr said.
Dr. Markus Gräf, COO, and Dr. Heino Sommer, CTO of Cellforce said: “We are seeing remarkable progress made by LiCAP’s Activated Dry Electrode Technology in reducing internal resistance for high-performance cells, minimising space requirements and significantly reducing CO2 emissions and manufacturing costs.”
