Process to Increase the Output of Z-Folded Separators for the Manufacturing of Lithium-Ion Batteries

The electrification of drives is an enormous challenge as well as an opportunity for the automobile industry and its suppliers to provide competitive and affordable technologies to participate within this change. The high costs of battery systems, the range limitations of electric vehicles and the insufficient charging network are three of the main reasons, this change is still troublesome in its realization. To realize a cost-efficient production of battery systems, a high degree of automation and an increased production throughput is necessary. This paper focuses on the pouch cell with its high energy density and presents a solution, of how to significantly increase the production throughput in the z-folding of separators. The approach pursued is the assessment of shifting from discrete pick-and-place operations to a continuous process flow, enabling a cost-efficient production of electrode-separator compounds and ultimately lithium-ion batteries.