Cambridge EnerTech’s

High Performance Battery Manufacturing

Advanced R&D for the Global Production of Safe, High Energy Batteries

March 26-27, 2019

Advances in manufacturing will be the catalyst for the growth of high performance batteries for electric vehicles, stationary and portable applications. This conference will take a global perspective on battery manufacturing and will bring together the key stakeholders that represent the complete value chain of battery manufacturing and will showcase the latest innovations from key manufacturers in Asia, Europe and the United States. With presentations focusing on the latest approaches to assembly, automation, efficiency, inspection methods and cost reduction. Valuable insight will be gained into the entire global manufacturing ecosystem. Conference attendees will gain a critical understanding of the state of manufacturing from around the world and who is leading the way to the future of battery manufacturing.

Final Agenda

Monday, March 25

7:00 am – 3:00 pm Tutorial and Training Seminar* Registration Open

7:00 – 8:00 am Morning Coffee

8:00 – 4:00 pm Pre-Conference Tutorials and Training Seminar*

4:00 Close of Day

Tuesday, March 26

7:00 am Registration and Morning Coffee

8:05 Organizer’s Opening Remarks

Craig Wohlers, Executive Director, Conferences, Cambridge EnerTech

8:10 Chairperson’s Remarks

Franz Josef Kruger, PhD, Head of Business Unit TreoPore, Treofan Germany GmbH & Co. KG

8:15 FEATURED PRESENTATION: Li-ion Progress and Ceramic Coated Separator

John Zhang, PhD, Senior Technical Executive Officer, Asahi Kasei Separator

One of the critical and important changes for Li-ion batteries is the separator change: from THICK polyolefin film to Ceramic Coated THIN polymer films, which greatly enhanced battery energy density, battery safety and battery performance. This presentation will share the creation, the functions, the mechanisms and the process of modern CERAMIC COATED separators for high energy density Lithium batteries.

8:45 Nickle Metal Hydride - Older Technology Gets New Life

Dennis Malec, Senior Applications Engineer, Panasonic Corporation of North America

When NiMH came out as a replacement for the environmentally unfriendly NiCd chemistry, it quickly got overshadowed by Lithium Ion. However, with all the safety, transportation concerns, and materials availability/costs of Li Ion, NiMH is again being considered in applications where size and weight are not as critical. New formulations allows this chemistry to be considered in products previously off limits to its capabilities. I’ll explore this revitalized chemistry, and show how our NiMH factory is still developing new cells to meet tomorrows demands.

9:15 Trends in the Development of Li-Ion Battery Technology and Industry

Haokun Deng, PhD, Director of Project Management, EVE Energy Co., Ltd.

Since 2017, there's been dramatic change in technical solutions and industrial development in li-ion batteries within only one year. Fast charge technology, long cycle life, reliability, quality and safety performance have drawn more attention than before. In battery industry, the big become bigger, and the occupation of market of these big companies tends to focus on several points, and business brought by huge auto companies across overseas due to their global supply chain strategy. The presentation focuses on these points which are about to become hot topics in 2-3 years.

9:45 Networking Coffee Break

10:15 Chairperson’s Remarks

Jeff Norris, PhD, CEO, Paraclete Energy

10:20 Improving Electrode Manufacturing and Battery Performance through Innovative Coating Technology

Stuart Hellring, PhD, Senior Scientist, PPG

Electrode coating formulation technology has a significant impact on cell performance. In addition, electrode manufacturing complexity can be improved by applying coatings with effectively designed formulations. With well-designed binder and solvent systems, electrode coating performance can be optimized to maximize production and performance.

10:50 Enabling Improved Battery Performance for High Volume Manufacturing

Subramanya Herle, PhD, Director, DMTS, Office of the CTO, Applied Materials

Enhancing battery performance is very critical for various applications. New materials and deposition technologies are needed to enable the battery roadmap. Increasing cell voltage, safety, active material capacity and decreasing inactive material weight/volume are very important attributes for meeting the energy density roadmap. In this talk, we will explore a deeper understanding of what is happening in the anode, and how that affects overall battery performance.

11:20 Low Voltage for 48V Applications and High Energy Density Applications for Traditional and Beyond Lithium Ion Technologies

Brian Sisk, PhD, Vice President, Product Development, A123 Systems, LLC

A123 is well known as a developer and manufacturer of lithium ion cells based on our proprietary lithium iron phosphate cathode material along with Nickle Manganese Cobalt. This presentation will share A123’s expanded product portfolio for current transportation application demands, as well as provide a detailed technology road map for Traditional and Beyond Lithium Ion Cell Chemistries.

