Turn it ON: Battery Processing Solutions by Hosokawa Micron Group

Turn it ON: Battery Processing Solutions by Hosokawa Micron Group

As the future of e-mobility and the energy sector is subject to rapid changes, Hosokawa Micron Group offers their solutions in form of a new brand: ON. Learn how to improve production and processing of battery active materials!

Precise and clean processing for more power

In the rapidly evolving world of battery technology, efficiency and precision are essential. Thus, the Hosokawa Micron Group introduces an innovative brand named ON. The groundbreaking suite of machines and systems are designed to make a change on powder and particle processing within the battery industry.

Considering that energy storage has a wide range of applications, ON sets its focus on three main sectors:

• anode active material processing (graphite and other materials)
• cathode active material processing (lithium, and many more)
• in-house (direct scrap) recycling of battery materials 

These approaches towards the future of batteries aim to enhance the processes’ efficiency and increase material and product performance significantly. A positive effect of ON’s smart designs, the processing of battery materials shifts towards economical and sustainable solutions.

Shared know-how for ON-going progress

ON is a result of the collaborative efforts of five companies within the Hosokawa Micron Group: which combines our experience and know-how from Japan, Germany, the Netherlands, UK and the USA. This collaboration combines expertise from various fields, including cathode active material processing, anode active material processing, drying and mixing, containment solutions, and material handling.

Marco Hauk, Senior Vice President Sales Powder Segment at Hosokawa Alpine, emphasizes the importance of pooling together these versatile competencies to meet the growing demands of battery manufacturers. The ON brand stands for the energy and power behind these innovations, providing comprehensive and scalable solutions from laboratory to full scale production.

What are energy performance materials and how to create them

Processing powders and particles for batteries enhances various traits of the final energy storage. Thus, ON-machines are specialized for e-mobility and energy storage. The highly efficient and customized systems are designed to run smoothly while minimizing energy consumption.

To accomplish this, ON incorporates processing advancements such as spheroidization, containment solutions, and precise milling and classifying technologies. These systems and processes refine the otherwise wasted battery materials and transform them into so called Energy Performance Materials (EPM). The EPM improve capabilities of anodes and cathodes, resulting in batteries with higher capacities and faster charging times.

Next to the enhancement of materials ON-technologies also allow for the reintroduction of production scrap back into the manufacturing process, making the entire operation economically advantageous, while improving the products’ quality.

Anode active materials: Comfortable and particular graphite processing

Graphite plays a critical role in the performance of lithium-ion batteries, especially as an anode active material. Hosokawa Micron Group offers a comprehensive suite of graphite optimization technologies through ON.

By ensuring an optimal particle size distribution, increasing tap density, and enlarged surface area, ON’s graphite processing systems enhance battery performance and longevity. Hosokawa Alpine, part of the Hosokawa Micron Group, provides advanced systems for rounding natural and synthetic graphite particles, thereby affecting battery life, fast-charging capacity, and conductivity significantly.

Cathode active material: Safe and clean lithium compound processing

Lithium, a key component in lithium-ion batteries, is essential for high-performance applications in electromobility and consumer electronics. ON portrays a range of advanced processing technologies to produce peak cathode materials from lithium compounds like NMC, NCA, and LFP. ON systems ensure that lithium remains free from moisture and contamination achieving a steep particle size distribution.

Machines, such as classifier mills and fluidized bed opposed jet mills, maintain high throughput with clean and exact particle size control. Additionally, high-shear mixers such as Cyclomix and Nobilta provide homogeneous mixtures and robust coatings, enhancing the conductivity and stability of cathode materials. This is crucial for faster charging, longer battery life, and higher capacity. 

Enhanced safety with cutting-edge containment solutions

Since battery production involves handling hazardous materials, product and operators’ safety is a top priority of ON. Thus, ON is the perfect solution against containment. Its range includes packing heads with local extraction, precision filling and weighing systems, laminar flow booths, downflow booths, isolators, and gloveboxes.

With safety standards ranging from OEB 1 up to OEB 6 ON-labeled machines will protect you along your production process. Hosokawa Micron Ltd. has developed these solutions to fit specific requirements, ensuring seamless integration into any battery material production setup. These systems not only enhance safety but also boost operational efficiency, reducing costs and increasing productivity.

How to enable battery recycling with ON

As the production and use of lithium-ion batteries continue to grow, so does the importance of recycling. Hosokawa Alpine’s in-house recycling solutions for lithium-ion batteries focus on both production scrap and end-of-life battery recycling. With the specialized ON-machines one can maximize material recovery whilst minimizing the loss of valuable components and optimizing the production process.

ON-systems efficiently handle production scrap by cutting battery foils, delaminating cathode and anode materials, and seamlessly reintegrating them into the coating process. For end-of-life batteries, ON-technologies are able to ensure the delamination process for further processing.  By in-house recycling, they can retrieve valuable materials like graphite, cobalt, and lithium, preparing their re-introduction into the production cycle.

ON-bracing the future of battery manufacturing

With the increasing emphasis on compact batteries with high energy density, fast charging times, and long service lives, ON supports customers in material and process development as well as the perfection of raw and active materials.

From drying, grinding, and coating for cathode active material to efficient graphite rounding for anodes, ON displays a holistic solution for powder and particle processing within your battery material production. By focusing on customization, efficiency and high-quality technology, Hosokawa Micron Group’s sends ON to impact e-mobility and the battery manufacturing industry.

For more information about the ON and how it can enhance your battery production processes, visit Hosokawa Micron Group’s ON.

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