Cellforce Group and Dürr Successfully Establish Joint Mass Production Process for Double Sided Electrode Coating

The Cellforce Group and Dürr have jointly commissioned a high-tech coating facility for high-performance battery cells in Bietigheim-Bissingen. Cellforce Group, a joint venture of Porsche and battery specialist CUSTOMCELLS, has successfully implemented the mass production process for its electrode coating over the past twelve months, drawing on the knowledge, technology and the direct proximity to the machine and plant manufacturer Dürr.

The Cellforce Group (CFG) uses a Dürr process that allows both sides of the electrode to be coated simultaneously. In this way, the coating process can be accelerated and the precision and quality significantly increased compared to the standard procedure.

In conventional processes, the anode and cathode materials are not applied simultaneously but rather one after the other on both sides of a thin metal foil.

The double-sided electrode coating technology was developed by Dürr’s US subsidiary, Megtec, which was acquired in 2018. (Previous article.)

To successfully commission and establish the process, the Cellforce Group has been at the Dürr site in Bietigheim-Bissingen for several months and has set up production on a factory line.

The Cellforce Group is currently building a development and production site for battery cells in the Reutlingen-Kirchentellinsfurt industrial park. Once this new site is completed, the production processes set up in Dürr can be taken over and continued directly. To ensure long-lasting operation of the coating line, Dürr also supplies equipment for the purification of exhaust air and the recovery of more than 99% of the solvents used.

Cellforce Group GmbH (CFG) plans to develop and produce high-performance lithium-ion pocket cells for special automotive applications from 2024. Cellforce is a joint venture in which Porsche AG holds a 72.7% stake, the shares remaining being held by CUSTOMCELLS Holding GmbH. . The managing directors are Markus Gräf as Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Wolfgang Hüsken as Chief Financial Officer (CFO). The workforce is expected to reach up to 100 people by 2025.