Tool for improving bubbles and agglomeration of coating slurry and coating device comprising tool

Abstract

The utility model provides a tool for improving bubbles and agglomeration of coating slurry and a coating device comprising the same, which solve the problems that the bubbles and agglomeration of the existing coating slurry are difficult to eliminate and the like, and the scheme is as follows: the tool comprises a storage tank which comprises at least one group of corresponding feed port and discharge port, a servo-driven stirring paddle is rotationally connected into the storage tank to stir internal slurry, the bottom of the storage tank is supported through a supporting table, a plurality of sets of vibration air hammers are wound around the position, corresponding to the outer side of the storage tank, of the supporting table, and the working angle of each vibration air hammer and the distance between the vibration air hammers and the storage tank can be adjusted. A plurality of sliding rails are further fixed to the outer wall of the storage tank, an ultrasonic transmitter is slidably connected in each sliding rail, a feeding pipeline is correspondingly communicated with the feeding port, a pipe section, correspondingly exposed in the storage tank, of the feeding pipeline is reversely bent and extends to the inner wall of the storage tank, and a plurality of bubble breaking needles are fixed to the pipe section, exposed out of the storage tank, of the feeding pipeline. And the discharge port is correspondingly communicated with a discharge pipeline so as to be connected with a coating conveying pipe of a subsequent coating process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of new energy battery manufacturing technology, and in particular to a tooling and coating device that improves the removal of bubbles and agglomeration in coating slurry. Background Technology

[0002] In the manufacturing process of new energy batteries, the quality of the positive and negative electrodes directly affects the battery's charge-discharge efficiency, cycle life, and safety. In actual production, the slurry contains various components (such as conductive agents and binders), which can easily form bubbles and lead to agglomeration of active materials. These problems not only affect the uniformity of the coating but may also reduce the safety and reliability of the battery. Currently, abnormal electrode appearance, scribing (agglomeration within the slurry), and pitting and foil leakage caused by bubbles (bubbles within the slurry) are particularly noticeable. Therefore, solving the problems of bubbles and agglomeration in the coating slurry is extremely important.

[0003] At present, defoaming of slurry is mainly concentrated in the pulping stage, which involves adding defoamers or vacuuming to reduce bubbles. However, due to the high viscosity and non-Newtonian fluid characteristics of the slurry, it is difficult to completely eliminate bubbles in the slurry in a large volume state, and bubbles are easily regenerated during the transportation of slurry in pipelines. Therefore, long-term circulation defoaming pretreatment of the slurry is required before coating, which affects efficiency.

[0004] The main methods to address the agglomeration of active substances in slurry are mechanical stirring and shortening the time from slurry preparation to coating. However, the current tank stirring structure is simple and prone to dead zones, leading to slurry agglomeration. Agglomerated slurry needs to be filtered and eliminated by adding capsule filter cartridges (one or multiple in series) before coating. The replacement frequency is high and the price of such capsule filter cartridges is high, making the cost uncontrollable.

[0005] Therefore, the development of a high-efficiency, low-cost tooling that improves the air bubbles and agglomeration of coating slurry has become an urgent need. Utility Model Content

[0006] The technical problem to be solved by this utility model is to overcome the defects of the existing technology. This utility model proposes a tooling and a coating device that improves the air bubbles and agglomeration of coating slurry.

[0007] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the technical solution adopted by this utility model is: a tooling for improving the bubbles and agglomeration of coating slurry, including a storage tank, the storage tank including at least one set of corresponding inlet and outlet, a servo-driven stirring paddle rotatably connected inside the storage tank to stir the internal slurry, the bottom of the storage tank being supported by a support platform, the support platform having multiple sets of vibrating air hammers arranged around the outside of the storage tank, the working angle and distance of each vibrating air hammer relative to the storage tank being adjustable, multiple sliding rails fixed on the outer wall of the storage tank and an ultrasonic transmitter slidably connected in each sliding rail, an inlet pipe correspondingly connected to the inlet, the inlet pipe having a corresponding exposed section inside the storage tank bent in the opposite direction and extending to the inner wall of the storage tank, multiple bubble-breaking needles fixed in the exposed section outside the storage tank, and an outlet pipe correspondingly connected to the outlet to connect to the coating conveying pipe of the subsequent coating process.

