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Kurimoto Iron Works Co., Ltd. and Hitachi High-Tech Corporation have commenced a collaboration (hereinafter referred to as this collaboration) aimed at optimizing the conditions of the mixing process in battery manufacturing.
In this collaboration, addressing the challenge that optimizing the mixing process conditions in the slurry manufacturing process, which significantly impacts battery performance, heavily relies on advanced expertise and experience, Kurimoto Iron Works, a pioneer in the mixing field, will leverage its long-cultivated mixing technology, domain knowledge, and abundant operational data, along with Hitachi High-Tech’s analytical and data analysis technologies, AI, and informatics technologies to create physical AI. This will enable the stable supply of high-quality, high-solids slurry and verify the optimization of the mixing process and the reduction of the development period. This will contribute to the advancement and efficiency of the high-quality slurry manufacturing process, as well as to improved battery performance and yield during production startup.
In recent years, demand for rechargeable batteries, including lithium-ion batteries, has remained high in consumer electronics, smart devices, and industrial equipment, necessitating increased efficiency in manufacturing processes and improved quality stability. In particular, the mixing process, which involves uniformly blending multiple materials to produce a slurry, is considered a crucial step that affects the precision of electrode thickness and density, and thus influences battery performance. However, continuously producing a uniform slurry under optimal mixing conditions requires high technical skill and expertise, making it a highly difficult and challenging process.
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Kurimoto Iron Works possesses advanced mixing technology and contributes to accelerating the development of manufacturing processes in the chemical industry and the field of next-generation battery materials. Their mixing process using the twin-screw continuous mixer “KRC Kneader” allows for adjustment of the degree of mixing by combining multiple paddle shapes incorporated into the mixer according to the purpose. By leveraging this feature, even raw materials prone to agglomeration can be dispersed and homogenized, minimizing variations in quality from lot to lot in continuous production, and achieving both improved quality and productivity. However, determining the optimal paddle arrangement involves countless combinations and trade-offs. Furthermore, setting the optimal mixing conditions in combination with operating conditions has been a challenge, requiring advanced expertise and experience.
日立ハイテク has provided analytical and measurement equipment to a wide range of fields, including batteries, semiconductors, and chemicals, and possesses quality control, evaluation and measurement technologies, and industry knowledge tailored to customer needs. Furthermore, by leveraging digital technologies and utilizing materials informatics (MI), Hitachi has provided solutions for materials development and manufacturing processes, supporting the DX promotion of its manufacturing customers as One Hitachi.
This collaboration will combine the technologies, know-how, knowledge, and digital technologies of both companies to address the challenges of quality and production efficiency in uniform slurry manufacturing, a process that previously relied on highly specialized knowledge and experience when setting mixing conditions.
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