Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA
Battery Technologies
Battery Cells of the Future – High-Performance, Sustainable, and Manufacturable
Batteries are a key technology for the energy and mobility transition. As demand rises and costs fall, new applications are emerging – bringing increasingly diverse requirements for performance, quality, and sustainability.
Battery cell manufacturing is complex and costly. Our research therefore focuses on the products and processes that can make a real difference:
- Improving quality and reducing waste: through tracking and tracing, intelligent sensors and actuators, and innovative digital applications.
- Closing material cycles: through direct inline recycling, including delamination and material recovery.
- Developing future-oriented products: high-performance, sustainable and manufacturable – from novel current collector designs and post-lithium-ion anode technologies to sodium-ion batteries and solid-state batteries, CMR- and PFAS-free material systems, and recycling-oriented product design.
We enable battery cell manufacturing that is economically viable, environmentally responsible and socially sustainable. Our testing and scale-up infrastructure provides the basis for transferring optimized processes, equipment components and product components from the laboratory to industrial applications.
The result: Companies within the battery ecosystem can implement new ideas more rapidly, flexibly adapt their manufacturing processes to new cell technologies, and bring manufacturable, high-performance and environmentally sustainable batteries to market for a wide range of applications.
Our focus areas
- Design- and format-flexible prototype manufacturing of battery cells
- Testing, cycling, and characterization of battery cells
- Development and testing of new battery cell technologies and associated processes using experimental and model-based approaches (cell designs, electrical contacting concepts, and product components)
- Next-generation lithium-ion batteries, solid-state batteries, sodium-ion batteries, and anode technologies
- Design for recycling, optimization, and scale-up of innovative manufacturing and processing methods for novel products
- Further development and testing of equipment components for battery cell manufacturing systems, including sensors and actuators
- Development and scale-up of innovative processes for the direct inline recycling of production waste
- Electrical contacting, characterization, decision-making, and discharge of end-of-life batteries
High-quality, cost-effective, and digitally supported processes | Cell manufacturing
Efficient processes are key to producing competitive battery cells. We support the targeted optimization of production technologies and equipment components and their scale-up to industrial production. In our design- and format-flexible prototype production environment, we test new approaches under industry-relevant conditions. Our work focuses on process development and optimization in electrode winding, current collector contacting, electrolyte filling, and cell finishing. We also develop and scale up innovative processing methods specifically tailored to novel products and materials.
Manufacturable, high-performance, and sustainable products | Cell manufacturing
Next-generation battery technologies require new materials, designs, and manufacturing concepts. We develop and test new battery cell technologies and the associated processes – from initial concept to scale-up. Using experimental and simulation-based methods, we develop new electrode winding and cell designs, materials, and product components. Our research covers next-generation lithium-ion batteries, solid-state batteries, and sodium-ion batteries as well as innovative anode technologies and components designed for recycling. We also provide comprehensive cell testing, cycling, and characterization, along with post-mortem and ageing analyses using experimental and model-based approaches. Supporting process development at laboratory scale ensures the manufacturability of new products.
Direct inline recycling of production waste | Cell manufacturing
Production waste does not have to be lost. We develop and scale up innovative processes for the direct inline recycling of production waste – directly within the manufacturing process and without complex external processing. This allows valuable materials to be recovered and reused immediately. For end-of-life batteries, we also develop solutions for reliable electrical contacting, characterization, decision-making, and discharging as a basis for efficient recycling.
Improving processes through optimized equipment components | Equipment components
Better equipment components enable better processes. We evaluate the potential of equipment components such as sensors and actuators for battery cell manufacturing. Based on our findings, we develop and optimize components to meet the specific requirements of cell production. This also includes the development of AI-based digital systems with closed-loop control. Our research and development platform enables testing under industry-relevant manufacturing conditions. Using our design- and format-flexible prototype manufacturing facilities and cell testing at laboratory and pilot scale, we validate the actual impact of new equipment components on manufacturing processes.
Improving products through optimized components | Product components
Every component counts — from the separator to the adhesive tape. We evaluate the potential applications of product components in battery cell manufacturing and identify opportunities for optimization in terms of performance, quality, and sustainability. Working closely with you, we develop and test new product components for battery cells to specifically enhance their performance. Through our flexible prototype manufacturing—which accommodates various designs and formats—followed by cell testing on a laboratory and pilot plant scale, we demonstrate the added value of your components in a practical, real-world context based on product performance.
Bringing innovation into practice together.
Whether you are a start-up, an SME, or a large company, we collaborate with you to develop solutions for battery cell manufacturing and support their transfer to industrial applications.