ECO-iL-DRY: Münstermann develops energy-efficient hybrid dryer for battery foils

At the beginning of the year, the ECO-iL-DRY research project The project (System development for an intelligent laser hybrid process to increase efficiency in drying battery films) has been officially launched. The project will run for three years and is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) through the special fund "Climate and Transformation Fund". The project sponsor is Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH.

The aim of the project is to significantly improve the drying process of battery films with regard to Energy efficiency and quality, in order to meet the requirements of sustainable energy storage and rising energy costs.

The project consortium includes, besides Münstermann:

• Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT
• Fraunhofer Institute for Research Production of Battery Cells FFB
• DILAS Diodenlaser GmbH (Coherent-Dilas)
• MESSTEC Power Converter GmbH

A first kick-off meeting took place at Münstermann. Michel Brinkmann, Oliver Mümken and Jonas Deitermann welcomed the project partners to exchange technical information, define work packages and specify the joint project structure.

The personal exchange at the start of the project laid the foundation for close and interdisciplinary collaboration.

At the heart of ECO-iL-DRY is the development of adaptive controlled hybrid drying process, which intelligently combines laser and convection drying.

The technological focus areas include:

• Development of an innovative Laser matrix module to increase energy efficiency
• Reduction of the required drying area
• Use of Thermography and coating thickness measurement for adaptive process control
• Improvement of electrode quality
• Realization of an energy-optimized dryer prototype

The combination of laser and convection technology is intended to make the drying process of battery foils significantly more efficient and, at the same time, more stable in terms of quality.

Münstermann is involved in the project for the Development and construction of the dryer responsible.

The project builds on existing expertise in thermal process engineering and energy-efficient drying systems. Münstermann has been active in the field of battery technology for many years and has implemented various systems for battery-related applications in the past.

ECO-iL-DRY is used to further develop this know-how in a targeted manner in order to create tailor-made solutions for the increasing demands of battery cell production.

This research project is another example of how Münstermann actively shapes innovation. The continuous development of energy-efficient drying technologies contributes to making production processes more sustainable and economical.

ECO-iL-DRY therefore stands not only for technological advancement, but also for the clear goal of developing future-proof solutions for tomorrow's energy storage together with partners.