Tools and methods for producing electrodes for lithium-ion batteries

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025070124-A1
Application number	US-202318453358-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 22, 2023
Priority date	Aug 22, 2023
Publication date	Feb 27, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method of manufacturing an electrode includes supplying a material stack into a chamber of a vertical press. The material stack includes a current collector sheet and active material disposed thereon. The method further includes closing the vertical press to compress the material stack forming an electrode blank; and, while stilled compressed, cutting the electrode blank to length while simultaneously cutting a current collector tab to form a finished electrode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of manufacturing an electrode comprising:
supplying a material stack into a chamber of a vertical press, wherein the material stack includes a current collector sheet and active material disposed thereon; closing the vertical press to compress the material stack forming an electrode blank; and while stilled compressed, cutting the electrode blank to length while simultaneously cutting a current collector tab to form a finished electrode.

2 . The method of claim 1 further comprising, opening the vertical press such that the finished electrode is lifted from waste material of the blank.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the press includes an upper die and a lower die and further comprising, lifting the finished electrode off the lower die via the upper die.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the active material is a film of active material.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the cutting of the current collector includes actuating a cutting tool attached to the vertical press.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the press includes an upper die, a lower die, and a cutting tool slidably coupled to the upper die, wherein the cutting of the current collector includes lowering the cutting tool past a bottom surface of the lower die.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the cutting tool includes a cutting edge having a closed-polygonal cross section when viewed from a bottom of the cutting tool.

8 . A method of manufacturing an electrode comprising:
opening a tool having side-by-side presses such that upper dies of the presses are spaced from lower dies of the presses; supplying a material stack including a current collector sheet and active material disposed thereon into the presses; simultaneously closing the presses to compress the material stack between the dies of each press to form a pair of coated films; and while stilled compressed, cutting the coated films to form two electrodes.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the cutting includes simultaneously cutting the current collector sheet to form tabs and cutting the material stack to length.

10 . The method of claim 8 , wherein each of the presses includes an associated cutting tool that performs the cutting.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein each of the cutting tools includes a first cutting edge configured to cut a corresponding one of the tabs and a second cutting edge configured to cut the material stack to length.

12 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the active material is narrower than the current collector sheet such that the current collector sheet is exposed along side edges of the material stack.

13 . The method of claim 8 further comprising, opening the presses, after the cutting, such that the electrodes remain attached to their respective upper or lower dies while waste material remains attached to the other of the upper or lower dies.

14 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the cutting the coated films includes sliding cutting tools, each associated with one of the presses, through the coated films.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the cutting tools are slidably attached to the upper dies.

16 . The method of claim 8 further comprising heating the upper and lower dies of the presses during at least a portion of the closing of the presses.

17 . The method of claim 8 further comprising feeding rolls of current collector and upper and lower coating films through a dancer system of the tool to form the material stack.

18 . A tool for forming a battery electrode, the tool comprising:
a press including a lower die and an upper die closable to compress a current collector between active material layers to form an electrode blank; and a cutting tool attached to one of the lower and upper dies, the cutting tool including a continuous cutting edge that completely circumscribes the one of the lower and upper dies, wherein the cutting edge includes a first portion configured to cut a tab in the current collector and a second portion configured to cut a first side of the electrode blank.

19 . The tool of claim 18 , wherein the cutting edge further includes a third portion configured to cut a second side of the electrode blank, a fourth portion configured to cut a third side of the electrode blank, and a fifth portion configured to cut a fourth side of the electrode blank.

20 . The tool of claim 19 , wherein the second, third, fourth, and fifth portions are straight segments arranged to form a rectangle.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Siebert Wilhelm

Classifications

• B30B15/00

  Details of, or accessories for, presses; Auxiliary measures in connection with pressing (safety devices F16P) · CPC title

• B26D1/04

  having a linearly-movable cutting member (B26D1/46, B26D1/547 take precedence) · CPC title

• B23D15/04

  having only one moving blade · CPC title

• B30B9/00

  Presses specially adapted for particular purposes · CPC title

• H01M4/139 Primary

  Processes of manufacture · CPC title