BATTERIES & ELECTRONICS

Battery processing requires efficient and repeatable slurry formulation, material deagglomeration, and rapid prototyping for increased efficiency and viability testing. The SpeedMixer easily mixes highly-filled resin and binder systems, low to high-density powders and pastes, and works easily with extreme variabilities in material viscosity.

In electronic systems, conductive or insulative materials can be easily dispersed into resins. Common applications include homogenizing and degassing thermally conductive/insulative silicones or epoxy resins, blending and dispersing metal powder systems in liquid vehicles for solder paste, and processing epoxies, polyurethanes, parylene, and acrylic formulations for conformal coatings. Other applications include conductive inks, oxide-filled gels, ferrite, copper, and tungsten compounds.

Problem: Labor intensive and non homogeneous slurry preparation.

Solution: SpeedMixing allows Li-ion slurries to be homogenized while eliminating formation of agglomerates when dispersing common materials such as carbon black, graphite, carbon nanotubes, lithium, cobalt, manganese and oxide materials with binders. The presence of agglomerations can cause decreases in battery efficiency, as well as downstream production issues. Vacuum SpeedMixing increases consistency in rheological testing and electrical dispersion by decreasing interference of electrical conductivity via entrained air.

Problem: Solvating binder solutions can be a time-consuming and painstaking process.

Solution: SpeedMixing allows for solvation of CMC, PVDF, SBR, and other binders real-time with the rest of the formulation, eliminating the time needed to prepare difficult binders before incorporating them into a slurry solution. For processes where solvating binders prior to slurry preparation is an absolute must, the SpeedMixer can significantly reduce solvation time, and increase efficiency in production throughput.

Problem: Product developers continually have trouble creating small scale samples for R and D that meet the quality and consistency for testing and QC.

Solutions:  SpeedMixing allows repeatable small scale mixing for development/testing. From mixing fractions of grams and up, the SpeedMixer makes small scale sample prep uniform and simple. Engineers and chemists are able to utilize the SpeedMixer to quickly create, iterate, and test production-quality formulations prior to moving into larger-scale testing and pilot production.

Problem: Powder dispersions can be difficult to homogenize due to varying concentrations and material densities. Once these powders are dispersed into slurries or pastes, settling of fillers over time can create significant issues.

Solution: The SpeedMixer is able to mix dry materials extremely efficiently prior to dispersing into carrier fluids. Full control of mixing power allows for even dispersion of powders, notably when dealing with differences in material density. The SpeedMixer can be used to quickly and repeatedly resuspend particles that have settled out of solution. Materials stored in appropriate mixing vessels can be used, stored, and SpeedMixed to resuspend any settled fillers when needed.

Problem: Improperly mixed potting materials and conformal coatings will decrease end application performance.

Solution: Thoroughly mixing and vacuum degassing polyurethanes, silicones, epoxies, and acrylics for electronics coatings will help achieve the highest material performance for the application. These materials can also be loaded directly into a syringe and dispensed for ease of application. Materials can also be mixed or de-aired directly in the final dispensing vessel (syringe, cartridge, etc).