Additive manufacturing and solid-state battery specialist Sakuu says it has efficiently and constantly achieved 3D printing of totally practical batteries in {custom} sizes and shapes. The batteries have been printed as patterned cells containing patterned openings for thermal administration on Sakuu’s Silicon Valley battery pilot line—an vital step in creating the corporate’s Kavian platform for the commercial-scale manufacturing of next-generation SwiftPrint batteries.

Sakuu has invented “a totally industrialized course of for printing batteries utilizing a proprietary multi-material, multi-layer method in a parallel and dry course of, as an alternative of gradual layer-on-layer printing or screen-printing—inherently moist processes that require vital vitality to take away undesirable solvents and are inclined to poor printing high quality and unreliable manufacturing.”

Sakuu’s first printed batteries have demonstrated profitable biking efficiency at C/5, IC present charges, and the corporate expects to realize vitality density of 800-1,000 Wh/L.

Utilizing a proprietary lithium steel battery chemistry, Sakuu’s printing course of begins with uncooked materials and ends with a ready-to-use patterned battery. In line with the corporate, patterned battery printing allows a simpler use of battery cell quantity with new pathways in thermal dynamic regulation. This enables integration of fixturing, sensors and thermal transport pathways, in addition to regulation by the patterned design.

“Our growth exhibits that the Kavian platform can allow commercial-scale, sustainable manufacturing of a variety of battery applied sciences from lithium-ion to lithium steel to even solid-state batteries,” stated Karl Littau, Chief Expertise Officer at Sakuu. “Additional, our printing course of can enable for substantial positive aspects in vitality density for a accomplished battery. Lastly, our platform can customise the shape issue of the battery—whereby the battery itself can turn into a part of product design by way of personalized sizes and shapes.”

“We consider we’ve the one identified resolution for manufacturing solid-state batteries at scale with our novel Kavian platform,” stated Sakuu founder and CEO Robert Bagheri. “Printing custom-patterned batteries utilizing a dry course of that begins with uncooked materials and concludes with a totally practical high-performance battery is a breakthrough that has the potential to remodel how batteries of the longer term are manufactured.”

Sakuu plans to promote its Kavian platform to different battery producers in addition to automakers. The corporate additionally plans on licensing its personal battery chemistries, each Li-metal and solid-state, to be produced with both conventional roll-to-roll manufacturing or in gigafactories utilizing Kavian manufacturing.

Supply: Sakuu