Coating equipment

Abstract

The utility model provides coating equipment, which comprises a back roller, a plurality of coating rollers, a plurality of coating rollers, a plurality of coating rollers and a plurality of coating rollers, and is characterized in that the back roller can rotate around self axis to drive base materials; the coating mechanism and the back roller are arranged at an interval, and the coating mechanism comprises a melting device, a feeding device and a coating die head; wherein one end of the feeding device is communicated with the melting device, and the other end of the feeding device is communicated with the coating die head. According to the coating equipment disclosed by the utility model, the solid-state lithium material can be melted into the liquid-state lithium material through the arranged coating mechanism, and the liquid-state lithium material can be coated on the surface of a base material to directly form a film, so that lithium metal and the base material can be combined more tightly, and the coating quantity and the film forming thickness of the liquid-state lithium material can be accurately controlled; the lithium metal can be uniformly distributed on the surface of the base material, and the thickness consistency of the lithium metal can be effectively improved, so that the stability and the service life of the battery are effectively improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of lithium battery production technology, and more specifically, to a coating equipment. Background Technology

[0002] In lithium battery production, the preparation of lithium metal anode materials is one of the key steps. Traditional processes typically involve rolling solid lithium foil onto a substrate to prepare the lithium metal anode material. However, this process results in weak adhesion between the lithium metal and the substrate, which can easily affect the battery's stability and lifespan. Utility Model Content

[0003] This invention provides a new technology solution for coating equipment, which can at least solve the problem of weak bonding between lithium metal and substrate in the prior art.

[0004] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a coating apparatus is provided, comprising: a back roller, the back roller being rotatable about its own axis; and a coating mechanism, the coating mechanism being spaced apart from the back roller, the coating mechanism comprising: a melting device, a feeding device, and a coating die, wherein one end of the feeding device is connected to the melting device, and the other end of the feeding device is connected to the coating die.

[0005] Optionally, the coating lip of the coating die faces the outer peripheral surface of the back roller.

[0006] Optionally, the melting device includes: a melting barrel, the outlet of which is connected to the feeding device, the melting barrel being equipped with a first heating section; and a filter screen disposed inside the melting barrel.

[0007] Optionally, the filter screen is spaced apart from the outlet of the molten material tank.

[0008] Optionally, the feeding device is equipped with a second heating section; and / or, the coating die head is equipped with a third heating section.

[0009] Optionally, the feeding device is connected to the coating die head via a connecting section, and the coating mechanism further includes a control valve located in the connecting section.

[0010] Optionally, the feeding device is configured as a screw pump or an electromagnetic pump.

[0011] Optionally, the width of the coating lip of the coating die head is adjustable.

[0012] Optionally, the coating equipment further includes a moving device, the moving device having a moving part that moves radially along the back roller, and the coating mechanism being disposed on the moving part.

[0013] Optionally, the moving device includes: a moving plate, the moving plate being formed as a moving part; a base, the moving plate being movably disposed on the base; and a wedge driving assembly, the wedge driving assembly being connected to the moving plate.

[0014] Optionally, the coating equipment further includes a cooling system, wherein the back roller has a flow channel that is connected to the cooling system.

[0015] Optionally, the coating equipment further includes an inert gas chamber, in which the back roller and the coating mechanism are disposed.

[0016] According to the coating equipment of this utility model, the coating mechanism can melt solid lithium material into liquid lithium material and coat the liquid lithium material onto the surface of the substrate to form a film directly. Compared with the existing roll-pressing composite process, this allows the lithium metal and the substrate to achieve a tighter bond. Moreover, it can precisely control the coating amount and film thickness of the liquid lithium material, so that the lithium metal can be evenly distributed on the surface of the substrate, which can effectively improve the consistency of the lithium metal thickness, thereby effectively improving the stability and service life of the battery. Furthermore, through the continuous conveying of the back roller and the efficient coating of the coating mechanism, the substrate and lithium metal can be rapidly bonded, which can significantly improve production efficiency.

[0017] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become clear from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0018] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the present invention and, together with their description, serve to explain the principles of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a coating device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the coating mechanism of a coating device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure Labels

[0022] 100. Coating equipment;

[0023] 10. Back roller;

[0024] 20. Coating mechanism; 21. Melting device; 211. Melting tank; 212. Filter screen; 22. Feeding device; 221. Second heating section; 222. Connecting section; 223. Base; 224. Pump housing; 225. Screw; 23. Coating die head; 231. Third heating section; 24. Control valve;

[0025] 30. Moving device; 31. Moving part; 32. Base; 33. Wedge drive assembly;

[0026] a. Substrate. Detailed Implementation

[0027] Various exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement, numerical expressions, and values ​​of the components and steps set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present invention.

