United States. The German group Dürr announced that, thanks to the acquisition of the French mechanical engineering company Ingecal, it can now also supply calendering systems to the battery industry, key in the coating of electrode sheets for lithium-ion batteries.
In addition, Dürr has agreed to collaborate with the American coatings expert LiCAP Technologies.
With Ingecal and LiCAP, Dürr has unique expertise in electrode production and can now offer its customers not only wet coating but also state-of-the-art dry coating technology.
This process offers considerable advantages in terms of cost, energy consumption and CO2 emissions and can also be used for the production of future solid-state batteries.
In the production of electrodes, thin metal sheets are coated with cathode and anode material, composed of chemicals. Today, this is commonly done using solvents. However, it is also possible to apply dry material without harmful solvents.
This is a very attractive option, both from an economic and sustainability point of view, because dry coating requires up to 40% less energy and around 20% less process time. In addition, CO2 emissions are reduced by approximately 1 ton for every 10 kilowatt hours of electrode capacity produced.
Ingecal, which has been part of the Dürr Group since 17 November and is headquartered near Lyon, specialises in calendering technology. In this process, the cathode and anode material is pressed onto the sheet under high pressure by two steel rollers. The calendering systems of the French company are suitable for both wet and dry cladding.
Ingecal is the parent company of the Amalis Group, acquired by Dürr, with sales of approx. 15 million euros and around 70 employees. The purchase price is based on the value of the company plus a performance-related component. In recent years, Dürr and Ingecal have successfully cooperated on several projects with battery and car manufacturers.
The partnership with LiCAP Technologies is specifically aimed at dry coating. The Sacramento, California-based company has extensive knowledge of the material used and the requirements of the coating process.
One of the results of LiCAP's development work is the patented Activated Dry Electrode process, which will now be launched on the market together with Dürr. Dürr and LiCAP are already in talks with a well-known battery cell manufacturer for the construction of a dry coating line.
