In the energy field of today, lithium batteries, with their advantages of high energy density and long lifespan, have become the preferred power source for numerous electronic products and electric vehicles. And the remarkable performance of lithium batteries is inseparable from advanced production processes and core equipment.
- The production process and core equipment of lithium batteries.
- Manufacturing process
The production technology of lithium batteries is divided into three stages: pre-production, mid-production and post-production.
- The front-end process turns raw materials into pole pieces. The key process is coating. The value of front-end equipment in lithium battery production accounts for approximately 40%. Within this, the value of the coater constitutes 75%, and the value of the roller press is greater than that of the slitter. As ternary materials are applied more widely, the proportion of the value of front-end equipment will gradually increase.
- In the middle stage, pole pieces are processed into unactivated battery cells. The main equipment includes winding machines or stacking machines and liquid injection machines, etc., which account for approximately 30% of the total value. The value of winding machines accounts for 70%. At present, the market concentration of winding machines is relatively high.
- In the back-end stage, detection and packaging are carried out. The core processes are formation and capacity grading, which account for approximately 30% of the total value. The formation and grading system accounts for 70%, while assembly accounts for 30%.
- Front stage: Manufacture high-quality pole pieces
(1)Preliminary process
- Stirring: Employ a lithium battery vacuum mixer to turn positive and negative active materials into bubble-free pasty substances with the action of special solvents and binders.
- Coating: Evenly apply the slurry on the surface of metal foil to produce positive and negative pole pieces. It is of crucial importance for the consistency, cycle life and safety of lithium batteries.
- Rolling: Compress the pole pieces by a double-roll press to increase the energy density of the battery and strengthen the bonding strength between the active material and the foil.
- Slitting: Cut the pole pieces to the desired width. It is required to be free of burrs to prevent affecting battery performance.
(2)Coating machine
- As the core equipment in the front stage, the coater has evolved from doctor blade type, transfer type to slot die coating type. Slot die coating is mainly used in power batteries. The degree of its advancement directly impacts the chemical performance and yield rate of batteries.
- For the technical inspection of coater equipment, there are four aspects. Firstly, the coating technology should meet the production requirements for different thicknesses, with the precision control being below 2 microns. Secondly, the tension technology ensures uniform tension in each section of the sheet path during operation. Thirdly, the deviation correction technology guarantees the stable operation of the sheet path and realizes precision coating. Finally, the drying technology needs to improve the control of wind field and temperature field and reduce the length of the air duct while ensuring speed.
- Coating efficiency is also a crucial index. The coating speed of leading enterprises can reach 120 meters per minute, and the coating width can reach 1400 millimeters.
(3)Rolling press machine
- The significance of rolling is to compact the pole pieces and enhance energy density.An appropriate compaction density can increase the discharge capacity of the battery and reduce internal resistance and other beneficial effects. But during the rolling process, problems such as inconsistent pole piece thickness and overpressure may arise, which will affect the performance of the battery cell and the subsequent processing effect.
- The advanced level of roller press technology is mainly evaluated by surface density and compaction density. Currently, leading equipment can make the specific capacity and compaction density of lithium iron phosphate cathode materials reach a relatively high level.
(4)Slitting machine
- The slitter cuts the pole pieces after rolling into the required width. High-end slitters are equipped with the function of slitting wavy edges and excellent tension control technology. The difficulties in the pole piece slitting process are handling issues such as burrs, wavy edges and powder dropping.
- Middle stage: Accomplish battery cell processing efficiently
(1)Manufacturing step
- The processes in the middle stage consist of winding/stacking and liquid injection. Winding machines can be classified into cylindrical winding and square winding. Stacking machines are employed in the production of soft-pack battery cells.
- The middle-stage equipment for lithium batteries emphasizes individuality and has high demands for precision, efficiency, and consistency. At present, winding machines are more commonly applied, but the soft-pack batteries produced by stacking machines possess numerous advantages.
(2)Winder
- Tension control is a core technology. Tension fluctuations will have an impact on product consistency. Leading domestic enterprises are able to control the tension fluctuation of cylindrical batteries to be less than 5% and that of square batteries to be less than 10%.
- Automatic deviation correction technology and winding speed are equally essential. Currently, the winding speed of cylindrical battery cells of leading domestic enterprises reaches more than 18 meters per second, and that of square battery cells is over 0.8 meters per second.
(3)Stacking machine
- The stacking machine stacks positive and negative pole pieces and separators to form small battery cell units, and then assembles them into large battery cells. The battery cells produced by the stacking process feature low internal resistance, a high discharge platform, high energy density, and excellent rate performance. Nevertheless, it demands high operational skills and has low production efficiency.