[0028] The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative and is in no way intended to limit the invention or its application or use.

[0029] Techniques, methods, and equipment known to those skilled in the art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, such techniques, methods, and equipment should be considered part of the specification.

[0030] In all the examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values ​​should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not as limitations. Therefore, other examples of exemplary embodiments may have different values.

[0031] It should be noted that similar labels and letters in the following figures indicate similar items; therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be discussed further in subsequent figures.

[0032] The coating apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0033] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the coating apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a back roller 10 and a coating mechanism 20.

[0034] Specifically, the back roller 10 is rotatable around its own axis, and the coating mechanism 20 is spaced apart from the back roller 10. The coating mechanism 20 includes a melting device 21, a feeding device 22, and a coating die 23. One end of the feeding device 22 is connected to the melting device 21, and the other end of the feeding device 22 is connected to the coating die 23.

[0035] In other words, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the coating equipment 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention mainly includes a back roller 10 and a coating mechanism 20. The back roller 10 is horizontally oriented and rotatably mounted on a fixed base around its own axis. A first driving member, such as a motor, is fixedly connected to one side of the fixed base. The output end of the first driving member is connected to the back roller 10, allowing the first driving member to drive the back roller 10 to rotate around its own axis. The substrate a (i.e., the current collector) has a first side and a second side arranged opposite each other in its thickness direction. During use, the outer peripheral surface of the back roller 10 is in contact with the surface of the first side of the substrate a. The rotation of the back roller 10 drives the substrate a to move along the belt. The coating mechanism 20 is located on one radial side of the back roller 10 and is spaced apart from the outer peripheral surface of the back roller 10, thereby allowing the substrate a to pass between the back roller 10 and the coating mechanism 20.

[0036] The coating mechanism 20 mainly includes a melting device 21, a feeding device 22, and a coating die 23. The melting device 21 has a feed inlet, through which solid lithium material can be added into the melting device 21. The melting device 21 can heat and melt the added solid lithium material into liquid lithium material. The discharge port of the melting device 21 is connected to the feed end of the feeding device 22, and the discharge end of the feeding device 22 is connected to the coating die 23. The feeding device 22 can controllably transport the liquid lithium material to the coating die 23, and the coating die 23 can directly coat the molten liquid lithium material onto the second side surface of the substrate a while the substrate a is being conveyed, forming a film. After the lithium metal cools, a tight bond between the lithium metal and the substrate a can be achieved.

[0037] Therefore, according to the coating equipment 100 provided in this embodiment, the coating mechanism 20 can melt solid lithium material into liquid lithium material and coat the liquid lithium material onto the surface of substrate a to form a film directly. Compared with the existing roll-pressing composite process, this allows lithium metal and substrate a to achieve a tighter bond. Moreover, it can precisely control the coating amount and film thickness of the liquid lithium material, so that the lithium metal can be evenly distributed on the surface of substrate a, which can effectively improve the consistency of lithium metal thickness, thereby effectively improving the stability and service life of the battery. Furthermore, through the continuous conveying of the back roller 10 and the efficient coating of the coating mechanism 20, the substrate a and lithium metal can be rapidly bonded, which can significantly improve production efficiency.

[0038] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the coating lip of the coating die 23 faces the outer peripheral surface of the back roller 10.

[0039] That is, the coating die 23 and the back roller 10 are distributed radially apart along the back roller 10, and the coating lip of the coating die 23 faces the outer peripheral surface of the back roller 10. During the coating process, the substrate a is located between the back roller 10 and the coating lip, the surface of the first side of the substrate a is in contact with the back roller 10, and the coating lip coats the surface of the second side of the substrate a.

[0040] In this embodiment, the back roller 10 can support the substrate a during coating, so that the distance between the substrate a and the coating lip of the coating die 23 can remain constant, thereby enabling more precise control of the film thickness of the liquid lithium material.

[0041] In some specific embodiments of this utility model, the melting device 21 includes: a melting barrel 211, the outlet of the melting barrel 211 being connected to the feeding device 22, the melting barrel 211 being provided with a first heating part; and a filter screen 212, the filter screen 212 being disposed inside the melting barrel 211.

