Battery manufacturing

Contact us

Industrial scale battery manufacturing is done in almost clean room type of environments, where ambient conditions are stable and under control, with ultra-low humidity environment maintained for safety, yield, and efficiency. This level of precision is essential as electrolytes are super sensitive to moisture and will start to decompose in too humid conditions, directly impacting the battery performance or even requiring reprocessing. Furthermore, the manufacturing process involves handling moisture-sensitive chemicals, which, if exposed to elevated moisture levels, can pose security risks. 

Strict process control, contamination prevention, and cleanliness are imperative throughout the manufacturing process. 

 

 Lithium battery manufacturing

 

Image
Vaisala offering for battery manufacturing
Click to enlarge

 

 

Upstream, midstream, downstream

In midstream operations, produce more high-quality products more sustainably and cost-effectively, and bring down costs in energy-intensive operations, such as drying and dry room operations, which take about 40 % of total energy usage during manufacturing. Protect lithium from reacting with humidity and transforming into lithium hydroxide and hydrogen.  

Measure accurately and in real-time: 

  • temperature (T)
  • dew point (Td)
  • relative humidity (RH) 
  • liquid concentrations (nD) 

 

Monitor temperature and relative humidity seamlessly in downstream operations. 

Measure aggressive chemicals accurately in upstream processes. 

The world-class measurements with technologically best-suited products especially for ultra-dry conditions and for critical filling and sealing operations are only available from Vaisala.  
 

The benefits of a rapidly reacting probe in a battery manufacturing dry room

Drying is one of the costliest operations in a battery manufacturing dry room. Drying is also a delicate act as overdrying is expensive and underdrying is dangerous. 

Learn why it all can fail if a dew point probe in a dryer reacts slowly.  
 

Reliability and simplicity in your critical battery manufacturing measurement points

Make smart choices, and reduce your workload and uncertainty in battery manufacturing by selecting accurate and reliable measurement instruments. 

Technology comparison

Download technology comparison sheet and see how Vaisala's dew point probe compares to CRDS' (Cavity Ring-Down Spectrometer) and Chilled mirror transmitters in the most demanding operating environments, such as battery manufacturing.  

Versatile measurement solutions with Indigo

Detect water vapor with a measurement instrument that holds reliable performance in challenging production environments. Indigo transmitters also have strong resistance to process byproducts that may be present in the atmosphere. 

Vaisala offers a chemically resistant polymer dew point sensor that is actively manipulated to achieve long-term reliability with very little measurement drift. Calibrated devices using this sensor are available as low-cost transmitters or fully configurable field instruments. 

Our trusted products tolerate the most extreme conditions and aggressive chemicals. 

Get to know the Indigo500 transmitters

Secure glove box operations

Glove boxes are an essential tool in battery manufacturing providing a controlled, sealed, and inert atmosphere maintaining low levels of moisture and oxygen, and protecting the lithium, electrode, and other materials from reacting with and degrading from moisture or oxygen. 

Maintain desired low humidity levels and keep humidity in strict control during glovebox operations and electrolytes safe from decomposing, while ensuring quality, safety, and performance of battery components with Vaisala’s small-in-size and integrable measurement probes. 

Direct installation in the glove box combined with the probe’s chemical tolerance and fast reaction time enables extremely fast sequence control.
 

Dew Point Transmitter DMT152 for very dry environments

WHY VAISALA

SAVE ENERGY

Save energy in all dryer operations of a dry room. Manage dryer precisely, and benefit from the probe’s rapid response time for immediate dryer adjustments. 

LOW DEW POINT COMPATIBLE

Monitor dry room conditions with Vaisala Indigo products and ensure consistent and on-target operations for both standard and specialized conditions. High-performance Vaisala Indigo products are already suitable for the dry requirements of the future.

HOT/DRY/CHEMICAL PROCESSES

Vaisala products are good with everything as the measurement probes are designed to be in the most demanding environments.

GATHER DATA AND PROCESS SAFELY

Gather data with Indigo products, equip dry room with local screens, and feed data to the supervisory control and data acquisition system (SCADA) for immediate adjustments and safe processing. 

FULL OFFERING

Versatile measurement solutions, including measurement range, temperature, sampling solutions, support for various digital outputs, and probes with chemical tolerance. 

Ecosystem execution in design enables mixing and matching probes meeting specific needs.

WEBINAR: Efficient cathode drying in battery manufacturing

As battery manufacturers know, cathode drying is one of the most energy-intensive operations in battery manufacturing consuming up to approximately ~45 % of the total energy consumption in a dry room. Join this upcoming webinar to learn how to optimize this processing step. 

Enroll now

Using NMP in lithium-ion manufacturing processes?

