AICHELIN Ges.m.b.H. from Austria secures important developments for Europe’s battery industry thanks to a strategic partnership with Chinese company KILNPARTNER, thus supporting the transformation towards e-mobility.
Increasing the range of battery-powered vehicles and the increase in energy density that comes with it, while reducing the dead weight of the lithium-ion batteries used is high on the agenda of battery manufacturers and the automotive industry. This is an argument that may convince many to switch to electromobility.
The thermal processes used to treat the essential components of Li-ion batteries represent a key technology in this process. These include the cathode as LFP (lithium iron phosphate) or NMC (nickel manganese cobalt) and the active anode material. Only through a highly accurate heat treatment can the crystal structure and morphology of the material be trimmed to “peak performance”. In order to achieve this goal, each manufacturer has its own processes. The common basic requirement is flexible and reliable plant technology, the so-called “kilns”.
Precise and reproducible thermal processes have been the specialty of the AICHELIN Group for 155 years. The company has been a pioneer in plant and process technology for decades and has been looking for additional fields of application for its extensive experience in heat treatment.
The Chinese company KILNPARTNER has gained an excellent reputation on its home market through close cooperation with manufacturers and research institutes and has been able to successfully put several hundred plants into operation. For the leap onto the European market, they have found a trustworthy and reliable partner in AICHELIN.
A cooperation agreement was signed in China between AICHELIN Ges.m.b.H. and SUZHOU KILNPARTNER Mechanical Technology Co.Ltd. The aim of the agreement is to jointly provide European battery manufacturers with the best heat treatment technology and to support them throughout the life cycle of their plants.
