A Korean manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries plans to equip several of its production lines with vacuum systems to improve productivity and quality. The Oerlikon Leybold vacuum systems will be used for electrode drying and will be installed in mid-2016.

A lithium-ion battery maker plans to equip several production lines with vacuum systems.Each system will combine a dry compressing screw vacuum pump (the firm’s DRYVAC DV 450C model) with a rotary plunger blower (the firm’s Roots RUVAC WH2500 vacuum pump). The company says that when combined with a backing pump, which compresses against the atmosphere, Roots pumps can improve the attainable ultimate pressure of a pump system by a factor of 10.

In battery cell manufacture, vacuum technology can play a role in several production processes. The systems can provide the dry production environment required for electrode drying. They also may assist with cell assembly and leak-detection testing.

Vacuum requirements for Li-battery production include anode production, removing solvents and moisture during filling, vacuum-degassing and sealing of the units, and battery charging.

Dr. Martin Füllenbach, CEO of Oerlikon Leybold Vacuum, says that his company expects to contribute to efforts aimed at improving production concepts and helping battery manufacturers increase range per charge cycle, which is critical for electric vehicle applications, while lowering battery-production costs.