Die Coater Shim Layout for Separate Battery Electrode Coatings
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing die coaters face issues in effectively and efficiently coating a current collector for secondary batteries with two types of different liquids, such as electrode slurry and insulation coating liquid, due to mixing and leakage problems that affect production efficiency and quality.
Innovation Solution
A die coater design with a lower block, upper block, and coater shim that forms separate slits for each liquid, featuring a manifold insert to support the center guide and prevent mixing, using PTFE resin and an ethylene propylene rubber gasket for enhanced contact and alignment, ensuring the liquids are not mixed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If independent slits for discharging electrode slurry and insulation coating liquid are formed in one die coater core, then production efficiency is improved by simultaneous coating, but the two types of liquids are mixed and discharged causing quality defects
Solution Approach 1:
The die coater is divided into separate upper and lower blocks with independent liquid chambers. The upper block contains a first liquid chamber for electrode slurry with a first discharge slit, while the lower block contains a second liquid chamber for insulation coating liquid with a second discharge slit. This segmentation prevents mixing of the two liquids while enabling simultaneous coating operations.
Solution Approach 2:
A coater shim is introduced as an intermediary component between the upper and lower blocks. The coater shim forms separation walls that define the discharge slits and prevent liquid mixing. The shim includes a first coater portion forming the first discharge slit and a second coater portion forming the second discharge slit, acting as a mediator that enables both liquids to be discharged separately and simultaneously.
2Manufacturing precision
If a separate process is used to apply insulation coating liquid after electrode slurry, then coating quality is maintained, but production efficiency deteriorates due to multiple processing steps
Solution Approach 1:
The die coater merges multiple coating functions into a single device. Both the electrode slurry coating function (through the first liquid chamber and first discharge slit) and the insulation coating liquid application function (through the second liquid chamber and second discharge slit) are integrated into one coater core, enabling simultaneous coating operations while maintaining coating quality through proper liquid separation.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A die coater includes a lower block provided with a manifold configured to accommodate a first liquid, an upper block coupled to the lower block and provided with a second liquid inlet, and a coater shim interposed between the upper block and the lower block to form a first slit and a second slit which open toward a front side of the die coater and are separated from each other. The coater shim isincludes a second liquid flow path on a center guide extending to protrude across the manifold to the front side of the die coater, and a manifold insert configured to support a bottom surface of the center guide is provided inside the manifold.