[0042] Specifically, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the melting device 21 mainly includes a melting tank 211 and a filter screen 212. The melting tank 211 is equipped with a first heating section, which can be a heating rod, a heating ring, or a heating channel suitable for the flow of a heating medium. The first heating section heats the solid lithium material in the melting tank 211 to the melting temperature of lithium metal (e.g., a temperature above 190°C). The melting tank 211 is fixedly connected to the upper side of the feeding device 22, and the lower end of the melting tank 211 has a discharge port that communicates with the feeding device 22. The filter screen 212 is fixedly installed inside the melting tank 211. The filter screen 212 can receive the added solid lithium material, effectively preventing unmelted lithium material from entering the feeding device 22, thereby ensuring the quality of the lithium metal film and thus the quality of the electrode sheet.

[0043] In some optional embodiments of this utility model, the filter screen 212 is spaced apart from the outlet of the melting tank 211.

[0044] In this example, separating the filter screen 212 from the outlet not only allows for a larger filter screen 212 area to improve filtration efficiency, but also optimizes the flow rate distribution of liquid lithium material as it passes through the outlet, making it more uniform.

[0045] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the feeding device 22 is provided with a second heating part 221; and / or, the coating die head 23 is provided with a third heating part 231.

[0046] In other words, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the feeding device 22 is provided with one or more second heating parts 221. The second heating part 221 can be a heating rod, a heating ring, or a heating channel suitable for the flow of heating medium. The second heating part 221 can heat the liquid lithium material in the feeding device 22, so that the liquid lithium material in the feeding device 22 can be kept at a temperature above 190°C. This can prevent the liquid lithium material from solidifying during the transportation process, thereby ensuring the film quality of lithium metal and thus ensuring the quality of the electrode.

[0047] Furthermore, such as Figure 2 As shown, the coating die 23 is provided with one or more third heating parts 231. The third heating part 231 can be a heating rod, a heating ring, or a heating channel suitable for the flow of heating medium. The third heating part 231 can heat the liquid lithium material in the coating die 23, so that the liquid lithium material in the coating die 23 can be kept at a temperature above 190°C. This can prevent the liquid lithium material from solidifying in the coating die 23, thereby ensuring the film quality of lithium metal and thus ensuring the quality of the electrode.

[0048] In some specific embodiments of this utility model, the feeding device 22 is connected to the coating die head 23 through the connecting section 222, and the coating mechanism 20 further includes a control valve 24, which is located in the connecting section 222.

[0049] Specifically, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the discharge end of the feeding device 22 is provided with a connecting section 222. The feeding device 22 and the coating die 23 are connected and fixed through the connecting section 222. For example, the first end of the connecting section 222 is connected and fixed to the feeding device 22, and the second end of the connecting section 222 is connected and fixed to the coating die 23. A control valve 24 is provided on the connecting section 222. The control valve 24 can control the connection and disconnection (i.e., non-connection) between the feeding device 22 and the coating die 23. The setting of the control valve 24 enables the rapid start and stop of the liquid lithium material conveying, thereby enabling intermittent coating and effectively avoiding the problem of material waste.

[0050] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the feeding device 22 is configured as a screw pump or an electromagnetic pump.

[0051] In other words, the specific structure of the feeding device 22 includes, but is not limited to, the following:

[0052] In scenario 1, the feeding device 22 is a screw pump. The screw 225 of the screw pump is connected to the drive motor via a pulley or coupling. The flow rate and volume of liquid lithium material through the coating head can be controlled by adjusting the speed of the drive motor. In this example, the purchase cost of the screw pump is relatively low, which can effectively reduce the production cost of the coating equipment 100. At the same time, the screw pump can achieve stable conveying capacity, ensuring the uniformity of the lithium coating. In addition, the screw pump has a wide flow range, which can be used for different coating speed requirements and can meet the needs of high-speed coating.

[0053] Scenario 2: The feeding device 22 is an electromagnetic pump. The electromagnetic pump can achieve higher conveying accuracy and precisely control the conveying amount of liquid lithium material, thereby effectively improving the uniformity of the lithium coating. In addition, the electromagnetic pump has lower subsequent maintenance costs, which helps to reduce the long-term operating costs of the equipment.

[0054] In some specific embodiments of this utility model, the width of the coating lip of the coating die 23 is adjustable.

