Sustainable values and the world’s digitalization have led to increasing global demand for batteries. The amount of traditional lead batteries has diminished significantly and nowadays several other metals, such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel are used instead. These metals can also be found in the Nordic countries, creating a sound business potential for the local companies in refining them further.
The processing of battery raw materials is complex and multiphase. This means that the floor space needed in the battery production facilities is very large. To keep investment costs at a reasonable level the height of a building cannot rise indefinitely. For the plant to work, multiple materials lifting stages are needed instead of a straightforward “gravity flow”. This respectively affects the process and selected dosing equipment which shows, for instance, in the increased number of parallel equipment needed. For these needs, Tamtron provides all the necessary solutions.
What to consider when planning battery raw material processing?
The manufacturing process includes several process stages, and the materials in different phases can be oxides, hydroxides, dry loose materials, moist granulate and moist flakes, etc. The physical properties of battery raw materials vary greatly, and some materials are challenging to process. Therefore, different dosing devices are needed, for example, weighing screws, additional rotary and gravimetric feeders, as well as pneumatic transport systems. These factors place high demands on the chosen technologies and equipment performance and, thus, the selection of equipment suppliers.
It is important to note that, in particular, the required dosing and feeding accuracy involves complexity and dynamic requirements of the process system that must be met by the material handling equipment. For example, very well-fluidized bulk materials, coarse granules, and adhesive flakes are problematic and require demanding volumetric feeding properties from the feeding and dosing devices.
It is also good to remember that the battery metal processing consists mainly of continuous dosing and feeding applications rather than “batch type.” It means that the used dosing equipment needs to fulfill both stable volumetric and accurate gravimetric performance at the same time. This also substantially complicates the process control system software and hardware design.
High-quality dosing devices and comprehensive services for the battery industry
Dosed, mixed, and otherwise processed battery raw materials, i.e., the “internal end product,” are temporarily stored in big bags or containers. This includes weighing, dosing, and feeding applications, such as big bag filling and unloading equipment and surface measurement systems related to internal materials logistics control and management systems. The exact dosing and weighing systems are therefore used both for the treatment of battery metals and for their further processing at a later stage.
Tamtron offers all the weighing and dosing solutions needed in the battery industry with quality and solid professionalism. In particular, Tamtron’s Lahti unit’s long-term experience in dosing devices, as well as the company’s solid know-how and extensive service offering, from needs assessment and design to commissioning and maintenance, form an unrivaled package. Tamron always starts from the customer’s needs and aims for the greatest possible customer benefit.
Download a guide to purchasing weighing and dispensing solutions for the battery industry
Our guide will help especially designers and those responsible for project and purchasing management to choose weighing and dispensing solutions for the battery industry. It provides information on the issues to consider, whether for battery production or recycling
