HoWaLIB

Brief description

The focus of the Fraunhofer FFB sub-project in the joint project is on the scaling and validation of an advanced system for the structural calendering of electrodes. To this end, Fraunhofer FFB is supporting the consortium in the definition of target cell properties, the production of test material, the design and development of the system as well as commissioning and test operation. The main responsibility of the Fraunhofer FFB lies in the systematic scaling of the production process at a speed of up to 25 m/min and the determination of the resulting electrode quality. As part of the process scaling, new process and analysis technologies are also being tested to enable continuous monitoring and control of the calendering process. For the final validation of the process, the Fraunhofer FFB research team processes the structured electrodes into pouch cells using the rest of the battery cell production process, characterizes the electrochemical properties and compares them with conventionally manufactured cells.

The work plan is divided into seven work packages:

1. project management and cooperation with the accompanying research

2. development of the target cell properties for the electrodes to be structured and the reference electrodes together with the consortium

3. preparation of the specifications for the calender to be developed as a basis for the subsequent design and development of the system

4. design and development of the calendering system.

5. commissioning and acceptance of the system at project partner Saueressig's plant.

6. installation and assembly of the plant on the premises of Fraunhofer FFB and implementation of the first test operation.

7. Focus on Scaling and validation of the overall system designed and built in the previous steps for the structural calendering of electrodes.

The Fraunhofer FFB contributes to the scientific and economic utilization and dissemination of project results as an institution of applied research. On one hand, the results from the research project and the knowledge gained from it are used as know-how and a working foundation for ongoing research activities, such as publicly funded projects. Through the utilization of the research content by the project partners, targeted connections for follow-up projects arise, either directly with the project partners or with other industry companies, to apply the results there.

One possibility is, for example, to further scale the structural calendar to market readiness or to integrate additional inline sensors as part of Industry 4.0. Moreover, the concepts for inline roller cleaning developed and tested within the project can be further advanced as a standalone module until market maturity, enabling integration into other manufacturing technologies and thus into additional market segments.

The involvement of battery cell manufacturers allows for addressing the specific requirements of this user group. At the same time, the project contributes to establishing the Fraunhofer FFB within the context of production and scaling research in the international scientific community. Furthermore, the researchers involved are given the opportunity to publish their results at scientific conferences and in publications, thus building connections with experts in similar fields.