The drying of electrodes is essential for lithium-ion batteries, but it adds time to the manufacturing process. In response, Weiss Technik has developed convective vacuum dryers that make dehumidification more efficient: With a wide range of options for automation and customisation, the modular heating systems offer fast product changes and economical processing even for small batch sizes.
The production of lithium-ion batteries includes the drying of the electrode coils, which are metal foils with a special coating that are wound into rolls. They must have virtually no residual moisture. However, the drying process can take up to 24 hours, which significantly lengthens the entire production process.
Innovative use of high-performance technologies
The combination of vacuum and convection technology is ideal for evenly drying rolled coils. It facilitates the axial removal of moisture from the coil core, along with shorter heating phases. Weiss Technik's convective vacuum dryers also feature advanced automation thanks to comprehensive process digitisation and simulation. This feature can be adapted to the specific throughput size through retrofitting. The units also offer product changeover without long set-up times, while the modular system enables small batch sizes to be processed economically.
The systems from Weiss Technik also handle large coils with ease. Currently, a single vacuum dryer from Weiss Technik can dry coils with a total weight of up to nearly two tons. Furthermore, multiple Weiss Technik dryers can be installed and interconnected to form a system, providing space-saving advantages. This is made possible by the fact that the units are stackable and can be loaded from different sides. This is advantageous in the production process, not least because the vacuum dryers can also be used as an airlock between rooms with different dew points.
Making costs transparent and economical
Stopping production to dry is time-consuming and costly. By investing in one or more vacuum dryers from Weiss Technik, the customer can quickly achieve higher profitability thanks to optimised operating costs, even for small quantities. The units are available in a range of sizes, capacities and loads. Through a digital twin, they can also be used for full process optimisation.
Based in Reiskirchen, Germany, our company integrates the units into production lines as required and has a close-knit global service network. Weiss Technik is also continuously developing the drying process for series production of lithium-ion batteries in collaboration with various research institutes.
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