Babcock & Wilcox MEGTEC (B&W MEGTEC) has been awarded a contract for more than $15-million to design and supply advanced battery electrode coating equipment to K.R. ENERGY Group subsidiary FIB S.r.l. for a lithium-ion battery manufacturing facility currently under construction in Teverola, Italy.
 
The centerpiece of the B&W MEGTEC equipment will be two ProCoater™ coating lines that feature its proprietary simultaneous double-sided coating and drying technology. Each ProCoater will be matched with a mixing and slitting system. In addition to the two coating lines, B&W MEGTEC will provide general contracting and plant start-up services. The plant will include both anode and cathode coating lines.
 
“B&W MEGTEC pioneered simultaneous two-sided coating systems for battery electrodes,” said Kenneth Zak, Senior Vice President B&W MEGTEC. “The systems simplify production, reduce operating costs and improve quality.
 
“The lithium ion-battery manufacturing market is one of the leading growth opportunities for B&W MEGTEC, and we thank K.R. ENERGY and FIB S.r.l. for the opportunity to work with them as a manufacturing solution provider for high-power lithium-ion cells.”
 
“B&W MECTEG supply is part of a larger project that involves the construction of the first plant in Italy for the production of lithium cells, which will constitute an Italian and European excellence,” said Vittorio Civitillo, CEO of FIB S.r.l., a subsidiary of K.R. ENERGY Group.
 
The ProCoater coating line features a maximum electrode foil run width of 700 mm, a coating speed of up to 20 m/min, the ability to do multi-lane coating, and a floatation dryer. Compared to single-sided coaters, the simultaneous two-sided coating platform of the ProCoater delivers twice the throughput. Additional process benefits include:
  • Only one pass through the dryer delivers equal drying of both coated sides of the electrode.
  • Smaller overall manufacturing footprint compared to tandem lines.
  • Increased range of coat weights for lithium-ion slurries, which expands battery development.
 
B&W MEGTEC has begun engineering and manufacturing work for the project and is scheduled to commission the new plant in the second quarter of 2019. The webline, ProCoaters and dryers will be manufactured at the B&W MEGTEC headquarters facility in De Pere, Wis., USA.