Battery cell manufacturing for the energy transition

Digitalized battery cell production 

As in many areas of professional and personal life, digital transformation affords great advantages in the production of battery cells. Creating interconnections among machines, products, the building and their data with an eye to Industry 4.0 unlocks efficiency and sustainability in cell production.

Factory planning

Ramping up production in the next few years will be the only way to meet the exponentially rising demand for battery cells. But building a gigafactory still poses challenges for the industry in many cases. Fraunhofer FFB offers solutions to support companies in overcoming these challenges.

Process innovation and plant and systems technology

The goal is to make battery cell production both more efficient and more sustainable. Known technologies are optimized, and innovative approaches such as dry coating are brought to the point of readiness for the market. All these activities are geared toward enhancing the competitiveness of battery cell production in Europe while at the same time reducing environmental impact.

Batteries as a new field of business

The growing battery market offers numerous opportunities as the value chain for battery cells holds out possibilities for expansion across all areas, from the raw materials industry to suppliers of battery cell components, battery cell manufacturing and integration and beyond to reuse and recycling of batteries and their components.

Battery cell innovation and sample production

From all-solid-state batteries to sodium-ion and lithium-sulfur batteries and incremental innovative tweaks to existing lithium-ion battery cells, one thing is clear: Development of new cell generations is advancing, and new cell types are constantly hitting the market. 

Material cycle and sustainability

The climate crisis is one of the biggest challenges facing humanity right now, and it requires a rapid shift away from fossil fuels. At Fraunhofer, we create resource-efficient solutions for existing production processes that lower costs, waste and carbon emissions in the long term. This can help to make battery production more sustainable.  

The innovative potential of sodium-ion batteries

Sodium-ion technology is a promising and competitive alternative.

Researchers working on the Na.Ion.NRW project are developing a sustainable electrochemical storage concept based on sodium-ion technology, utilizing locally available, cost-effective and environmentally friendly raw materials for applications in stationary energy storage systems. 

Solid-state batteries: next-generation high-energy storage

Rechargeable solid-state batteries are viewed as the next generation in high-energy storage. Production of batteries that consist exclusively of solid materials is a challenge both at the cell level and for the entire battery system as a whole. It requires the use of new production technologies alongside innovative cell assembly methods. This is where the Fraunhofer institutes come in, contributing their knowledge in the fields of material development, component production, cell assembly and system design. 

HiQ-CARB Project: More Sustainable Conductive Carbon Additives for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Given the growing demand for rechargeable batteries due to the transition to electric vehicles and renewable energies, the development of innovative and environmentally friendly materials is of central importance. The joint HiQ-CARB project, funded by the European Union/EIT RawMaterials, has made significant progress in this key technology for reducing CO2 emissions over the past four years.

The electric future of aviation

Research in the field of electric aircraft is still in its infancy. However, successful electrification of aviation requires not only new propulsion technologies but also practical solutions for supplying energy on the ground. In the MOMO-C research project, researchers are developing a mobile, modular charging unit for electrically operated short-haul aircraft. 

Recycling critical raw materials

Many end-of-life products wind up in landfill or are exported to other countries as scrap, leading to a loss of valuable raw materials. The SeRoBatt research project aims to identify and tap into secondary sources of raw materials for battery cell production. The researchers are focusing in particular on glass ceramics, the second largest lithium product group after batteries, which currently do not have a regulated material cycle.

Development of a junior research group

At Fraunhofer FFB, the BMFTR is supporting the development of a junior research group focusing on developing and establishing innovative and resource-efficient approaches to the production of electrodes in lithium-ion battery manufacturing.

Interconnections along the entire value chain

The Transformation Hub Battery Value Chain (TraWeBa) brings companies together along the entire battery value chain, from cell chemistry to production and beyond to recycling and second use. The consortium involves four Fraunhofer institutes, which are working together to identify battery trends in Germany and, on that basis, develop a systematic, demand-driven and sustainable concept for knowledge and technology transfer via the battery value chain.