[0055] Specifically, the coating die 23 includes an upper die, a lower die, and a coating pad sandwiched between the upper and lower dies. A coating slit is formed between the upper die, the coating pad, and the lower die. The upper and lower dies are connected to the feeding device 22 on the inlet side of the coating slit, and form a coating lip on the outlet side of the coating slit. In this embodiment, the width of the coating lip is adjustable. For example, the width of the coating lip can be adjusted by replacing coating pads of different thicknesses or increasing the number of coating pads. This allows adjustment of the flow rate and volume through the coating head, thereby meeting different coating requirements.

[0056] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, in some optional examples of this utility model, the screw pump mainly includes a base 223, a pump housing 224, a screw 225, and a drive motor. The first end of the pump housing 224 is fixedly connected to one side of the base 223, and the second end of the pump housing 224 is connected to and fixed to the coating die head 23. The second heating part 221 is embedded in the pump housing 224. The screw 225 is rotatably disposed in the pump housing 224. The first end of the screw 225 is rotatably disposed on the base 223 around its own axis, and the first end of the screw 225 is connected to the output end of the drive motor on the side of the base 223 away from the pump housing 224.

[0057] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the coating equipment 100 further includes: a moving device 30, the moving device 30 having a moving part 31 that moves radially along the back roller 10, and the coating mechanism 20 being disposed on the moving part 31.

[0058] In other words, such as Figure 1As shown, to facilitate adjustment of the lithium plating thickness on substrate a, the coating equipment 100 is further provided with a moving device 30. The moving device 30 has a moving part 31 that is movable in the radial direction (e.g., horizontal direction) along the back roller 10, and the coating mechanism 20 is fixedly connected to the moving part 31. Specifically, the base 223 is fixedly connected to the moving part 31, and the drive motor is fixedly connected to the base 223 or the moving part 31.

[0059] In this embodiment, the coating mechanism 20 can be controlled by the moving device 30, thereby changing the gap between the coating lip and the substrate a, thus adjusting the lithium plating thickness of the substrate a. The operation is simple and convenient.

[0060] In some specific embodiments of this utility model, the moving device 30 includes: a moving plate, which is formed as a moving part 31; a base 32, on which the moving plate is movably disposed; and a wedge driving assembly 33, which is connected to the moving plate.

[0061] In other words, such as Figure 1 As shown, the moving device 30 according to the embodiment of the present utility model mainly includes a moving plate, a base 32 and a wedge driving assembly 33. The moving plate is movably disposed on one side of the base 32 along the radial direction of the back roller 10 via a slide rail structure to serve as the moving part 31 of the moving device 30. The base 32 is used to be fixed on the mounting surface. The wedge driving assembly 33 can be mounted on the mounting surface or the base 32, and the wedge driving assembly 33 is connected to the moving plate to drive the moving plate to move radially along the back roller 10.

[0062] Specifically, the wedge drive assembly 33 mainly includes a first wedge, a second wedge, and a second drive member. The first wedge is fixedly connected to the moving plate. The first wedge has an inclined surface that is inclined in a first direction (i.e., the radial direction of the back roller 10) and a second direction (e.g., a direction perpendicular to the first direction). The second wedge slides with the inclined surface of the first wedge along the inclined direction of the inclined surface. The second drive member can be a telescopic cylinder, such as a pneumatic cylinder or an electric cylinder. The second drive member can be fixed on the mounting surface or the base 32. The output end of the second drive member is fixedly connected to the second wedge. The second drive member can drive the second wedge to move along the second direction, thereby driving the first wedge to move along the first direction, which in turn can drive the moving plate to move along the first direction.

[0063] In this embodiment, the moving plate is driven by the wedge drive assembly 33. Through the inclined surface of the wedge in the wedge drive assembly 33, small and precise displacement control can be achieved, thereby accurately adjusting the gap between the back roller 10 surface and the coating lip, and thus accurately controlling the thickness of lithium plating on the substrate a.

[0064] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the coating equipment 100 further includes a cooling system, wherein the back roller 10 is provided with a flow channel, and the flow channel is connected to the cooling system.

[0065] In other words, in order to rapidly solidify the liquid lithium material on the substrate a, the back roller 10 is configured as a cooling roller, such as a liquid-cooled roller. Specifically, the back roller 10 is provided with a flow channel suitable for the flow of coolant. The flow channel is connected to a cooling system, which can control the flow of coolant in the flow channel, thereby controlling the temperature of the back roller 10 within a suitable range, and thus improving the solidification efficiency of the liquid lithium material and the quality of the lithium layer.