- Later stage: Guarantee the stability of battery performance
(1)Manufacturing step
- Later-stage procedures consist of packaging, formation and capacity grading, testing and sorting, module assembly, and PACK, etc. Formation and capacity grading is a crucial step. Through charging and discharging, the active substances of the battery cell are activated to form a SEI film, which has an impact on battery performance.
(2)Formation and capacity classification
- The formation, grading and detection system imposes stringent requirements on charging and discharging voltage and current. The charger-discharger equipped with "energy feedback" technology can address the heat dissipation issue and save 60% to 80% of electricity. The smallest operational unit of the charger-discharger is the "channel", and a "unit" consists of multiple channels.
- Features of the lithium battery equipment industry
- Customized R & D. Generally, the gross profit margin is relatively high.
- Lithium battery equipment manufacturers carry out customized development based on customer requirements. The average gross profit margin ranges from 35% to 45%. The high gross profit margin is expected to be sustained.
- Production is based on sales orders. There are relatively few finished goods in inventory, while the proportion of goods dispatched is high
- Equipment enterprises enhance the standardization level while fulfilling customers' personalized requirements. The delivery time is typically between 2 and 6 months. The acceptance time for later-stage equipment generally ranges from 9 months to 1 year.
- The trend toward high efficiency and greater integration is growing stronger
- The enhancement of equipment efficiency results in a decline in the value of equipment per GWh. Integrated equipment like laser cutting and winding integrated machines and coating, rolling and separating integrated machines can boost production line efficiency.
- The entry barrier of the lithium battery equipment industry is rather high
- Capital threshold: The payment collection pattern results in a long payment period. New entrants must possess substantial financial strength.
- Automation rate threshold: The government and battery manufacturers impose stringent demands on automation. New enterprises must have a high degree of automation rate.
- Customer stickiness threshold: Lithium battery manufacturers are highly attached to equipment suppliers and are extremely cautious in making choices. Generally speaking, they do not readily switch suppliers.
- Technology accumulation threshold: As the concentration of downstream industries rises, the leading position of equipment manufacturers remains stable. New entrants require a long period of time for technology accumulation.
- The localization rate of the industry is on the rise,the profitability of middle and later stage equipment is relatively high
- The localization rate is steadily rising. Domestic equipment holds distinct advantages in terms of price and service.
- Domestic equipment featuring leading-edge technology has strong bargaining power. The profitability of front-end, middle-end, and back-end equipment ascends in sequence.
- Competition pattern
- Leading enterprise
(1)In terms of front-end equipment, enterprises like Haoneng, Neware, and Yakon have emerged in the field of coating machines. Nevertheless, there is still a disparity compared to international first-class ones. The degree of localization is constantly increasing.
(2)In the field of middle-stage equipment, Lead Intelligent has an outstanding market share in the winding machine market, with Yinghe and Yixinfeng closely following. Chaoye, Jiadi, and Greensun hold a certain share in the stacking machine market but are confronted with the impact from large enterprises.
(3)In terms of back-end equipment, HANGKE Technologies, Titan New Power, and Lyric Robot Automation are the leading companies. HANGKE Technologies is technologically advanced and has a high export ratio.
- In the short term pattern, leading equipment manufacturers are tied to major customers, ensuring their stable status in the short run.
- The increase in production capacity of large downstream battery customers spurs the growth of the revenue of upstream equipment suppliers. Equipment suppliers like Lead Intelligent, Yinghe, and HANGCHA Technologies all have customers who are industry-leading battery enterprises.
- In the long-term pattern, the degree of concentration in the lithium battery equipment industry will keep on rising.
- The rising concentration of major downstream customers leads to the enhanced concentration of upstream equipment companies.
- The horizontal consolidation of equipment enterprises is speeding up. Multi-process integrated equipment has emerged as a standout product.
- Overseas equipment suppliers are progressively losing their share in the domestic market. Breakthroughs have been achieved in the substitution of high-end domestic equipment.
In the realm of middle-stage equipment for lithium battery manufacturing, the competition is growing fiercer by the day. Yixinfeng is dedicated to the research, development, and production of middle-stage equipment. With superb technology and dependable quality, it offers customers efficient integrated winding and flattening machines and other equipment. Yixinfeng's equipment boasts a wide compatibility range and can produce battery cells of any type. It helps customers enhance production efficiency and cut costs, playing a crucial role in the middle stage of lithium battery production. Choosing Yixinfeng is choosing professionalism and quality. Let's embark on a new future of lithium battery production together.