Engineering companies GROB and Dürr have developed a concept factory for lithium-ion battery cell production that requires 50 percent less space and 70 percent less energy than traditional manufacturing facilities, delivering higher space efficiency and lower operating costs.
The centerpiece of the new approach is Dürr’s dry coating system, which implements the Activated Dry Electrode process from LiCAP Technologies. Unlike conventional wet coating, the system uses a dry-mixed active material instead of slurry. This powder mixture is pressed into a free-standing film using calender machines, which is then laminated onto both sides of the collector foil. The process eliminates the energy-intensive drying stage and the need to recover and treat solvents. The free-standing film also offers material efficiency advantages, as excess film material can be completely returned to the production process before lamination. Dürr has achieved successful proof of concept and is seeking pilot partners in the industry.
For cell assembly, GROB has developed Z-folder technology that integrates the notching process. The system guides the separator over deflection rollers with even and low web tension, and achieves 95 percent availability through a high-quality magazine buffer system for the electrodes.
Dürr has also developed an electrolyte filling process that operates at pressures up to 30 bar, two to three times higher than current industry standards. The higher pressure enables battery cells to be filled in a single step without residual gas, with precise dosing and shorter penetration time into the active material.
Both companies have continued advancing their wet coating technologies. Dürr has automated the coating station and slot dies to form a closed control loop for layer thickness. “Adding automated slot die profile control provides our customers with the ability to not only reduce the machine startup time, but it also ensures quality throughout the production process by maintaining the coating uniformity,” explains Adam Shambeau, Senior Director of Dürr Lithium-Ion Batteries Americas. “Scrap reduction and machine up-time are critical to our customer’s success.”
The production equipment is supported by digital mapping through Dürr’s subsidiary iTAC, providing traceability and quality analysis capabilities. The two companies have been cooperating in battery production technology since 2022.
