.gif)
.gif)
Industry News
July 25, 2011
Showa Denko to Expand Production Capacities for Li-Ion Rechargeable Battery Materials
Showa Denko K.K. (SDK) has decided to expand its production capacities for materials used in lithium-ion rechargeable batteries (LIBs), namely, artificial-graphite-based anode material (SCMG™), additive in anodes and cathodes (VGCF™), and aluminum laminated films for packaging.
SDK will expand the capacity of its SCMG plant at Omachi, Nagano Prefecture, by stages from 1,000 t/y at present to 3,000 t/y by the middle of 2012 through debottlenecking of respective processes, including crushing.
As for VGCF, SDK will add a new production line at its Kawasaki Plant, Kanagawa Prefecture, increasing the production capacity from 100 t/y at present to 200 t/y by the beginning of 2012.
Furthermore, SDK’s subsidiary Showa Denko Packaging Co., Ltd. will expand its aluminum laminated film production capacity at its Hikone Plant, Shiga Prefecture, by 50% by the end of 2011 through addition of a new dry laminator.
Demand for environment-friendly electric vehicles and hybrid cars is growing due to the need to curb emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases and to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Furthermore, storage batteries for industrial and household applications have been attracting attention since the rolling blackouts that followed the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake. Thus, demand for large LIBs for automotive and storage battery applications is expected to grow rapidly in and after 2013. SDK has therefore decided to increase its production capacities for SCMG and VGCF, which contribute toward increasing the capacity and extending the life of LIBs.
Opinion: Unraveling the Ultra-Low Power Design Issues
Furthermore, demand for small LIBs used in notebook PCs and mobile phones is expected to rise, reflecting the growth of smart phones and tablet-type devices. Thus, SDK has decided to expand its production capacity for aluminum laminated film for LIB packaging, which contributes toward miniaturization of LIBs. SDK will also aim to broaden the application of this packaging material into LIBs for environment-friendly cars in view of its advantages of compactness and high heat dissipation.
SCMG stands for "structure controlled micro graphite." We use artificial graphite produced through treatment at very high temperatures in our graphitization furnace at Omachi Plant, based on our proprietary powder processing technology. SCMG is used as graphite anode material for LIBs, providing excellent cycle characteristics, retaining capacity at high temperatures, and enabling charge/discharge of heavy current. This material is suited to large LIBs installed in environment-friendly cars and storage batteries. SCMG is already used in electric vehicles on a commercial basis.
VGCF is used as electrically-conductive additive in LIBs’ anodes and cathodes. LIBs swell and shrink after repeated charges and discharges, resulting in the loss of contact between active materials. Electrically-conductive additives connect active materials, reducing deterioration of batteries. Compared with grain-type additives, VGCF gives better performance because it consists of branched fibers with high dispersion. Thus, addition of a small amount of VGCF helps increase the capacity and extend the life of LIBs. Because of its high electrical conductivity and its ability to restrict heat generation in electrodes, VGCF can enhance the safety of LIBs.
Share this story
Send via E-mail
Post to Twitter
On the Web:
White Papers
March 11, 2013
Power Modules for Charger Applications
Sponsored by Vincotech
February 27, 2013
The Adaptive Cell Converter Topology Enables Constant Efficiency Over Universal Input AC Line in Front-End, High-Density Power Factor Correction Applications
Sponsored by Vicor Corp.
February 27, 2013
From 48 V direct to Intel VR12.0: Saving "Big Data" $500,000 per datacenter, per year
Sponsored by Vicor Corp.
More White Papers
- DOE Selects Consortium to Develop Next-Generation Batteries for Automobiles
- Bosch Claims First Sub-$450 240V EV Charging Station
- Dana Receives Grant from NRCan to Improve Thermal Management for EV Battery Packs
- Altera Acquires Enpirion for $140 Million, Forms Power Business Unit
- Ericsson Saves Board Space with Surface-Mount Digital Bus Converter
- SiC and GaN Again a Major Focus at PCIM Europe
- SiC Modules, IGBTs and Super-Junction MOSFETs Introduced on Day One of PCIM
- PowerbyProxi Joins Wireless Power Consortium
- Vincotech and Infineon Introduce New Packaging Options at PCIM Europe
- Eaton and CA Technologies Join to Deliver Infrastructure Management for Data Centers
- Renesas Adds IGBT Drivers with Micro-Isolator for Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Inverters
- European Project Reports Achievements in Drive to Shape the Future of Power Microelectronics
- Bosch Claims First Sub-$450 240V EV Charging Station
- Alpha and Omega Expands Family of EZBuck Regulators Featuring Constant On-Time Control
- Vicor Reports Reduced Q1 Results – Anticipates a Brighter Future
- Eltek's New Rectifier Delivers 97.2% Efficiency for Data Center and Server Powering
- ROHM Claims New Hybrid MOS Combines the Best Characteristics of MOSFETs and IGBTs
- U.S. Launches Competition for "Next-Generation Power Electronics Manufacturing" Institute
- LG Chem Announces Plans for Start of Production of Automotive Li-Ion Batteries
- Europeans Establish Dueling Projects to Advance Power Electronics Technologies
- Green Building Power Forum 2010: Fujitsu Components America
- Darnell's Digital Power Forum 2009: CUI Incorporated
- Green Building Power Forum 2010: EMerge Alliance
- Green Building Power Forum 2010: Anderson Power Products
- Green Building Power Forum 2009: Independence Station
- Darnell's Digital Power Forum 2009: Coilcraft
- Darnell's Digital Power Forum 2009: Champs Technologies
- Darnell's Digital Power Forum 2009: EXAR Corporation
- Darnell's Digital Power Forum 2009: PMBus
- Darnell's Digital Power Forum 2009: Power Plaza
Design Features
October 22, 2012
Energy Efficiency with Class D Amplifier Modules
Class-D switching amplifiers are helping audio designers create personal multimedia devices and home audio/visual systems that demonstrate how compact and stylish equipment can also deliver high sound quality and high audio output power. The key to this breakthrough, providing freedom from the large and bulky boxes housing traditional audio products, lies in the class-D amplifier’s high energy efficiency, which is typically around 90%. This allows designers to reduce or eliminate heatsinks as well as using smaller-sized PCBs and smaller components such as transformers, connectors and power supplies.
Design Features
October 8, 2012
The Role of Hall Effect Sensors in Power Distribution Infrastructure
Power distribution units (PDUs) form an essential part of modern computing and data communications hardware. They provide multiple outputs for transferring electrical power with maximum efficiency, controlling the power capacity and safeguarding against the possible causes of supply interruption. With an ever increasing need from tech savvy consumers for higher data throughput and greater quantities of data storage capacity, as well as tough international legislation now governing CO&sub2; emissions, the demands being placed on these units are proving challenging for engineering teams to satisfy.
Product Focus
August 13, 2012
The Year in AC-DC Power Supply Technology
The past year witnessed significant new product releases, technological developments, and industry news related to the field of AC-DC Power Supply technology.