AD&P; > November 2015 > NOTABLE
16
p Fraunhofer fber-laser-based
system for cost- and energy-
efcient battery production.
Better Battery Production
Assuming there will be an increase in the electrifcation of
vehicles—and we do assume it—then there probably needs
to be a way to more efectively produce batteries (among
other challenges).
One interesting development has come out of Germany
in this regard, which uses lasers in place of furnaces in
drying the slurries that are part of producing batteries.
The Dresden-based Fraunhofer
Institute for Ceramic Technologies
and Systems IKTS and the Aachen-
based Fraunhofer Institute for Laser
Technology ILT ( ilt.fraunhofer.de )
joined forces on what they call
"DRYLAS - Laser-based Drying of
Battery Electrode Slurries."
The slurries, which form the electrode
layers, are applied in a wet-chemical
process to the current-conducting
metal foils during the manufacture of
batteries. The sheets are run through
continuous furnaces, where the
solvent in the slurry is removed.
Explains Dr. Dominik Hawelka, a
scientist at the Fraunhofer ILT, "In
these furnaces, the energy deposition
is not very efcient as compared to
a laser treatment. That is why we
have decided to use the very precisely
controllable laser radiation as the
drying tool for this application."
They've developed a fber-laser-
based module to perform the drying
and are achieving notable benefts.
According to Hawelka, "The laser
radiation is absorbed directly in the
slurry and minimizes heat losses to
the surroundings. Our drying process
uses about half of the energy that
the continuous furnace needs."
Which can result in cost-efective
battery manufacture.