Secondary Battery Electrode Sheet Cutting With Integrated Notching

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing process for manufacturing secondary battery electrodes involves two complex and costly processes of notching and cutting, leading to increased manufacturing costs and longer production times.

Innovation Solution

A method is introduced where a continuous electrode sheet is wound and cut in a single process using a cutter or mold, with the electrode sheet having coated and uncoated portions alternately arranged, allowing for the production of unit electrodes with a single pressing operation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If two processes of notching and cutting are used to manufacture unit electrodes, then the electrodes can be produced from roll material, but the process becomes long and complicated and manufacturing cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemanufacturing costVSAvoidprocess complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines the notching and cutting operations into a single integrated process. A mold with multiple cutting edges simultaneously performs notching and cutting in one operation, eliminating the need for separate notching and cutting processes. This merging of operations directly reduces process complexity and manufacturing cost while maintaining production capability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Productivity

If two processes of notching and cutting are used to manufacture unit electrodes, then the electrodes can be produced from roll material, but the production time increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveproduction speedVSAvoidprocess time
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The mold is designed with pre-configured cutting edges and geometry that perform both notching and cutting functions simultaneously in a single pass. The preliminary design of the mold structure allows it to execute multiple operations at once, eliminating sequential processing time and significantly improving production speed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Device complexity

If a single process of winding and cutting is used to manufacture unit electrodes, then the manufacturing process is simplified and cost is reduced, but precise cutting may be more difficult to achieve

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprocess complexityVSAvoidcutting precision
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces complex sequential mechanical processes with a single mold-based system that uses precisely engineered cutting edges. The mold geometry itself defines the cutting precision, eliminating the need for multiple mechanical adjustment steps. This substitution maintains high cutting precision while simplifying the overall process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentEP3525265B1Method for manufacturing secondary battery electrode
Publication Date: 2024.06.12 LG ENERGY SOLUTION LTD
  • EP3525265B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3525265B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3525265B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The present invention proposes a method of manufacturing an electrode for a secondary battery by introducing a single process in which the electrode sheet is wound in the longitudinal direction of the unit electrode to be produced and cut at a time in the shape of a unit electrode using a cutter or a mold. The method for manufacturing electrodes for a secondary battery includes: a first process of continuously supplying an electrode sheet on which a portion to which the electrode active material is applied and a portion to which the electrode active material is not applied are alternately arranged along a moving direction (MD) of the electrode sheet; and a second process of cutting the portion, to which the electrode active material is not applied, of the electrode sheet supplied from the first process and processing the electrode sheet into the unit electrodes.