With X.Cellify DC, Dürr has developed a new kind of dry coating for battery electrodes: a free-standing film of active material that is 100% recyclable until it is laminated onto the collector foil.
This significantly reduces active material waste. The proof of concept shows that the process works reliably and can be scaled for industrial use, paving the way for pilot projects on a gigawatt scale, initially for lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles (EVs) and, in the future, for solid-state batteries.
With its proof-of-concept plant in France, Dürr has demonstrated the reliable functioning of this innovative process.
Electrode production has traditionally relied on wet coating, where cathode and anode materials are applied as a solution to metal foils and then dried in an energy-intensive process.
The technology developed by Dürr and its partners eliminates solvents and drying ovens by producing electrodes from a dry powder mixture. The dry battery material is pressed into a film using the Activated Dry Electrode® process developed by LiCAP Technologies. X.Cellify DC covers all process steps—from dosing, film formation, and densification to lamination onto the collector foil.
Lower energy use
Dry coating offers clear advantages over conventional wet coating in electrode production: it can reduce space requirements by up to 65% and lower energy consumption by up to 70%, primarily by eliminating dryers and solvent recovery.
“We have demonstrated that the new dry coating process with free-standing film works reliably and delivers consistently good quality. It can be scaled up, making it suitable for pilot projects in industrial environments,” said Bernhard Bruhn, VP of Dürr’s Global Business Unit LIB.
The process supports current lithium-ion and next-generation solid-state batteries used in EVs.
Free-standing film reduces scrap
The proof-of-concept plant is located in Chassieu, southern France, at Ingecal, a Dürr Group company specializing in calender technology. Calenders use rollers to compress materials into even layers.
In this process, a horizontal calender forms the dry powder into a free-standing film that runs through the machine without a carrier foil. Additional calenders then compress the film to the desired layer thickness, density, and porosity before laminating it onto the collector foil from both sides.
Because no carrier foil is needed until the final step, the film can be reintroduced into the process if it doesn’t meet specifications, reducing waste and conserving active materials, a key sustainability factor for EV battery manufacturing.
Improved processability
X.Cellify DC’s web guidance system transports the free-standing film in a self-supporting manner and compresses it before lamination. The subsequent lamination requires less force than calendering in the wet process, minimizing foil deformation and improving performance in downstream steps such as notching and stacking.
The dry coating system integrates Dürr’s experience in electrode manufacturing and system design, Ingecal’s precision calenders, and LiCAP’s Activated Dry Electrode technology. Dürr is seeking pilot partners for gigawatt-scale projects to bring the process into production environments for EV batteries, stationary energy storage, and other advanced applications.
Filed Under: Batteries, Technology News