11:50 Pattern Coating of Battery Electrodes by Slot-Die

Scott Zwierlein, Coating Process Engineer, Coating and Drying Equipment, Frontier LLC - a Delta ModTech Company

The ability to coat electrode material in discrete rectangular patches is becoming more and more useful in the energy storage industry. Exposed current collector surrounding all sides of an electrode allows for more design options and versatility in battery fabrication. The goal of this presentation is to describe the process of applying electrode slurries to substrate in discrete rectangle via roll to roll, Slot Die Coating.

12:05 pm Cycling Characteristics of Silicon Enhanced and Boronated Lac Knife Natural Flake Graphite in Lithium Ion Batteries

Joseph Doninger, PhD, Director of Manufacturing and Technology, Focus Graphite Inc.

In 2017 Focus Graphite introduced its silicon enhanced Lac Knife graphite for use in high energy lithium ion batteries. This presentation includes the results from further cycling studies on the silicon enhanced graphite and introduces the initial work conducted on boronating Lac Knife graphite to improve high power performance.

12:20 Grand Opening Networking Luncheon in the Exhibit Hall

PALM BALLROOM

1:25 Plenary Keynote Session: Organizer's Remarks

1:30 - 2:00 1000, 2000, 3000 .... N Cycles from Li-Ion Cells: How Large Can N Be?

Jeff Dahn, PhD, Professor of Physics and Atmospheric Science, NSERC/Tesla Canada Industrial Research Chair, Dalhousie University

Our laboratory has developed many methods to help rank the lifetime of cells in relatively short duration experiments (coulombic efficiency, isothermal microcalorimetry, etc.) so that cell developers and users can move rapidly to find next generation chemistries. In this presentation I will describe another powerful method and give examples of how it has been useful in developing outstanding cells that last many thousands of charge-discharge cycles and last many years.

2:00 - 2:30 Battery System Engineering Challenges and Opportunities for the Cell, Pack and System

James Lim, PhD, Battery System Engineering Manager, Google

Designing and verifying a well-balanced battery for safety, reliability, performance, availability, and cost requires strong cross-functional team interactions during system integration and product launch. The opportunities are being able to provide viable options, evaluate tradeoffs, and deliver battery solutions associated with next generation products.

2:30 Dessert Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing

3:15 Chairperson’s Remarks

John Zhang, PhD, Senior Technical Executive Officer, Asahi Sasei Separator

3:20 Youlion Enters the GWh Factory Competition

Huanyu (Henry) Mao, PhD, Chairman & General Manager, Suzhou Youlion Battery Ltd., China

Youlion Battery Inc., founded 2014 in Suzhou, has started their fully automated production of prismatic (VDA format) cells in their first 1 GWh facility. With their already existing production line for cylindrical cells, this brings up their total production capacity to 1.5 GWh per year, with definitive plans for expansion up to 2.5 GWh. It will be demonstrated that Youlion cells and battery packs surpass most stringent automotive performance and safety requirements.

3:50 Development of 48V Start-Stop Power Batteries

Lingdi Cao, PhD, Vice President, Lishen Research Institute, Tianjin Lishen Battery Joint-Stock Co., Ltd.

This presentation focuses on the progress of the 21700 cell development at Tianjin Lishen Battery Company. Three types of 21700 cells, viz energy cell, power cell and fast charge cell, are being developed targeting the xEV, ESS, Power Tool and Portable Mobile Device markets. Benefits of 21700 cells will be discussed and a three-year product roadmap will be presented.

4:20 Li-Ion Battery Manufacturing Cost Scenarios

Franz Josef Kruger, PhD, Senior Advisor Automotive, Roland Berger GmbH

The main cost drivers for the production of li-ion cells are related to raw material costs for lithium, nickel and cobalt. The presentation shows the development of total cell production costs based on raw material cost forecasts as well as the impact of actual and future cell chemistries.

4:50 Welcome Reception in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing

5:50 Interactive Breakout Discussion Groups

The breakouts are informal, moderated discussions with brainstorming and interactive problem solving, allowing participants from diverse backgrounds to exchange ideas and experiences and develop future collaborations around a focused topic. Each topic is led by a moderator who ensures focused conversation around the key issues of that topic. Attendees choose to join a specific group. View list of topics here.

