SK On accelerates the production process of flame-retardant batteries

SK On plans to further improve its flame-retardant electric vehicle battery technology.

The company seeks to achieve both “safety” and “productivity” by improving the speed of its battery production process.

SK On plans to increase its productivity by 2.7 times over the first-generation production process by increasing the speed of the Z-bend process, which is the core of SK On’s flame-retardant battery technology.

At Interbattery 2022 held at COEX in Seoul from March 17-19, SK On announced that it has increased the productivity of the third-generation Z-bend process, which is already in place for volume production, from 2.3 times compared to the first. generation process. The expo marked the first time that SK On revealed the productivity of the Z-bend process. The company has drawn up an internal plan to increase the speed by 2.7 times by 2022.

To date, SK On has focused the company’s capabilities on achieving the highest level of security in the industry. As a result, no fires occurred when delivering 350 million battery cells to the electric vehicle market.

At the heart of the company’s fire-resistant technology is the Z-folding process, which prevents the possibility of contact between a cathode and anode by placing zigzag-shaped separators.

Although the Z-folding method improves battery safety, it is slower than other production methods, many experts pointed out. SK On’s emphasis on improving productivity suggests that the company has improved the speed of the production process to a level comparable to that of other manufacturers.