Trajectory Mixing in Energy Storage Technology
Trajectory Mixing in Energy Storage Technology
Innovation in the Production of Batteries Like Lithium-Ion Batteries, Supercapacitors, and Fuel Cells
Innovation in the Production of Batteries Like Lithium-Ion Batteries, Supercapacitors, and Fuel Cells
Trajectory Mixing in Energy Storage Technology
Trajectory Mixing in Energy Storage Technology
Innovation in the Production of Batteries Like Lithium-Ion Batteries, Supercapacitors, and Fuel Cells
Innovation in the Production of Batteries Like Lithium-Ion Batteries, Supercapacitors, and Fuel Cells
The advancement and manufacture of energy storage solutions, like lithium-ion batteries, supercapacitors, and fuel cells, are vital for progress in renewable energy, electric mobility, and mobile electronics. A key challenge in manufacturing these technologies is mixing active materials and electrolytes to ensure maximum performance and lifespan. Trajectory mixing, an advanced mixing technology, offers significant advantages in this process.
Trajectory mixing
Trajectory Mixing involves mixing materials through the movement of the container along a 2-dimensional curved path. These movements follow precise patterns known as Lissajous figures. The resulting accelerations generate shear and tensile forces, which efficiently achieve a homogeneous mix. The ability to control the movement parameters allows the mixing quality to be tailored to specific requirements.
Why trajectory mixing for batteries & supercapacitors?
Uneven electrolyte mixtures impair the capacity and lifespan of your cells. With hs-tumbler trajectory mixers, you achieve a uniform distribution of particles and ions for maximum performance.
Benefits at a glance
- Finest particle distribution: Increased cell capacit
- Short setup & cleaning times: Higher throughput per shift
- Scalability: From lab batches to large-scale production
Application examples
Application examples
- Lithium-ion batteries: homogeneous electrolyte additives
- Supercapacitors: low-dust mixing of activated carbon
- Flow batteries: inline processing of aggressive media
Your Benefits with Trajectory Mixers
Agglomerates
- Up to 100% agglomerate-free mixture: Guaranteed prevention of agglomerates.
- Trajectory mixing: Uses precisely controlled particle movement.
- Specific trajectory curve: Ensures even particle distribution.
- Agglomerate reduction: Particles are continuously separated and repositioned.
Mixing
- High homogeneity and consistent quality: Achieved through 100% mixing.
- Reduced mixing time: Thanks to 100% mixing of the entire product, mixing time is significantly reduced.
- Programmed trajectory curves: Allow precise reproducibility of processes.
- Individually adjustable shear forces: Enable gentle processing of materials.
- Optimal choice for precision and material protection: Ideal for industrial applications with high demands.
Add-On
Equipment
Equipment
- Extended functions: Heating, cooling, and artificial vacuum for versatile applications.
- AI-driven adjustments: Automatic adjustment of mixing parameters through artificial intelligence.
- Intelligent maintenance systems: Automatic maintenance and fault diagnosis.
- Network integration: Networking for process optimization and more efficient control.
- Fast material adaptation: Flexibility in adapting new materials.
- Simulations and visualizations: Optimization of processes through advanced simulation and visualization tools.
Flexibility
- High flexibility: The agitator tool can be replaced by an agitator wall.
- Easy product changeover: Only cleaning or container replacement is required.
- Batch-continuous operation: Program change is sufficient to adjust the mixing recipe.
- Quick changeover: Allows rapid adjustments to different products and recipes.
- Versatility: Suitable for a wide range of applications.
Hygiene
- Agitator-less mixing system: Minimizes setup time since only the container needs to be changed.
- Compact container size: Reduces effort and time for cleaning.
- Option for disposable containers: Enables even less cleaning effort and increases flexibility.
- Highest hygiene standards: Provides a cost-effective solution for top-notch cleanliness.
Contamination
- Minimal contamination risk: The absence of an agitator and precise control of the coating's hardness grades reduce the risk of contamination to nearly 0 percent.
- High product purity: The contamination-free environment ensures high purity of the final product.
- Maximum safety: Ideal for highly sensitive production environments, enhancing safety and product quality.
- Cost reduction: Long-term savings due to reduced scrap and rework costs.
Cross-
Industry
Industry
- Versatile application: Ideal for solid-solid, solid-liquid, liquid-liquid, and liquid-gas mixtures.
- Industry-specific customization: Perfect for a variety of industries, such as food processing and technical materials.
Scalability
- Proportional size adjustment: The size parameters have been adjusted proportionally to the machine's capacity.
- Consistent mixing process: The mixing process can be transferred from small to large machines without additional product development.
Variable
Quantities
Quantities
- Variable capacity: Mixes quantities from 1 to 7200 kilograms.
- Fast mixing processes: Mixing times as short as 15 seconds.
- Process flexibility: Supports both batch and continuous mixing processes.
- Quick changeover: Rapid exchange of containers and products.
- Minimal setup times: Little to no reconfiguration effort, allowing quick adaptation to production needs.
Agglomerates
- Up to 100% agglomerate-free mixture: Guaranteed prevention of agglomerates.
- Trajectory mixing: Uses precisely controlled particle movement.
- Specific trajectory curve: Ensures even particle distribution.
- Agglomerate reduction: Particles are continuously separated and repositioned.
Mixing
- High homogeneity and consistent quality: Achieved through 100% mixing.
- Reduced mixing time: Thanks to 100% mixing of the entire product, mixing time is significantly reduced.
- Programmed trajectory curves: Allow precise reproducibility of processes.
- Individually adjustable shear forces: Enable gentle processing of materials.