[0066] It should be noted that the cooling system can be an existing cooling system, such as a cooling system that mainly includes a circulation loop, a circulation pump, and a heat exchanger. Its specific structure can be selected according to actual needs, and will not be elaborated further in this embodiment.

[0067] In some specific embodiments of this utility model, the coating equipment 100 further includes an inert gas chamber, and the back roller 10 and the coating mechanism 20 are disposed inside the inert gas chamber.

[0068] Specifically, the coating equipment 100 is also equipped with an inert gas chamber (e.g., an inert gas glove box), and both the back roller 10 and the coating mechanism 20 are disposed inside the inert gas chamber. During use, the inert gas chamber is filled with inert gases such as nitrogen or argon, which can prevent the lithium metal from being oxidized, thereby ensuring the quality of the lithium coating.

[0069] In use, the coating equipment 100 according to this embodiment of the present invention has the first heating section, the second heating section 221, and the third heating section 231 all in a heated state. The molten material tank 211 contains molten liquid lithium material, which fills the entire pump housing 224. Simultaneously, coolant flows in the channels within the back roller 10 to prepare for the subsequent cooling process. During the coating process, the substrate a is driven to move by controlling the rotation of the back roller 10. As the substrate a moves, the feeding device 22 delivers the liquid lithium material to the coating die 23, which evenly coats the liquid lithium material onto the side of the substrate a away from the back roller 10. At the same time, the back roller 10 cools the liquid lithium material on the substrate a through its internal coolant circulation, promoting rapid solidification of the liquid lithium material and ensuring coating quality.

[0070] In summary, the coating equipment 100 provided in this embodiment can melt solid lithium material into liquid lithium material through the coating mechanism 20, and can directly coat the liquid lithium material onto the surface of the substrate a to form a film. Compared with the existing roll-pressing composite process, this allows the lithium metal and the substrate a to achieve a tighter bond, and can precisely control the coating amount and film thickness of the liquid lithium material, so that the lithium metal can be evenly distributed on the surface of the substrate a, which can effectively improve the consistency of the lithium metal thickness, thereby effectively improving the stability and service life of the battery. Moreover, through the continuous conveying of the back roller 10 and the efficient coating of the coating mechanism 20, the substrate a and the lithium metal can be rapidly bonded, which can significantly improve production efficiency.

[0071] The above embodiments mainly describe the differences between the various embodiments. As long as the different optimization features between the various embodiments are not contradictory, they can be combined to form a better embodiment. For the sake of brevity, they will not be elaborated here.

[0072] Although specific embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail by way of examples, those skilled in the art should understand that the above examples are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can be made to the above embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A coating device, characterized in that, include: A back roller, which is rotatable about its own axis; A coating mechanism is provided at an interval from the back roller, and the coating mechanism includes a melting device, a feeding device, and a coating die head; One end of the feeding device is connected to the melting device, and the other end of the feeding device is connected to the coating die head.

2. The coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The coating lip of the coating die faces the outer peripheral surface of the back roller.

3. The coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The melting device includes: A molten material barrel, the outlet of which is connected to the feeding device, and the molten material barrel is equipped with a first heating section; A filter screen is disposed inside the molten material tank.

4. The coating equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that, The filter screen is spaced apart from the outlet of the molten material tank.

5. The coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The feeding device is equipped with a second heating section; And / or, the coating die head is provided with a third heating section.

6. The coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The feeding device is connected to the coating die head via a connecting section, and the coating mechanism further includes: A control valve is located in the connection section.

7. The coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The feeding device is configured as a screw pump or an electromagnetic pump.

8. The coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The width of the coating lip of the coating die head is adjustable.

9. The coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: A moving device, wherein the moving device is provided with a moving part that moves radially along the back roller, and the coating mechanism is disposed on the moving part.

10. The coating equipment according to claim 9, characterized in that, The mobile device includes: A movable plate, wherein the movable plate is formed as a movable part; A base, wherein the movable plate is movably disposed on the base; A wedge drive assembly is connected to the movable plate.

11. The coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: The cooling system includes a flow channel inside the back roller, which is connected to the cooling system.

12. The coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: An inert gas chamber is provided, and the back roller and the coating mechanism are located inside the inert gas chamber.

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