Contact us

Upstream processes in lithium-ion battery manufacturing

Go to applications

Lead acid battery manufacturing

Read more

Researching solid-state and beyond

Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries, sodium-ion batteries, and solid-state batteries. 

Battery technology is evolving at an unprecedented speed in the quest to find more powerful, safer, and smaller products to satisfy the ever-growing demand. Despite the new advances, these new technologies are even more sensitive to humidity and require accurate control and monitoring.

Vaisala has ready solutions for R&D, laboratory, and scaling-up manufacturing. In cases where a measurement need is identified but lacks a suitable instrument, we find solutions. 

Partner with the most trustworthy measurement provider for reliable results and safe experiments, and prepare future developments with the best-in-class humidity and dew point probes.

 

Contact us

Webinars

Webinar

Controlling NMP in rechargeable battery manufacturing

This webinar focuses on optimizing lithium-ion battery production by controlling the costly and toxic N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) used in the process. Learn how refractometers optimize the process and boost efficiency, and how refractive index (RI) can be used as a key control tool. 

Register now

Webinar

Efficient cathode drying in battery manufacturing

As battery manufacturers know, cathode drying is one of the most energy-intensive operations in battery manufacturing consuming up to approximately ~45 % of the total energy consumption in a dry room. Watch the webinar to learn how to optimize this processing step. 

Watch now

Webinar

Manufacturing rechargeable batteries: powering the green transition in transportation

Suitable for electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturers, EV battery researchers, and anyone interested in EV rechargeable batteries, Professor Tanja Kallio D.Sc. (Tech.) from Aalto University shares her insights into battery technology research, the role of lithium-ion batteries in the green transition, the effects of humidity on manufacturing, and gives a sneak peek of future developments and technologies. 

 

Watch now

Webinar

Ensure your yield in semiconductor and battery manufacturing

Join this webinar and learn about different techniques for best measurement accuracy and quality, practical solutions for maintaining optimal manufacturing conditions in cleanroom and dry room conditions, and how to choose the right product for your application.

Register to watch

Customer cases and expert content

eBook

Ensure battery cell performance with efficient cathode drying

Cathode drying is a crucial, energy-intensive process that greatly impacts battery cell performance. Proper electrode drying prevents degradation, as residual moisture and impurities can reduce battery functionality. Inconsistent drying can lead to lower capacity and faster degradation. Drying also affects electrode thickness and porosity, key factors in battery performance.

Automating the drying process allows manufacturers to optimize heat use, achieve precise dryness levels, reduce costs, and boost production efficiency and yield. Deep dive into cathode drying with this eBook, and avoid pitfalls. 

Read more

Expert article

Rechargeable battery quality starts with accurate, calibrated dew-point sensors

Controlling humidity in the rechargeable battery production process, such as lithium-ion, sodium-ion, and solid-state, is critical for safety, product quality, and energy efficiency. Manufacturers use large numbers of sensors throughout their processes to measure, monitor and control humidity levels. The cost of these sensors is negligible in comparison with the value of the assets and products that they protect. Nevertheless, it is vitally important that sensors are accurate and stable in the long-term, so regular calibration is essential. 

Read more

Expert article

Drive quality and production efficiency in rechargeable battery manufacturing with fast-response dew point measurements

With the rise of electrification and the shift towards green energy, the demand for more powerful and safer rechargeable batteries—such as lithium-ion, sodium-ion, and solid-state—is rapidly growing. Manufacturing these batteries is a delicate process performed in highly controlled, ultra-low humidity environments. So how can accurate, highly responsive dew point probes help to increase safety, yields, and energy efficiency? 

Read more

Blog

Why accurate dew point measurement is key to optimizing cathode drying and battery cell performance

Inconsistencies in manufacturing electrode layers can have a significant negative impact on performance, leading to reduced overall battery capacity, or capacity degradation over time. Drying also influences the thickness and porosity of electrodes, which also affects the battery’s capacity. 

Read more

Customer Case

The recharging economy is here

In response to this rapidly growing need, Guangdong LIK Industry has developed a range of environmental test chambers for battery manufacturing that rely on Vaisala’s high-precision sensors. These test chambers are already being used by China’s national inspection center as well as by large enterprises both within China and internationally.

Read more

Blog

Indigo500 series dual-probe support

Learn about the benefits of using two probes measuring either the same parameter or two different ones.

Read more

Battery manufacturing related products

Probe head and probe body of the DMP6 for very high temperatures

Dew Point Probe DMP6

Vaisala DRYCAP® Dew Point and Temperature Probe DMP6 is designed for in-line humidity measurement in industrial drying applications with very high temperatures and a wide dew point range.

Contact us

Interested to receive more information on a specific application or product? Drop us a line, and we'll get back to you!

Contact us
E-mail Facebook Twitter LinkedIn