Scalable quality slot-die coating of battery electrodes
Battery research is a complex, multi-step process that requires meticulous attention to detail at every stage. Each step builds on the previous one, making it essential to ensure the highest quality at every phase. Among these steps, coating the electrodes stands out as the most critical. If the coating quality fails, all subsequent steps are compromised, leading to unreliable results and wasted resources.
Importance of quality and scalable coatings
Electrode coating and the subsequent drying are the most critical and costly steps in battery manufacturing. If the coating quality fails, all subsequent steps are compromised, leading to unreliable results and wasted resources. With bad and irreproducible coating steps, improvements in active material and slurry formulation can be masked in poor electrochemical performance. Progressive testing by adapting the slurry recipe, coating parameters, and drying procedure leads to a result that is easier to scale to production.
With FOM R2R machinery, you have a tool to test the coating and drying procedure in a process analogous to a production line. A user-friendly control interface allows you to control coating parameters and different drying procedures, such as IR power, oven temperature, air circulation, and more, enabling you to achieve consistent, high-quality coatings across the entire substrate.
Electrode coating and the subsequent drying are the most critical and costly steps in battery manufacturing. If the coating quality fails, all subsequent steps are compromised, leading to unreliable results and wasted resources. With bad and irreproducible coating steps, improvements in active material and slurry formulation can be masked in poor electrochemical performance. Progressive testing by adapting the slurry recipe, coating parameters, and drying procedure leads to a result that is easier to scale to production.
With FOM R2R machinery, you have a tool to test the coating and drying procedure in a process analogous to a production line. A user-friendly control interface allows you to control coating parameters and different drying procedures, such as IR power, oven temperature, air circulation, and more, enabling you to achieve consistent, high-quality coatings across the entire substrate.
Challenges in coating electrodes
Coating battery electrodes comes with its own set of challenges, particularly when dealing with thick, high-viscous slurries or avoiding issues like edge elevation. These difficulties can lead to inefficiencies, such as uneven coatings and material waste, which directly impact battery performance.
Coating homogeneity
• Have full control over all coating parameters.
• Slot-die head leveling is easy to adjust and readjust.
• Control coating speed: monitor and change coating speed seamlessly.
• Pump rate: precise flow rate control to achieve the desired electrode loading.
Coating homogeneity
- Have full control over all coating parameters.
- Slot-die head leveling is easy to adjust and readjust.
- Control coating speed: monitor and change coating speed seamlessly.
- Pump rate: precise flow rate control to achieve the desired electrode loading.
Drying
• Multiple drying zones to enable multifaceted drying options.
• Possibility to use varying temperatures, air circulation, and air exhaust for control of solvent partial pressure inside the oven.
• Optional IR and laser drying.
• Critical to prevent binder migration and obtain the desired electrode microstructure
• User-centric GUI that allows multiple users to obtain repeatable results, removing a human factor.
Drying
- Multiple drying zones to enable multifaceted drying options.
- Possibility to use varying temperatures, air circulation, and air exhaust for control of solvent partial pressure inside the oven.
- Optional IR and laser drying.
- Critical to prevent binder migration and obtain the desired electrode microstructure
- User-centric GUI that allows multiple users to obtain repeatable results, removing a human factor.
How slot-die technology can accelerate battery R&D
Slot-die coating is a state-of-the-art solution for precise thin film deposition in the battery industry. It is crucial for enhancing material layers’ thickness and uniformity. It provides scalable control from lab to pilot scale, dramatically transforming the speed and consistency of battery development. The slot-die coating technique is also commonly used in battery manufacturing at an industrial scale.
Adopting slot-die technology early in R&D helps de-risk the process and speed up your time to market. Prioritize a supplier that guarantees seamless transitions—same slot-die heads, software, operating protocols, and calibration standards across different stages—for smoother scaling.
Here’s how you’ll stay a step ahead:
- Mimics Full-Scale Production: Utilizing slot-die technology on smaller scales allows for replicating production processes. This will save you significant time when transitioning to larger machines.
- Production-Level Quality on a Smaller Scale: Slot-die coating on a lab-scale machine achieves consistent, high-quality output with a smaller footprint. Thus, you can identify and resolve potential issues before scaling up.
- Leverages Early Experiences: By starting with smaller machines, researchers build valuable expertise and troubleshooting skills, which they can apply as they scale up to pilot production.
How slot-die technology can accelerate battery R&D
Slot-die coating is a state-of-the-art solution for precise thin film deposition in the battery industry. It is crucial for enhancing material layers’ thickness and uniformity. It provides scalable control from lab to pilot scale, dramatically transforming the speed and consistency of battery development. The slot-die coating technique is also commonly used in battery manufacturing at an industrial scale.
Adopting slot-die technology early in R&D helps de-risk the process and speed up your time to market. Prioritize a supplier that guarantees seamless transitions—same slot-die heads, software, operating protocols, and calibration standards across different stages—for smoother scaling.
