Cell Manufacturing

The second track gives a detailed overview of the entire process chain. Topics like material handling, paste production, the coating process, assembling, electrolyte filling and formation, next generation of batteries, green production and quality control will be discussed here. The track covers a workload of approx. 20 hours. The learning content is taught online on our learning platform. This allows you to work on the course content whenever and wherever you want and as often as you want without time pressure.

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An icon of a battery superimposed on a flask representing battery cell manufacturing, with rows of cylindrical battery cells in the background, symbolizing an environment with battery cell manufacturing.

Topics:

Introduction to cell manufacturing
Topic 1: Materials handling for cell manufacturing
Topic 2: Paste production
Topic 3: Coating processes
Topic 4: Assembling
Topic 5: Electrolyte filling process
Topic 6: Formation
Topic 7: Next generation batteries
Topic 8: Manufacturing technology for green batteries of the future
Summary

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Learning objectives

After this training module, participants will be able to:

Understand manufacturing steps

Be able to describe the most important steps of the manufacturing process to produce the two most common cell types.

Discuss handling and processing

Be able to discuss the handling of the starting materials with a focus on powders, powder characterization, and how to further process powders into slurries and suspensions.

Describe the essence of quality

Know the crucial features of each manufacturing step in achieving a high-quality end product.

Discuss production challenges

Be able to discuss the challenges in each production step to achieve quality manufacturing processes.

Comprehend next-gen battery tech

Have a deeper understanding of technological developments that are important for next-generation batteries.

Explain eco-friendly production

Be able to explain how the production steps can be further improved to be environmentally friendly.

Our experts

The experts in this module all come from Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM. Materials and process engineering aspects are in the foreground at Fraunhofer IFAM to develop solutions for electrical, chemical, and thermal energy storage systems. The focus is on Li-ion, solid-state, and metal/air batteries. Hydrogen and fuel cell technology as well as the efficient, highly dynamic storage of thermal energy represent further research areas.

Lithium-ion technology has dominated the development of electrochemical energy storage systems since the 1990s. However, other battery systems such as solid state batteries and metal-air batteries are also a particular focus at Fraunhofer IFAM. In the manufacture of battery cells, there are many interactions between the individual process steps, from the powder to the cell.

Changes to individual process steps therefore have an impact on the entire chain. Customized analysis techniques for material and cell characterization play an equally important role. Service life and battery aging can be specifically influenced by the choice of operating conditions. At the same time, safety must be ensured throughout the entire life cycle.

For research into next-generation batteries, a laboratory for the development of solid-state batteries is available at Fraunhofer IFAM in Bremen. The institute is also involved in the Fraunhofer Project Center for Energy Storage and Systems ZESS at the Braunschweig site. There, the research focus is on the fields of solid-state batteries and chemical hydrogen storage.

Deputy Head of Department

Dr. Daniela Fenske

Hello, I am Daniela Fenske. I finalized my Ph.D. in Chemistry at the University of Oldenburg in 2009.

Hello, I am Daniela Fenske. I finalized my Ph.D. in Chemistry at the University of Oldenburg in 2009. In that year I joined the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM being part of the buildup of the energy storage labs and facilities from scratch.

My current position is Group Leader for new electrochemical technologies and cell diagnostics in the Energy Storage Department. The focus lays in the development of novel, sustainable battery technologies – from material to the cell and a digitization strategy for an efficient and sustainable use of battery data.

Project manager

Dr. Jens Glenneberg

Since 2019 I am working as a project manager at Fraunhofer IFAM in Bremen. In the Electrical Energy Storage department, I work on the synthesis of innovative battery materials.

Since 2019 I am working as a project manager at Fraunhofer IFAM in Bremen. In the Electrical Energy Storage department, I work on the synthesis of innovative battery materials of the latest generation, their integration into electrochemical cells and the characterization of battery cells and modules.

Before that, I worked as a research assistant in the research group “Innovative Sensor and Functional Materials” at the University of Bremen from 2014 to 2018. From 2010 to 2014, I was a PhD student at the Interdisciplinary Center for Materials Science at the University of Halle/Wittenberg. My dissertation dealt with investigations on the morphology and composition of 0-3 composite dielectrics of novel capacitors for energy storage.

Before my doctorate, I completed my Master of Science Materials Science at the University of Leipzig. I also obtained my Bachelor of Science in Chemistry at the University of Leipzig.

Scientist & Project leader

Marcel Reisch

Hello, I am Marcel Reisch, a Scientist and Project Manager at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM. My expertise lies at the intersection of scientific research and project leadership.

I completed my master’s degree at Fraunhofer IFAM, with the focus on Zink-Ion-Batteries. Specifically, my research has centred around the production and analysis of large-scale electrodes, with a particular focus on parameter identification for ensuring the long-term viability of scalable Zink-Ion-cell systems.

Since January 2022 I started my dual role as a scientist and project manager, where I actively lead research projects in the wide and dynamic field of electrical energy storage. I am practically involved in the development and production of the complete process chain of the battery production from the starting powder to the complete assembly of the cell on a laboratory scale up to the electrochemical analysis.