This document discusses a layered manufacturing approach for producing large format lithium polymer batteries. Key points: - Continuous coating is not feasible due to slow production, high solvent usage, and lamination difficulties. - A layered approach applies thin coating layers that dry quickly, allowing multiple layers to be deposited and dried in sequence rapidly. - Layers are designed to optimize performance, with different binder/conductive additive contents and porosities. - A pilot system would apply and cure layers sequentially to build battery cells for testing and process optimization.

1. 05/09/2005 The information herein is proprietary and confidential information of Vitrom Manufacturing Consultants, Inc.
Use without written consent is prohibited.
1
Modular Manufacturing,
Large Format Lithium Polymer Batteries
• Continuous Coating is not feasible for the manufacturing of electrodes.
– Slow production rates
– High usage of solvents
– Difficulties in real time characterization of the coated electrodes
– Difficulties in achieving good laminations
• Assuming separators are extruded and not coated release films.
• High cost of auxiliary equipment.
– Solvent Recovery Equipment
– Solvent Distillation Equipment
• Manufacturing of batteries by assembly of small cells requires great
manufacturing reliability of the cells and the ability to locate and replace
the failed cell(s).

2. 05/09/2005 The information herein is proprietary and confidential information of Vitrom Manufacturing Consultants, Inc.
Use without written consent is prohibited.
2
Possible Manufacturing Approaches,
Large Format Lithium Polymer Batteries
• UV and E-Beam solutions can provide faster yet safer, less complicated
manufacturing processes.
– Reduced or eliminated VOC, but
– Issues with uncured monomers
• Extrusion of very high solids pastes.
– Reduced VOC, but
– Initial high cost for equipment and process development.
• Layered Manufacturing Approach
– Less VOC usage but more than in the extrusion approach.
– Fast outputs with relation to capital cost of equipment.
– Flexible process with the use of DER.

3. 05/09/2005 The information herein is proprietary and confidential information of Vitrom Manufacturing Consultants, Inc.
Use without written consent is prohibited.
3
Layered Manufacturing Approach,
Large Format Lithium Polymer Batteries
• What is the Layered Manufacturing Approach?
– One can dry a thin thin coating layer relatively fast without encountering the
difficulties in the drying of thick coatings.
– One can use a sequence of draw down and drying stations and produce
multiple layers in very respectable times.
• 8”x6” area can be “touch dry” in two minutes with room temperature forced air. Vacuum
and heat can do it much faster.
– One should be able to characterize a layer by obtaining a fingerprint of what
we consider good and use it to compare to what is being evaluated.
• Resonance Chamber
• Gamma Ray Scatter
• Ultra Sound Scan
• ...

4. 05/09/2005 The information herein is proprietary and confidential information of Vitrom Manufacturing Consultants, Inc.
Use without written consent is prohibited.
4
Layered Manufacturing Approach,
Large Format Lithium Polymer Batteries
• One Manufacturing Step, One Cell
A manufacturing approach were a chain of platens is placed such that multiple layers of different materials can
be applied, cured and positioned in sequence. The chain can be extended so that the amount of stations equals
the number of operations required to complete a cell. In this fashion the system will have the output of one cell
each time it will advance one station.
Draw Down Module Draw Down Module
Dryer Module Dryer Module
Platen
Hot Air Ports

5. 05/09/2005 The information herein is proprietary and confidential information of Vitrom Manufacturing Consultants, Inc.
Use without written consent is prohibited.
5
Layered Manufacturing Approach,
Large Format Lithium Polymer Batteries
• Coating layers developed to optimize the performance of the cell
– Same approach to Anode and Cathode Laminates
First layer designed to provide good conductivity and adhesion to the current collector.
Increased binder load ~ 10%
Increased conductive carbons
Thickness up to 20 microns (as thin as possible)
No exposed current collector.
Development of recipes to optimize a specific chemistry.
• Good control of porosity without calendering
• Porosity around 20% with selective particle size group.
• Good conductivity.
• Good leveling properties.

6. 05/09/2005 The information herein is proprietary and confidential information of Vitrom Manufacturing Consultants, Inc.
Use without written consent is prohibited.
6
Layered Manufacturing Approach,
Large Format Lithium Polymer Batteries
• Middle layer(s) provide easy access to the active materials.
Middle layer recipes take into account ionic transfer.
Materials are graded into close particle size distribution groups
Conductive additives are well dispersed in the mixture if needed
Low binder content (3 to 5%)
Eighty to hundred microns per layer.
High viscosity, low VOC slurries
Development of recipes to optimize a specific chemistry.
• Good control of porosity without calendering
• Porosity around 35% with selective particle size group.
• Good conductivity.

