Advancing Battery Cell Manufacturing: The CEAMS Project
The Challenge: Scaling Up Battery Cell Production with Precision
The demand for high-performance lithium-ion batteries is skyrocketing, driven by the growth of electric vehicles (EVs) and the transition to sustainable energy solutions. However, scaling up battery production presents several challenges, one of the most critical being precision in electrode manufacturing. Traditional cutting methods introduce defects that impact performance while existing laser-based techniques struggle to balance speed, quality, and cost-effectiveness.
To address this, the Centre of Expertise in Advanced Materials and Sustainability (CEAMS) launched a pioneering project focused on quality control standardisation for battery cell formation, ensuring novel cell technologies can be efficiently scaled to giga-scale production volumes.
Cellerate’s Role: Driving Innovation in Electrode Cutting
Cellerate, in collaboration with the University of Manchester’s Laser Processing Research Laboratory, played a crucial role in the project. Our mission? To optimise laser cutting parameters for electrodes by selecting the ideal laser system and processing conditions to achieve high-precision electrode cutting with minimal heat-affected zones (HAZ) and surface defects.
The research involved testing various nanosecond and ultrashort pulsed laser systems and evaluating their impact on cutting efficiency, edge quality, and material integrity. By leveraging advanced laser processing techniques, the project aimed to significantly improve manufacturing consistency, reduce waste, and enhance battery performance.
The Breakthrough: Precision Meets Speed
Through rigorous testing, we achieved a breakthrough in electrode-cutting efficiency:
- Picosecond lasers emerged as the optimal choice for electrode cutting, delivering high-quality edges with minimal thermal damage.
- Optimised laser parameters reduced delamination, ensuring greater reliability in cell performance.
- The findings demonstrated that nanosecond and continuous wave lasers could be used in high-throughput manufacturing while balancing cost and precision.
What This Means for the Industry
Dr. Richard Fields, Managing Director of Cellerate:
“I think the technology we’re seeing here and having demonstrated through CEAMS can underpin the manufacturing of next-generation battery technologies.”
The CEAMS project has set a new benchmark for scalable, high-precision battery manufacturing. By integrating cutting-edge laser processing with automated assembly, manufacturers can now produce more consistent, high-quality battery cells, unlocking greater efficiency in both R&D and industrial production.
For battery researchers, gigafactories, and technology innovators, this project represents a significant step towards more sustainable, cost-effective, and scalable battery production, ensuring the industry is ready to meet the demands of an electrified future.
As the industry moves towards next-generation energy storage, we continue to pioneer automation, precision engineering, and data-driven manufacturing solutions to accelerate battery innovation.
Stay tuned as we drive the next wave of advancements in automated battery assembly and quality control.
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