[0008] Furthermore, the stirring paddle is driven to rotate by a driving component, which includes a servo motor and a rotating shaft. The rotating shaft is vertically rotatably connected to the center inside the storage tank, and the servo motor is fixed to the top of the storage tank, with its output end coaxially fixed with the rotating shaft.

[0009] Furthermore, the stirring paddle includes a vertical rod and a horizontal rod. The horizontal rod includes multiple pairs, and each pair of horizontal rods is symmetrical about the axis of rotation. One end of each horizontal rod is welded to the axis of rotation, and the other end is welded together with the vertical rod.

[0010] Furthermore, the crossbars include three pairs, and each adjacent pair of crossbars is further provided with a spiral guide plate. The spiral guide plate has an arc-shaped structure, with its two ends welded to the opposite ends of the paired crossbars, and its center welded to the rotating shaft. The spiral guide plate includes two plates arranged opposite each other.

[0011] Furthermore, the storage tank has a cylindrical structure with a downward convex center on its bottom surface, and the discharge port is located at the center of the downward convex center of the bottom surface of the storage tank.

[0012] Furthermore, the sliding track includes a U-shaped sliding track and a circular sliding track. The U-shaped sliding track is welded to the outer wall of the storage tank and includes at least two sets symmetrical about the center of the storage tank. The circular sliding track includes one and is welded to the outer bottom surface of the storage tank.

[0013] Furthermore, the vibratory air hammer includes four hammers that are equidistantly arranged around the center of the storage tank. Each vibratory air hammer has a support arm fixed at its bottom. The support platform also has an installation track fixed at the bottom of each support arm. The support arm includes upper and lower sections that are connected and fixed by an arc plate. Multiple positioning holes are equidistantly opened along the arc to connect the upper half of the support arm. The lower half of the support arm is movably fixed on the installation track.

[0014] Furthermore, the bubble-breaking needles include at least three groups, and each group of bubble-breaking needles is arranged in a diamond shape at the inlet of the feed pipe.

[0015] Furthermore, the discharge pipe is connected to an external coating conveying pipe via a bladder filter element.

[0016] A coating apparatus comprising the above-described tooling for improving the reduction of bubbles and agglomeration in the coating slurry.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this utility model include:

[0018] 1. This tooling can effectively improve slurry agglomeration, thereby increasing the slurry buffering time from the mixing of different materials in the positive and negative electrode systems of new energy to the coating process, and can efficiently cooperate with the coating process to complete the electrode production;

[0019] 2. It can significantly shorten the pretreatment time of the slurry before coating and improve the electrode manufacturing process capability;

[0020] 3. This tooling can also greatly reduce the frequency of replacing capsule filter cartridges in the traditional slurry to electrode manufacturing process, effectively reducing manufacturing costs;

[0021] 4. It can improve the yield of electrode sheets and improve electrode consistency, thereby improving battery consistency. Attached Figure Description

[0022] The disclosure of this utility model is illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this utility model. In the drawings, the same reference numerals are used to refer to the same parts. Wherein:

[0023] Figure 1 The schematic diagram shows an isometric view of a tooling structure according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 2 The schematic diagram shows a front view of a tooling according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 3 The diagram schematically shows a cross-sectional view of the internal structure of the tooling according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] The following are labeled in the diagram: 1. Storage tank; 2. Inlet; 3. Outlet; 4. Agitator; 5. Support platform; 6. Vibrating hammer; 7. Sliding rail; 8. Ultrasonic transmitter; 9. Feed pipe; 10. Bubble-breaking needle; 11. Outlet pipe; 12. Servo motor; 13. Rotating shaft; 14. Vertical rod; 15. Horizontal rod; 16. Spiral guide plate; 17. U-shaped slide rail; 18. Circular slide rail; 19. Support arm; 20. Installation rail; 21. Curved plate; 22. Positioning hole; 23. Bag filter element. Detailed Implementation

[0027] It is readily understood that, based on the technical solution of this utility model, those skilled in the art can propose various interchangeable structural methods and implementations without altering the essential spirit of this utility model. Therefore, the following detailed embodiments and accompanying drawings are merely illustrative descriptions of the technical solution of this utility model and should not be considered as the entirety of this utility model or as limitations or restrictions on the technical solution of this utility model.

[0028] According to one embodiment of the present invention, in conjunction with Figures 1-3 As shown.

