Static Control & Web Cleaning
manufacturers are already facing are the build-up of static charges on battery separator film during various production processes, and contaminants adhering both to the separator film or to the anode or cathode layers.
Powering the future
Richard Kang of Meech China examines the lithium-ion battery manufacturing market in China, its potential to transform our future, and challenges that come with manufacturing these devices at scale
I
n the race to meet net zero carbon targets and to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, the attention of governments and technology companies alike is fixed on the promise and potential of lithium-ion batteries. Nowhere is our battery-powered future more apparent than in the rapidly- growing global market for electric vehicles (EVs), and nowhere is that future approaching faster than in China – where EV and battery manufacturing has the enthusiastic support of the Chinese Government, who have set the ambitious target of replacing all petrol- powered cars on the road within 25 years.
DRIVING FORWARD
A record 1.3million electric vehicles were sold in China in 2021 (41% of all EV sales worldwide). With market growth of an astonishing 50% predicted for 2021, the domestic Chinese market looks set to far outstrip Europe (42% of global EV sales in 2020). The US meanwhile, the nation of the automobile, accounted for less than 3% of global EV sales in 2020.
But as big and as fast-growing as the Chinese domestic market for EVs is – it’s nothing compared to its near monopoly on the manufacturing of the batteries that power those vehicles. Two Chinese companies alone (CATL and BYD) account for around a third of all global production. China is making batteries for EVs manufactured in Europe, the US and around
the world. It is a massive industry and it’s growing at a phenomenal rate.
A GROWING MARKET
With governments across the globe continuing to encourage EV usage through tax incentives and legislative change – the pace of growth in the already rapidly growing manufacturing market for lithium- ion batteries is only going to increase. And it doesn’t end there. Lithium-ion batteries look set to play a crucial role in our energy future that goes well beyond EVs, laptops and mobile phones. Many wind and solar power plants already use them to temporarily store energy in order to better match supply with demand and to overcome the inherent unreliability of renewable energy sources. As the market continues to grow, and the pace of that growth increases, more and more manufacturers are going to try to muscle in on the market and the competition is going to get ever fiercer.
MANUFACTURING CHALLENGES Aside from that challenge of sourcing the raw materials to fuel this manufacturing boom, the manufacturing process itself, especially at this scale, is fraught with challenges. Maintaining consistent production flows will become more and more important to remain competitive, and having robust safety procedures in place is also essential. Among the production challenges battery
These are problems familiar to many production environments – particularly packaging and converting – but in battery manufacturing the consequences of contaminated surfaces are potentially far more severe than in other industries. Both the anodes cathodes and the separator film carry contamination during the production process and if not removed before the battery is put into use, can be extremely dangerous. Contamination with conductive particles has been linked to batteries overheating and even exploding, causing serious injury and, in some cases, loss of life. This is fortunately a relatively rare occurrence, but – especially in the case of a battery large enough to power an EV – the consequences can be extremely serious and with millions more of these batteries being manufactured every year, this particular aspect of the manufacturing process demands an equally serious solution. Static control and web cleaning solutions have been widely used by manufacturers in the packaging and converting sectors for decades. In these sectors, the potential consequences of ignoring static and contamination-related problems are generally rather less explosive – but it is nevertheless hugely important to safeguard productivity and quality standards and to avoid product defects and unnecessary waste. When intelligently applied in the battery manufacturing process, the right static control and web cleaning solutions boost productivity, reduce production rejection rates and waste – and greatly reduce the likelihood of the battery overheating – or indeed the worst-case scenario of a dangerous explosion while the battery is in use.
At Meech we’re static control and web cleaning experts and in recent years we’ve found that the expertise and product range we’ve developed over many decades in the converting and packaging sector is extremely well suited to addressing the same challenges faced in lithium-ion battery production. In fact – this market now makes up roughly a third of our business in China – enough to make us the market-leader in static control and web cleaning solutions in the country.
umeech.com
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July/August 2021
convertermag.com
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