Here’s how you’ll stay a step ahead:
- Mimics Full-Scale Production: Utilizing slot-die technology on smaller scales allows for replicating production processes. This will save you significant time when transitioning to larger machines.
- Production-Level Quality on a Smaller Scale: Slot-die coating on a lab-scale machine achieves consistent, high-quality output with a smaller footprint. Thus, you can identify and resolve potential issues before scaling up.
- Leverages Early Experiences: By starting with smaller machines, researchers build valuable expertise and troubleshooting skills, which they can apply as they scale up to pilot production.
Slot-die coating process for batteries
Advanced coating equipment for battery electrode R&D
Slot-die coating technology advances battery R&D by enabling highly precise, uniform coatings that optimize performance, minimize material waste, and lower production costs. You gain scalability from lab to production, maintaining quality consistency across stages and accelerating development timelines.
At FOM, we extend these benefits through an integrated approach that combines cutting-edge systems, refined processes, and deep technical insight, delivering unmatched value beyond standard solutions.
Precision-engineered hardware excellence
With over a decade exclusively dedicated to slot-die coating, we at FOM deliver hardware precision that defines industry standards. Slot-die heads are built from the highest-quality 316L stainless steel for outstanding corrosion resistance, mechanical durability, and thermal stability under demanding conditions. We use high-quality servo motors to ensure vibration-free movement of the chuck and high-precision pumps for optimal control of wet layer thickness.
Precision-engineered hardware excellence
With over a decade exclusively dedicated to slot-die coating, we at FOM deliver hardware precision that defines industry standards. Slot-die heads are built from the highest-quality 316L stainless steel for outstanding corrosion resistance, mechanical durability, and thermal stability under demanding conditions. We use high-quality servo motors to ensure vibration-free movement of the chuck and high-precision pumps for optimal control of wet layer thickness.
The most cost-effective way to start scaling your research
FOM Technologies’ product selection caters to R&D researchers from lab to pilot and industrial-scale production. Selecting a smaller entry-level tabletop machine like FOM nanoRC or more advanced FOM alphaSC gives more leeway for coating errors. These machines are perfect for testing small quantities of electrode materials with nearly immediate results. With added drying functions, these machines scale well from small electrodes destined to be tested in coin-cells, to even manufacturing small batches of double-sided coatings for small pouch cells.
The most cost-effective way to start scaling your research
FOM Technologies’ product selection caters to R&D researchers from lab to pilot and industrial-scale production. Selecting a smaller entry-level tabletop machine like FOM nanoRC or more advanced FOM alphaSC gives more leeway for coating errors. These machines are perfect for testing small quantities of electrode materials with nearly immediate results. With added drying functions, these machines scale well from small electrodes destined to be tested in coin-cells, to even manufacturing small batches of double-sided coatings for small pouch cells.
Advanced coating software
FOM’s software leads the field because it evolves continuously through direct user insights and the extensive technical expertise of our science department. Using an intuitive graphical interface, it allows for easy recipe control, and it supports a broad range of customized settings – whether in motion, heating, or pump control – while also enabling remote operation and access. Finally, all coating parameters and recipies can be seamlessly shared or transferred between FOM machine models.
Access to industry-leading expertise
Partnering with us means you get to work with the industry’s largest in-house team of PhD-level material scientists, who share technical expertise and practical insights grounded in real-world coating applications.
We also collaborate with leading institutions to provide access to world-class training and test facilities for customer-specific workshops. These workshops give new users a hands-on introduction to the full scope of precise, scalable thin-film depositions for battery electrodes, fuel-cell membranes, perovskite solar cells, and many other applications.
Everything you need from lab to pilot scale
At FOM, we provide the means for our clients to coat remarkable electrodes quickly. We have created a cutting-edge coating method for use in the research and development of energy storage devices. Our product line is widely regarded as the industry standard bearer in battery frontier research all around the world. The cutting-edge slot-die coating devices developed at FOM are used in battery research to coat uniform electrode layers with microliter control of slurry dosage, wet film thickness, and coating speed.
Roll-based
Sheet-based
Roll-to-roll
Slot-die coating workshops & training
FOM Technologies is partnering with leading institutions worldwide to provide access to unrivaled training facilities and instruction. Our slot-die coating workshops provide new users with the opportunity to jump-start their knowledge with a hands-on introduction to all aspects of precise, continuous, and scalable thin-film production via slot-die coating. Experienced users will also benefit from a chance to sharpen their skills, fill knowledge gaps and discuss their most pressing challenges with world-leading instructors during these extensive training sessions.
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From lab to line:
Accelerate your battery R&D with scalable slot-die coating technology
Revolutionize your battery innovation process
Discover how cutting-edge slot-die coating technology can streamline your battery research and development, reduce costs, and improve performance. Learn how to bridge the gap from laboratory experimentation to industrial-scale production with precision and efficiency.
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