US battery company Sakuu said it has successfully 3D printed since December 2022 a range of fully functional batteries in custom shapes and sizes with patterned openings for thermal management in a completely dry process.
It said it is on track for commercial-scale production of printed batteries in major industries including e-mobility, aerospace, EVs and grid energy storage.
Its Kavian platform can enable “world-class energy and power densities” of printed batteries, including lithium-ion, lithium metal and solid-state batteries, at high-volume production speeds, it said.
It plans commercial-scale production of its SwiftPrint batteries, including solid-state, from its Kavian platform in gigafactories worldwide.
Karl Littau, Chief Technology Officer at Sakuu said: “Our development shows that the Kavian platform can enable commercial-scale, sustainable production of a wide range of battery technologies from lithium-ion to lithium metal to even solid-state batteries – whereas traditional methods of advanced cell manufacturing continually run into core impediments that prevent mass-scale production.
He said the printing process can allow for substantial gains in energy density for a completed battery.
The printing platform can customise the battery so the battery itself can become part of product design via customized shapes and sizes. “This is a profound moment with enormous implications for advanced battery manufacturing,” he added.
Sakuu has invented a fully industrialised process for printing batteries using a proprietary multi-material, multi-layer approach in a parallel and dry process, instead of slow layer-on-layer printing or screen-printing
Sakuu’s first printed batteries have demonstrated successful cycling performance at C/5, IC current rates, and expectations are to achieve high energy density at 800–1000 Wh/L.
It utilises proprietary lithium metal battery chemistry.
The company has an energy output goal of 200GWh by 2030 via a network of global partner gigafactories. It will sell the Kavian platform to other battery manufacturers as well as leading automotive, e-mobility and aerospace manufacturers. The platform uses powdered material that drastically shortens component lead times, according to Sakuu.