- Optimal choice for precision and material protection: Ideal for industrial applications with high demands.
Add-On
Equipment
Equipment
- Extended functions: Heating, cooling, and artificial vacuum for versatile applications.
- AI-driven adjustments: Automatic adjustment of mixing parameters through artificial intelligence.
- Intelligent maintenance systems: Automatic maintenance and fault diagnosis.
- Network integration: Networking for process optimization and more efficient control.
- Fast material adaptation: Flexibility in adapting new materials.
- Simulations and visualizations: Optimization of processes through advanced simulation and visualization tools.
Flexibility
- High flexibility: The agitator tool can be replaced by an agitator wall.
- Easy product changeover: Only cleaning or container replacement is required.
- Batch-continuous operation: Program change is sufficient to adjust the mixing recipe.
- Quick changeover: Allows rapid adjustments to different products and recipes.
- Versatility: Suitable for a wide range of applications.
Hygiene
- Agitator-less mixing system: Minimizes setup time since only the container needs to be changed.
- Compact container size: Reduces effort and time for cleaning.
- Option for disposable containers: Enables even less cleaning effort and increases flexibility.
- Highest hygiene standards: Provides a cost-effective solution for top-notch cleanliness.
Contamination
- Minimal contamination risk: The absence of an agitator and precise control of the coating's hardness grades reduce the risk of contamination to nearly 0 percent.
- High product purity: The contamination-free environment ensures high purity of the final product.
- Maximum safety: Ideal for highly sensitive production environments, enhancing safety and product quality.
- Cost reduction: Long-term savings due to reduced scrap and rework costs.
Cross-
Industry
Industry
- Versatile application: Ideal for solid-solid, solid-liquid, liquid-liquid, and liquid-gas mixtures.
- Industry-specific customization: Perfect for a variety of industries, such as food processing and technical materials.
Scalability
- Proportional size adjustment: The size parameters have been adjusted proportionally to the machine's capacity.
- Consistent mixing process: The mixing process can be transferred from small to large machines without additional product development.
Variable
Quantities
Quantities
- Variable capacity: Mixes quantities from 1 to 7200 kilograms.
- Fast mixing processes: Mixing times as short as 15 seconds.
- Process flexibility: Supports both batch and continuous mixing processes.
- Quick changeover: Rapid exchange of containers and products.
- Minimal setup times: Little to no reconfiguration effort, allowing quick adaptation to production needs.
Quality Assurance and Process Optimization
Measurement and Optimization of Mixing Quality
A key aspect in food production is ensuring mixing quality, quantified by analyzing distribution variance.
- Continuous Monitoring: Allows early detection and correction of deviations, ensuring consistently high product quality.
- Optimization of Process Parameters: Experimental studies and simulations support determining and adjusting optimal mixing parameters for various applications.
Process Control and Automation
The integration of trajectory mixing into automated production processes enables precise control and optimization of mixing operations.
- Automated Mixing Processes: The ability to tailor movement profiles individually makes trajectory mixing ideal for use in automated production environments.
- Efficient Resource Utilization: Through automation and precise control of mixing processes, resources can be utilized more efficiently, minimizing waste.
Advantages of Trajectory Mixing
- High Flexibility: The adaptability of movement profiles allows for flexible application across various materials and mixing requirements.
- Gentle Process: Controlled energy input and minimal mechanical stress protect materials, especially sensitive raw materials that could be damaged by high shear forces.
- Efficiency and Space Savings: The compact design and efficient energy use make trajectory mixing ideal for production environments with limited space, and it also supports the processing of small quantities, beneficial in R&D.
- Reduced Setup Time: The absence of traditional mixing tools like stirrers or kneaders significantly reduces maintenance, leading to lower operating costs and higher machine availability.
Electrode slurry homogeneous – energy-efficient and tool-free
Trajectory mixing disperses active material, conductive carbon black and binder through the motion of the sealed vessel – with no agitator in the product.
- Energy: 60–90 % below conventional mixing, battery slurry up to ~98 % (determined with the PEM chair of RWTH Aachen); developed in the BMFTR project KOOP (Na-ion / hard carbon).
- Tool-free: no moving source of abrasion in the product; the vessel wall is the single contact surface – material freely selectable, coated if required.
- Gentle & homogeneous: energy introduced via the path motion instead of a local shearing tool – without local shear peaks.
- R&D/pilot-ready & throughput: reproducible batches on demand, K1→J4 scalable; swap the vessel instead of cleaning; micro-batch-continuous – throughput instead of vessel size.
Temperature control without hotspots
The entire product travels along the temperature-controlled vessel wall on a Lissajous path; the shear keeps the thermal boundary layer thin. Heat transfers quickly and evenly across the jacket surface – homogeneously rather than near-wall, with no dead zones and no hotspots.
Vacuum & de-gassing
No agitator reaches into the vessel, so there is no shaft feed-through to vacuum-seal. Vacuum is easy to apply and control – for example to de-gas the slurry before coating.
A good fit when …
- electrode slurry / active materials must be dispersed homogeneously
- thermally and solvent-sensitive formulations need gentle mixing
- R&D and pilot quantities with frequent material changes occur
- energy efficiency and throughput matter
Less in focus when …
- a single very large volume per mixing run is mandatory (vessel size)
More on the principle: Trajectory mixing explained · Products K1 & J4 · Request a trial with your material
Summarized
Trajectory mixing is an innovative technology with a wide range of applications. It enables precise and gentle mixing of various materials and is distinguished by its adaptability. Additionally, the system offers unprecedented efficiency and effectiveness in production processes. For more information or personal consultation, feel free to contact us.