[0029] In this embodiment, for the overall structure, a tooling for improving the bubbles and agglomeration of coating slurry includes a storage tank 1. The storage tank 1 includes at least one set of corresponding inlets 2 and outlets 3. A servo-driven stirring paddle 4 is rotatably connected inside the storage tank 1 to stir the internal slurry. The bottom of the storage tank 1 is supported by a support platform 5. The support platform 5 is equipped with multiple sets of vibrating air hammers 6 around the outside of the storage tank 1. The working angle and distance of each vibrating air hammer 6 relative to the storage tank 1 are adjustable. Multiple sliding rails 7 are fixed on the outer wall of the storage tank 1, and an ultrasonic transmitter 8 is slidably connected in each sliding rail 7. A feed pipe 9 is connected to the inlet 2. The feed pipe 9 is exposed inside the storage tank 1, bends in the opposite direction, and extends to the inner wall of the storage tank 1. Multiple bubble-breaking needles 10 are fixed in the exposed section of the pipe outside the storage tank 1. An outlet pipe 11 is connected to the outlet 3 to connect to the coating conveying pipe of the subsequent coating process.

[0030] The stirring paddle 4 is driven to rotate by a drive component, which includes a servo motor 12 and a rotating shaft 13. The rotating shaft 13 is vertically rotatably connected to the center inside the storage tank 1. The servo motor 12 is fixed to the top of the storage tank 1, and its output end is coaxially fixed with the rotating shaft 13. The stirring paddle 4 includes vertical rods 14 and horizontal rods 15. The horizontal rods 15 include multiple pairs, and each pair of horizontal rods 15 is symmetrical about the rotating shaft 13. One end of each horizontal rod 15 is welded to the rotating shaft 13, and the other end is welded to the vertical rod 14. There are three pairs of horizontal rods 15, and each adjacent pair of horizontal rods 15 is directly provided with a spiral guide plate 16. The spiral guide plate 16 has an arc-shaped structure, and its two ends are respectively welded to the opposite ends of the paired horizontal rods 15. Its center is welded to the rotating shaft 13. There are two spiral guide plates 16 arranged opposite each other.

[0031] Through the above structure, this solution combines the optimization of the stirring paddle 4, the modification of the feed pipe 9, the addition of air hammer vibration and ultrasonic treatment to the pre-coating feed storage tank 1, thereby improving the defoaming effect of the slurry before and during the coating process and reducing the agglomeration of active substances. This tooling aims to solve the common problems of insufficient defoaming and agglomeration of active substances in traditional slurry before and during coating.

[0032] By adding three sets of bubble-breaking needles 10 to the inlet of storage tank 1, each set of bubble-breaking needles 10 is arranged in a diamond shape at the inlet of the pipe, and the three sets of bubble-breaking needles 10 are arranged in an inverted triangle shape (e.g., Figure 3 To break up large air bubbles generated during slurry transportation; an additional section of pipe is added to the part of the feed pipe 9 to the storage tank 1, extending in the opposite direction to the cylinder wall (as shown in Figure 3), so that the slurry in the feed pipe 9 flows down along the cylinder wall, extending the buffer zone and falling directly without being affected by pressure to generate air bubbles; a spiral guide plate 16 is added in the middle of the agitator 4 (as shown in Figure 3) to enhance the fluidity of the intermediate layer of slurry, reduce the occurrence of dead zones in the agitation, and enhance the uniformity of the slurry.

[0033] Furthermore, by adding several sets of ultrasonic transmitters 8 to the cylinder wall of storage tank 1, and simultaneously installing sliding tracks 7 of a certain shape on the cylinder wall and bottom, the ultrasonic transmitters 8 can move over a large area of ​​the cylinder wall. The cavitation effect generated by the transmission of ultrasonic waves in the liquid can be used to quickly break up the small bubbles in the slurry, and can also refine the agglomerated particles in the slurry, increasing the stability of the slurry. Two sets of open reverse U-shaped sliding tracks 17 are installed on the cylinder wall, and a set of circular sliding tracks 18 is installed on the bottom of the cylinder (as shown in Figure 3), so that the ultrasonic generators can move over a large area of ​​the surface of storage tank 1 and fully exert their function.

[0034] Finally, several sets of vibrating air hammers 6 are added around the cylinder wall of storage tank 1. The distance and height (angle) of the air hammers from storage tank 1 can be adjusted (as shown in Figure 6). They are suitable for storage tanks 1 of different sizes. These air hammers use compressed air to drive pistons to generate high-frequency impact force, mechanically oscillating to break up large particle agglomerates and refine the slurry.