6:50 Close of Day

Wednesday, March 27

7:15 am Registration and Morning Coffee

8:25 Chairperson’s Remarks

Huanyu (Henry) Mao, PhD, Chairman & General Manager, Suzhou Youlion Battery Ltd., China

8:30 New Markets and New Electrochemistry at Saft

Thomas Greszler, Cell Development Manager, North America, Saft

Saft is entering a new, dramatic growth stage including expansion into new markets and applications; our strategy and plans will be discussed. In addition, Saft continues to invest and develop new electrochemistry including advanced LTO, Mn-phosphate, and solid-state; recent advancements will be shown. Finally, Saft capabilities for space and defense, including both very high power and world-class high energy density pouches will be presented.

9:00 Lithium Market Volatility: A Case Study in Battery Raw Material Price Risk

Andy Miller, Senior Analyst, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence

This talk will cover lithium’s price rise & fall: China vs. the rest of the world. In addition, supply challenges in the era of the lithium ion battery, the cathode demand outlook and battery raw material price risk will be presented.

9:30 Discussion with Data, Validates Paraclete’s SM-Silicon/3590™ as the Highest Capacity, Cycle Stable Silicon on the Market

Jeff Norris, CEO, Paraclete Energy

Performance and electrochemistry data validating Paraclete’s SM-Silicon/3590™ will be discussed as well as its product architecture describing how cycle stability is achieved and the roadmap for its Fast Charge product will be covered. SM-Silicon/3590™ is a drop-in precursor that has an ICL and tap density similar to graphite. SM-Silicon /3590™ at 3,590 mAh/g is priced at up to 5x less than composites available today at only 450 mAh/g.

10:00 Coffee Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing

10:45 Cathode Materials: Where All Battery Raw Material Challenges Meet: Threat or Opportunity?

Robert Privette, Business Development Manager, North America, Rechargeable Battery Materials, Umicore USA Inc.

Exponential growth of Li Ion industry has caused major concerns about the availability of Cobalt, Nickel and Lithium. All these supply challenges meet at the cathode maker level. In this presentation, we will separate hype from funded concern and discuss different routes to provide security of supply.

11:15 Technology, Timing, and Team: Choosing the Right Ones for Li-Ion Recycling

Tim Grejtak, Energy Storage Analyst, Lux Research

The Li-ion battery recycling industry today is fragmented, with multiple companies pursuing multiple process technologies. What is the timeline for recycling demand? Which methods are best positioned to succeed as Li-ion battery chemistry evolves? Who are the key players today and what should investors and suppliers look for in the future? By combining technical expertise with a focus on early-stage innovation, Lux Research will answer these questions and provide a valuable perspective on battery recycling.

11:45 The Path to Cost Effective Lithium Ion Battery Recycling

Jeffrey Spangenberger, Materials Recycling Group Leader, Argonne National Laboratory

End-of-life lithium ion batteries in electric and hybrid-electric vehicles are just now starting to reach their end-of-life. The recycling infrastructure that these batteries are expected to go through will likely cost the end user money. Argonne National Laboratory is working to develop ways to reduce cost and increase revenue to improve the economic outlook of responsible end-of-life lithium-ion battery management. This presentation will provide a summary of the work.

12:15pm Networking Plated Luncheon

1:15 Dessert Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing

PALM BALLROOM

1:45 Plenary Keynote Session: Organizer's Remarks

1:50 Shep Wolsky Battery Innovator Award

2:00 PANEL DISCUSSION: What Innovations/Advancements Do OEMs Need to Enable Near-Term, Large-Scale Production?

Moderator:

Celina Mikolajczak, Director of Engineering, Energy Storage Systems, Uber

Panelists:

Mohamed Alamgir, PhD, Research Director, LG Chem

Timothy Arthur, PhD, Principal Scientist, Materials Research Department, Toyota Research Institute of North America

Micheal Austin, Vice President, BYD US Operations (BYD America-IT, BYD Motors, BYD Energy)

Craig Rigby, Vice President Technology, Power Solutions, Johnson Controls

Bob Taenaka, Technical Specialist, Battery System Development, Ford Motor Company

What do OEMs need for near term, large-scale innovation? Can the global battery R&D community deliver on what advancements OEMs need for large-scale production? Our distinguished panel will discuss what they need to innovate and what they anticipate their future requirements will be. In addition, our panelists will discuss what innovation can be achieved to meet the OEMs requirements.

2:55 Refreshment Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing

3:40 Close of Conference