Pouch Battery Case Shaping With Volatile Lubrication for Deep Drawing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pouch-shaped battery case shaping processes result in surface damage, pin-holes, and cracks due to frictional forces during deep drawing, limiting the ability to manufacture high-capacity batteries without significant changes to conventional apparatus or laminate sheet materials.
Innovation Solution
A pouch-shaped battery case shaping apparatus with a volatile lubricant supply unit that applies a lubricant to minimize surface damage and prevent defects, using a punch and die configuration with a low-friction material and temperature adjustment, and a method that includes applying a volatile lubricant before shaping and removing it post-processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a laminate sheet is pressed using a punch during deep drawing, then the receiving portion is formed in the laminate sheet, but external defects such as pin-holes or cracks are generated on the outer surface due to frictional force
Solution Approach 1:
A lubricant layer is introduced as an intermediary substance between the laminate sheet and the punch surface. This lubricant layer reduces direct contact and frictional force between the two surfaces, preventing external defects such as pin-holes or cracks on the laminate sheet outer surface while maintaining the deep drawing forming process
2Quantity of substance
If the laminate sheet thickness is reduced to increase electrode assembly thickness, then battery capacity increases, but shapeability of the sheet is reduced and external defects are frequently generated
Solution Approach 1:
The lubricant acts as a mediator that enables successful deep drawing of thin laminate sheets by reducing frictional forces. This allows the use of thinner laminate sheets (0.1-0.5mm) to increase battery capacity while maintaining adequate shapeability and preventing external defects during the forming process
3Manufacturing precision
If a separate film is added to the laminate sheet or the laminate sheet is punched multiple times, then surface damage is reduced, but device complexity and manufacturing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The lubricant application process is extracted and integrated into the existing deep drawing apparatus by coating the punch surface with lubricant before each forming operation. This eliminates the need for separate film addition steps or multiple punching operations, reducing device complexity and manufacturing time while maintaining surface quality
Solution Approach 2:
The lubricant on the punch surface provides self-service lubrication during the deep drawing process, automatically reducing friction as the punch contacts the laminate sheet. This self-lubricating mechanism continuously protects the laminate sheet surface without requiring additional processing steps or complex device modifications
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively minimizes surface damage and defects, enhances shapeability, and allows for thinner battery cases with improved capacity by dispersing stress concentration, without requiring separate lubricant collection or cleaning processes.
Implementation Method 1
a volatile lubricant supply unit configured to supply a volatile lubricant used to minimize surface damage to the laminate sheet between the laminate sheet and the punch
Implementation Method 2
the pouch-shaped battery case shaping apparatus further includes a volatile lubricant supply unit configured to supply a volatile lubricant
Data Source
AI summary
A pouch-shaped battery case shaping apparatus includes a die having an open recess sized to correspond to an electrode assembly, a punch configured to draw a sheet into the open recess and thereby shape the sheet, a holder configured to fix ends of the sheet to the die during drawing of the sheet, and a lubricant supply unit configured to supply a lubricant to the sheet to minimize surface damage to the sheet due to the drawing of the sheet. A pouch-shaped battery case manufacturing process uses the pouch-shaped battery case shaping apparatus to shape the sheet.