[0035] In this embodiment, specifically, the storage tank 1 has a cylindrical structure with a downward convex center on its bottom surface to allow the slurry to fall at an angle into the discharge pipe 11, preventing blockage. The discharge port 3 is located at the center of the downward convex center of the bottom surface of the storage tank 1. Four vibrating hammers 6 are arranged equidistantly around the center of the storage tank 1. Each vibrating hammer 6 has a support arm 19 fixed to its bottom. The support platform 5 also has a mounting rail 20 fixed at the bottom of each support arm 19. The support arm 19 consists of upper and lower sections connected and fixed by an arc plate 21. Multiple positioning holes 22 are equidistantly provided along the arc of the plate to connect the upper section of the support arm 19, while the lower section of the support arm 19 is movably fixed on the mounting rail 20. The multiple positioning holes 22 on the arc plate 21 connect the two support arm sections 19, enabling convenient and reliable adjustment of the elevation angle of the vibrating hammer 6.

[0036] In practical use, the ultrasonic generator can be adjusted to output different power levels. The power can be adjusted in real-time according to the different slurry conditions and the amount of bubbles caused by differences in solid content and viscosity. The working frequency of the air hammer is adjustable (by adjusting the amount of compressed air entering and exiting). Based on different slurry characteristics (such as viscosity and solid content), the working parameters of the air hammer can be flexibly adjusted to achieve the best dispersion effect. The installation height and frequency of the air hammer device can be adjusted in real-time according to the size of storage tank 1 and the amount of slurry to ensure that vibration energy can be effectively transferred to the slurry.

[0037] The aforementioned combined tooling can be applied to the pre-coating slurry feeding tanks for different systems, solid contents, viscosities, and coating methods of new energy positive and negative electrodes. It can defoam and prevent agglomeration and sedimentation of the slurry before coating, enhance the uniformity of the slurry, effectively improve the bubbles generated by stirring or transportation of the slurry before coating, improve coating efficiency, improve the appearance of the electrode sheet, improve coating marking caused by slurry agglomeration, reduce the cost of using capsule filter element 23 for slurry agglomeration, and improve the yield during battery processing.

[0038] Combined with the external coating device, the actual operation steps of the above tooling are as follows:

[0039] Step 1: The slurry is transferred from the mixing process to the coating process and enters the pre-coating storage tank 1 through the pipeline. The bubble-breaking needles 10 arranged at the inlet of the feed pipeline 9 can destroy and eliminate large bubbles generated during transportation, preventing large bubbles from flowing into the storage tank 1 with the slurry.

[0040] Step 2: After the slurry enters the storage tank 1, it flows in the opposite direction to the tank wall through the feed pipe 9 and flows down with the tank wall to avoid the formation of air bubbles due to vertical falling due to pressure.

[0041] Step 3: The slurry enters the storage tank 1 and the agitation is started. The agitation drives the slurry to move. The newly added spiral guide plate 16 can increase the movement of the slurry in each layer in the tank, reduce the dead corner of the original agitator 4, and greatly improve the agitation efficiency; accelerate the rise of bubbles and slow down the agglomeration of slurry.

[0042] Step 4: The rotation of the stirring paddle 4 inside storage tank 1 causes the slurry to tumble. At this time, the ultrasonic transmitter 8 emits differential acoustic waves, utilizing the cavitation effect generated by the ultrasonic waves propagating in the liquid to quickly break up air bubbles inside the slurry and refine the particles, rapidly bringing the slurry in storage tank 1 to a coatable state. The ultrasonic transmitter 8 can operate in multiple different frequency ranges to adapt to slurries of various viscosities. For higher viscosity slurries, a lower frequency ultrasonic wave is selected; for lower viscosity slurries, a higher frequency is used. Simultaneously, this ultrasonic transmitter 8 supports dynamic adjustment of output power to meet the needs of different stages. Higher power can be used initially for rapid defoaming, while power can be reduced later to decrease energy consumption.

[0043] Step 5: The slurry is continuously stirred by the stirring paddle 4 in the storage tank 1. Due to the absence of high-speed shearing force, it is easy to accumulate and agglomerate, forming soft granules that are free in the slurry. At this time, the vibrating hammer 6 is used to break up the large particle agglomerates through periodic impact force. The mechanical vibration breaks up the formation of such soft agglomerates, and the action of ultrasonic waves refines the particles. This can extend the slurry buffer time and improve the quality of the coated electrode. The vibration frequency of the vibrating hammer 6 can be adjusted in time according to the actual situation. The vibration frequency can be increased appropriately for slurries that are easy to agglomerate, and the vibration frequency can be decreased for relatively stable slurries.

