Drying solutions for next generation batteries

Altus Group, a leading distributor of capital equipment, has provided its customers with Rehm’s machines for several years. With electromobility on the rise, Altus is introducing Rehm’s latest drying solution to aid this development.

Matthew Jones, Altus’ Sales Director said: “At Altus we understand that our customers require the very best state-of-the-art equipment which has long-term sustainability and can help in growing markets like those in the automotive sector.

“Rehm’s range of drying solutions are making a huge difference to the next-generation batteries used in vehicles. We have seen increased interest in the company’s portfolio of products which help the electronics industry to achieve the technology required for electromobility.”

Drying the electrodes is an important step in the production process for manufacturing lithium-ion batteries. The drying process withdraws the solvent from the electrode coating on the film. These thermal drying solutions enable a very high degree of purity to be achieved for the drying. With its reel-to-reel drying system RDS battery. Rehm provides a concept that can be used to achieve the drying temperature via infrared radiation, convection, or a combination of both heat-transfer mechanisms. The system is primarily designed for research facilities.

The system has either infrared radiation or convection, with the reel-to-reel dryer providing flexibility in handling various electrode formulas. The transport via the inline system takes place from roll to roll, meaning that the film hovers in the drying area during the process, which allows it to be dried on both sides. This means that the drying parameters can be selected flexibly and the heat can be adjusted individually from below and above. This is achieved either by setting the temperature or by adjusting the distance of the IR beam sources, which enables the performance profile to be varied. Solvents are efficiently removed from the dry zone and moved into an exhaust gas management system, meaning that no harmful substances reach the outgoing air.