Electrode Foil Peripheral Polymer Coating for Wrinkle Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manufacturing of electrode foils for energy storage devices faces challenges in avoiding wrinkles, which are caused by uneven stretching during the calendaring process, leading to material tensions and rendering the foils unusable for further manufacturing steps.
Innovation Solution
A method involving continuous coating of a substrate foil with a coating material in a central electrode coating portion and a polymer material in peripheral coating portions, followed by applying pressure to both coated areas to ensure uniform stretching and reduce wrinkles, while removing the polymer material to facilitate tab formation and enhance flexibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If pressure is applied to the coated substrate foil during calendaring, then the thickness of the coated substrate foil is adjusted, but wrinkles are created due to uneven stretching of the substrate foil
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate foil is divided into different zones: a first zone with coating material and a second zone without coating material. This segmentation allows different parts of the foil to experience different stretching conditions during calendaring, enabling the uncoated zone to compensate for wrinkles caused in the coated zone while maintaining precise thickness control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by creating a specific structure where only a portion of the substrate foil is coated with active material. The uncoated portion serves a different functional purpose (wrinkle prevention) compared to the coated portion (electrode functionality), allowing each zone to optimize its specific role in the calendaring process.
2Reliability
If the substrate foil is stretched uniformly during calendaring, then wrinkles are reduced, but the thickness distribution becomes difficult to control
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate foil is divided into different zones: a first zone with coating material and a second zone without coating material. This segmentation allows different parts of the foil to experience different stretching conditions during calendaring, enabling the uncoated zone to compensate for wrinkles caused in the coated zone while maintaining precise thickness control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameters of different zones by applying coating material to only a portion of the substrate foil. The coated zones have different mechanical properties (stiffness, friction) compared to uncoated zones, allowing differential stretching behavior that simultaneously reduces wrinkles and controls thickness distribution through parameter variation across the foil surface.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method of manufacturing an electrode foil. The method comprises conveying a substrate foil in a conveying direction, continuous coating the substrate foil with a coating material in at least one central electrode coating portion, and continuous coating the substrate foil with a polymer material in a first peripheral coating portion of the substrate foil, wherein a thickness of the coated first peripheral coating portion is similar to or larger than a thickness of the coated central electrode coating portion, and wherein a width of the central electrode coating portion is larger than a width of the first peripheral coating portion. The method further comprises applying a pressure to the central electrode coating portion and the first peripheral coating portion, and removing the polymer material from the first peripheral coating portion. Moreover, the invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing an electrode foil.