[0044] Step 6: The slurry processed by the above device passes through a capsule filter element 23 and then enters the coating process through the coating conveying pipeline.

[0045] After repeated verification of different slurries, the slurry can be coated normally after 5 minutes of treatment, with a significant improvement in efficiency and no abnormalities such as bubbles or streaks. The replacement frequency of the capsule filter element 23 is also greatly reduced.

[0046] The following examples illustrate the proportion of electrode sheets scrapped due to air bubbles and markings after one month of production with and without the aforementioned utility model tooling, the replacement frequency of the capsule filter element 23, and the slurry pretreatment time for the same positive and negative electrode slurry.

[0047]

[0048]

[0049] The technical scope of this utility model is not limited to the content described above. Those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to the above embodiments without departing from the technical concept of this utility model, and all such modifications and variations should fall within the protection scope of this utility model.

Claims

1. A tooling for improving the bubbles and agglomeration of coating slurry, comprising a storage tank, the storage tank including at least one set of corresponding inlets and outlets, wherein a servo-driven stirring paddle is rotatably connected inside the storage tank to stir the internal slurry, characterized in that: The bottom of the storage tank is supported by a support platform. Multiple sets of vibrating air hammers are arranged around the outside of the storage tank on the support platform. The working angle and distance of each vibrating air hammer relative to the storage tank are adjustable. Multiple sliding rails are fixed on the outer wall of the storage tank, and an ultrasonic transmitter is slidably connected in each sliding rail. A feed pipe is connected to the feed inlet. The feed pipe section exposed inside the storage tank is bent in the opposite direction and extends to the inner wall of the storage tank. Multiple bubble-breaking needles are fixed in the section of the pipe exposed outside the storage tank. A discharge pipe is connected to the discharge outlet to connect to the coating conveying pipe of the subsequent coating process.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: The stirring paddle is driven to rotate by a driving component, which includes a servo motor and a rotating shaft. The rotating shaft is vertically rotatably connected to the center inside the storage tank. The servo motor is fixed to the top of the storage tank, and its output end is coaxially fixed with the rotating shaft.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein: The stirring paddle includes a vertical rod and a horizontal rod. The horizontal rod includes multiple pairs, and each pair of horizontal rods is symmetrical about the axis of rotation. One end of each horizontal rod is welded to the axis of rotation, and the other end is welded together with the vertical rod.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein: The crossbars include three pairs, and each adjacent pair of crossbars is further provided with a spiral guide plate. The spiral guide plate has an arc-shaped structure, with its two ends welded to the opposite ends of the paired crossbars, and its center welded to the rotating shaft. The spiral guide plate includes two plates arranged opposite each other.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: The storage tank has a cylindrical structure with a downward convex center on its bottom surface, and the discharge port is located at the center of the downward convex center of the bottom surface of the storage tank.

6. The apparatus of any one of claims 1-4, wherein: The sliding track includes a U-shaped sliding track and a circular sliding track. The U-shaped sliding track is welded to the outer wall of the storage tank and includes at least two sets symmetrical about the center of the storage tank. The circular sliding track includes one and is welded to the bottom surface of the storage tank.

7. The apparatus of any one of claims 1-4, wherein: the apparatus further comprises a second air knife positioned downstream of the first air knife and upstream of the coating station. The vibratory air hammer includes four hammers that are equidistantly arranged around the center of the storage tank. Each vibratory air hammer has a support arm fixed at its bottom. The support platform also has an installation track fixed at the bottom of each support arm. Each support arm includes upper and lower sections that are connected and fixed by an arc plate. Multiple positioning holes are equidistantly opened along the arc to connect the upper half of the support arm. The lower half of the support arm is movably fixed on the installation track.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: The bubble-breaking needles include at least three groups, and each group of bubble-breaking needles is arranged in a diamond shape at the inlet of the feed pipe.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: The discharge pipe is connected to the external coating conveying pipe through a bladder filter element.

10. A coating apparatus characterized by: Tooling for improving air bubbles and agglomeration in coating slurry as described in any one of claims 1-9.

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