46 section’s modular construction allows for flexible and individual modifications to recipes and changes within the process.” ZSK twin-screw extruders can mix and output materials that are completely dry. Accurate feeding of PTFE is critical and such expertise is provided by Coperion’s K-Tron division. “Key to achieving this is the capability to thoroughly test feeders and their refilling devices,” says sales manager Keith Melton. “Coperion is developing a new technology to distribute mixed, dry electrode masses evenly across electrode foils during the calendaring process.” Dürr is creating sustainable and alternative drying technologies for processes involving liquids. Laser drying of wet-coated electrodes shows significant potential due to its high energy densities and heating rates, resulting in significantly improved energy efficiency and quick process control. Bruhn says: “The main trend is developing technologies for dry coating. Initial lab and pilot productions have proven this technology works, but the challenge lies in scaling up these technologies and the equipment for mass production.” Targeting waste Reducing material waste and energy consumption is another area in which system-twin virtual simulation technology can help, says ATS Industrial Automation’s Marie Kühnast. “By running quality control scenarios to test for possible failure points on the simulated line, companies can modify and correct for potential failures in a risk-free environment,” she says. “It is then a matter of implementing accurate inline quality processes, based on those validated optimisations. This will allow defects to be identified for rework rather than scrap.” Once the production line is running, monitoring and intelligence software, such as Illuminate from ATS Global Service, can diagnose overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), identify high scrap rates and energy wastage, and plan for maintenance downtime, Kühnast adds. More accurate and efficient end-of-line testing can reduce part-scrap, and the associated energy costs of having to build a replacement part, says ATS Industrial Automation’s Marco Melischko. Electrode drying is a big energy consumer in battery manufacture, so the dry and semi-dry processing of twinscrew extruders is an effective means of reducing it. Coperion’s Bernert says the ZSK extruder’s interlocking, intermeshing twin screws have constantly high conveying efficiency, while their selfcleaning function minimises residual material in the extruder. The use of accurate metering equipment such as K-Tron’s loss-inweight feeders improves material efficiency and reduces waste. “The interplay between mechanical construction, the latest weighing technology and advanced control is critical for achieving highly accurate feeding performance,” says Melton. “Precise control and process data on the bulk material allow manufacturers to profit not just from adherence to precise formulation, but also from less maintenance and downtime.” Dürr has implemented closed-loop controls and inline quality measurements, significantly reducing scrap rates, energy consumption and pollution in electrode production. “Our drying ovens can be designed to use electricity, which helps reduce exhaust gases,” Bruhn says. “We achieve a 99.8% solvent recovery rate, helping to protect the environment by preventing harmful emissions. Furthermore, the recovered solvents can be distilled to electronic-grade purity, with 95% reuse of the solvents in the process.” Even state-of-the-art battery and electrode manufacturing show potential for increasing yields to reduce scrap and energy consumption, he adds. “Automotive-grade quality standards have not yet been widely introduced. Accurate coat-weight measurement technology is evolving.” Another enabler Bruhn mentions is end-to-end digitalisation of the production process to offer transparency and optimisation insights. Maximising output with less energy consumption and waste also depends on a responsive automation and computing environment, Beckhoff’s Rottkord says. “Short control cycle times in combination with a fast and efficient fieldbus protocol (like the widely accepted EtherCAT fieldbus system) lead to fast transitions in the programmable logic controllers and motion-control units, ideally on the same powerful CPU,” he adds. July/August 2024 | E-Mobility Engineering Process sections of ZSK series extruders are modular, allowing process engineers to configure barrel and screw element combinations to suit individual applications (Image courtesy of Coperion)
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