Active Material Coating Apparatus with Flexible Spacer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing active material coating apparatuses face challenges in achieving uniform thickness of the active material layer across the width of a substrate, leading to non-uniform electrode plate performance in rechargeable batteries due to limitations in processing accuracy and material property changes.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus employs a flexible spacer interposed between the upper and lower dies, with a controller to adjust the variable gap between lip portions, ensuring a uniform thickness of the active material layer by controlling the width of the outlet slot, preventing edge raising and maintaining consistent coating across the substrate.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a spacer is used to maintain a uniform gap between the upper die and lower die, then the gap uniformity is improved, but the manufacturing precision of the active material layer thickness deteriorates due to edge raising and processing accuracy limitations
Solution Approach 1:
The spacer is designed with different heights at different locations: a first height in the central region and a second height (greater than the first) at the edge portions. This local differentiation compensates for the edge raising effect, ensuring that the active material layer thickness remains uniform across the entire substrate width despite the inherent edge elevation caused by the coating process.
2Device complexity
If the outlet slot width is fixed by rigid dies, then the device complexity is reduced, but the adaptability to material property changes deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The spacer incorporates a flexible section that can dynamically adjust its deformation based on the viscosity and other properties of the active material slurry. When the material properties change, the flexible section deforms accordingly to maintain optimal flow characteristics through the outlet slot, providing adaptability without requiring complex control systems.
3Ease of manufacture
If spacers with raised edges are used to accommodate processing limitations, then the ease of manufacture is improved, but the manufacturing precision of the active material layer thickness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The spacer is designed with different heights at different locations: a first height in the central region and a second height (greater than the first) at the edge portions. This local differentiation compensates for the edge raising effect, ensuring that the active material layer thickness remains uniform across the entire substrate width despite the inherent edge elevation caused by the coating process.
Data Source
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AI summary
An active material coating apparatus forms an active material layer having a uniform thickness across the width of a substrate. The active material coating apparatus includes a lower die having a groove for supplying an active material of a slurry state and forming a first lip portion of an outlet slot connected to the groove and outputting the active material; an upper die disposed on an upper side of the lower die to face the first lip portion, having a second lip portion of the outlet slot, and having a hinge portion at the rear of the second lip portion according to the outlet direction of the active material; a fixing spacer interposed between the lower die and the upper die at the rear of the hinge portion according to the outlet direction of the active material and determining a fixing gap; a flexible spacer interposed between the first lip portion and the second lip portion on both sides of the width direction of the outlet slot and forming a variable gap; and a controller installed to the upper die and pushing/pulling the second lip portion with respect to the hinge portion to control the variable gap between the first lip portion and the second lip portion.