7. 05/09/2005 The information herein is proprietary and confidential information of Vitrom Manufacturing Consultants, Inc.
Use without written consent is prohibited.
7
Layered Manufacturing Approach,
Large Format Lithium Polymer Batteries
• Top Layer to provide good contact with the separator material.
The top layer is to have excellent leveling properties
The porosity is to be of the separator membrane were the pore size is relatively small in relation to the middle layer.
Good conductivity provided by added load of conductive carbons.
May provide a valve type system to regulate diffusion rate of lithium hence the speed of intercalation. This may
minimize the affects of local rapid volume changes.
Moderate binder load.
Very low thickness (5 to 10 microns)
Development of recipes to optimize a specific chemistry.
• Good control of porosity without calendering
• Porosity around 20% or less with selective particle size group.
• Good conductivity.

8. 05/09/2005 The information herein is proprietary and confidential information of Vitrom Manufacturing Consultants, Inc.
Use without written consent is prohibited.
8
Layered Manufacturing Approach,
Large Format Lithium Polymer Batteries
• Position of the separator over the partially dried coating
Separator film is placed on the laminate that is partially dry.
Either the coated surface is not fully cured or the separator is wetted before placed.
Once the lamination is moved through a dryer, desired adhesion properties will be established.
Since the top layer was developed to provide a flat surface with abundant adhesion sites, the layers
become well bonded but with continuous porosity.
Development of processes to optimize a specific chemistry.
• Good control of adhesion without nip pressure
• No interface resistance related to porosity.
• Materials do not migrate through the membrane.

9. 05/09/2005 The information herein is proprietary and confidential information of Vitrom Manufacturing Consultants, Inc.
Use without written consent is prohibited.
9
Layered Manufacturing Approach,
Large Format Lithium Polymer Batteries
• Continue Building the cell by coating layers and pre-curing those before
the next layer is applied.

10. 05/09/2005 The information herein is proprietary and confidential information of Vitrom Manufacturing Consultants, Inc.
Use without written consent is prohibited.
10
Development of Electrode Layered Manufacturing ,
Large Format Lithium Polymer Batteries
• Evaluation of the manufacturing system.
– Identify all tasks needed to build the cell.
– Develop manufacturing cell methodology for every task.
– Develop detailed requirements for every manufacturing cell.
– Rank the manufacturing cells related to risk and cost.
– Test and mitigate high risk and unacceptable cost.
• Documentation and structure
– Capture of possible IP.
– Creation of System Requirements Document.
• Engineering Specifications.
• Skill set requirements.

11. 05/09/2005 The information herein is proprietary and confidential information of Vitrom Manufacturing Consultants, Inc.
Use without written consent is prohibited.
11
Development of Electrode Layered Manufacturing ,
Large Format Lithium Polymer Batteries
• How to reach Systems Requirements Document…
– Adopt a battery chemestry.
• Does layered coatings impact the performance of Lithium Polymer Cells?
– Develop DOE with draw down and heated platen.
• Size of 8”x6”.
• Reproduce current coat weights for cathode and anode.
• Create a testing plan according to guidelines of researchers.
– 25 cm2
Cells?
• Perform coating trials
• Build and test cells from the coatings.
• Compare the data with existing data.

12. 05/09/2005 The information herein is proprietary and confidential information of Vitrom Manufacturing Consultants, Inc.
Use without written consent is prohibited.
12
Development of Electrode Layered Manufacturing ,
Large Format Lithium Polymer Batteries
• Design and build a pilot system.
– System builds a working battery cell.
– System provides means of characterizing the output.
– System provides for evaluation of task in terms of output and Opex.
• Documentation and structure
– Capture of possible IP.
– Creation of Change Control.
• Process Specifications.
• Quality Function.

13. 05/09/2005 The information herein is proprietary and confidential information of Vitrom Manufacturing Consultants, Inc.
Use without written consent is prohibited.
13
Development of Electrode Layered Manufacturing ,
Large Format Lithium Polymer Batteries
• Optimize process recipes for layers and repeat DOE addressing discovery
in the first experiment.
• Submit detailed report of the experiments and...
• Define plans for second phase to build an 8”x6” cell.
– Build layered 10-20 Amp cells
– Package the cells
– Test the cells