Battery manufacturing

Accurate moisture and liquid concentration measurements

Ensure the highest quality and performance of rechargeable batteries

The green transition is accelerating the development of new innovations and applications for secondary batteries. Lithium-ion (li-ion) and sodium-ion batteries, and other battery chemistries, are used for powering electric vehicles (EV), battery energy storage systems (BESS), and a wide and growing range of consumer goods.

In manufacturing, electrode metals, electrolyte and manufacturing chemicals react to moisture, which requires stable and low or ultra-low dew point conditions in dry rooms, dry booths, glove boxes and inert atmospheres. Maintaining low or ultra-low dew point conditions is essential for safety, yield, and efficiency.

Manufacturing facilities - especially gigafactories - are enormous, and drying these controlled environments to specified dew points requires significant energy, as well as some of the processing steps, such as cathode drying.

How to operate dry rooms cost-efficiently and sustainably

1. Fast response is the only way to go

Any downtime in manufacturing is costly, therefore Vaisala’s fast-response, highly accurate dew point probes bring measurable advantages in dry rooms and dehumidifier units.

Don’t wait hours or days for the probes to stabilize to continue safe production.

2. Simple is beautiful

Vaisala’s probes are user-friendly, durable, compact, easy to operate, and suitable for various scales of manufacturing. Set-up is easy, as is maintenance.

Choose reliability and simplicity over complexity and uncertainty.

3. Ecosystem thinking is wise

Benefit from Vaisala’s dew point probes and other measurement parameters hosted by the Indigo transmitters.

With Vaisala you can easily ensure comparable measurement results across your entire production process.

Trusted partner for midstream operations of lithium battery manufacturing

Vaisala offering for battery manufacturing — Click to enlarge

Vaisala offers key measurement parameters for critical operations in manufacturing.
Measure accurately and in real-time:

temperature (T)
dew point (Td)
relative humidity (RH)
chemical concentrations (nD)

The world-class measurements with technologically best-suited products especially for ultra-dry conditions and for critical filling and sealing operations are only available from Vaisala.

Technology comparison

Download technology comparison sheet and see how Vaisala's dew point probe compares to
CRDS' (Cavity Ring-Down Spectrometer) and Chilled mirror transmitters in the most demanding
operating environments, such as battery manufacturing.

Download comparison table

Dry room monitor and control

The goal of a dry room is to provide a safe working space free of contaminants, with moisture being the most significant. The typical dew point temperature is around -40°C Td/f, but can be as low as -70°C Td/f.

Manufacturing areas requiring dry conditions can be as large as 10 000 m² and require significant volume of air to be heated, cooled, and dried. Steady dry conditions are achieved and maintained by delivering a controlled volume of air at specified dew point. The desired dew point is achieved in the dehumidifier unit by adjusting the airflow speed across the desiccant wheel, and aided by Vaisala’s dew point probes. Vaisala’s fast-response dew point probes detect any humidity changes within a drum rotation without averaging enabling true real-time control.

Vaisala's probes optimize dehumidifier unit efficiency by providing accurate, real-time data, reducing energy consumption, and contributing to more cost-effective battery manufacturing.

Learn more about products: DMP7, DMP8, Indigo500, DMT143

Learn more in expert article

Midstream applications

Anode drying:

Anode drying with controlled dew point helps form a stable Solid Electrolyte Interphase (SEI) during the initial charging cycles. This SEI layer is crucial for the battery's performance and safety.

Vaisala’s dew point, humidity, and temperature measurements control the drying segments in a dryer. This helps to maintain product quality and performance while protecting battery materials and components from moisture.

Although anode drying is faster due to solvent’s boiling point - typically water-based - optimized process control can lead to energy savings. Contact us to discuss how.

Cathode drying:

Successful cathode drying prevents harmful side reactions and corrosion, helps to create a porous structure that facilitates optimal ion and electrolyte movement, and ensures overall suitable electrochemical performance by evenly distributing the binder within the electrolyte. Cathode drying is one of the most expensive processing steps, especially if not properly managed and optimized.

Vaisala probes can be used at different stages of the drying process, even in drastically different operating environments, including aggressive chemical solvents such as N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), and very high temperatures. Selecting Vaisala for the demanding conditions ensures accurate measurements and provides comparable results across different drying steps.

Take control of the cathode drying processing and increase yield.

Download eBook

Watch webinar

Dehumidifier control:

Vaisala's dew point probes are designed to optimize the efficiency of dehumidifier units (DHUs) in battery manufacturing, significantly reducing energy consumption and operational costs. Vaisala’s fast-response dew point probes are used to establish a closed control loop with the high-end dryer, allowing the process to be fully optimized.

Read expert article

Learn more about products: DMP7, DMP8, Indigo500, DMT143

Glove boxes:

Glove boxes are an essential tool in battery manufacturing providing a controlled, sealed, and inert atmosphere maintaining low levels of moisture and oxygen, and protecting the lithium, electrode, and other materials from reacting with and degrading from moisture or oxygen.

Maintain desired low humidity levels and keep humidity in strict control during glovebox operations and electrolytes safe from decomposing, while ensuring quality, safety, and performance of battery components with Vaisala’s small-in-size and integrable measurement probes.

Direct installation in the glove box combined with the probe’s chemical tolerance and fast reaction time enables extremely fast sequence control.

Dry booths and other inert atmospheres:

Some process steps in rechargeable battery manufacturing might require extra dry conditions beyond the regular dry room with a controlled, sealed atmosphere.

Rely on Vaisala’s accurate measurement results and small-in-size probes that are at home when precision is needed. Get to know the recommended products.

The world-class measurements with technologically best-suited products especially for ultra-dry conditions and for critical filling and sealing operations are only available from Vaisala.

DMP7

DMT143

DMT152

NMP and other solvents

N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) is essential for producing high-performance lithium-ion batteries. It effectively dissolves PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride) binders, creating a uniform slurry that ensures consistent dispersion of active materials and an even coating on the electrodes. This is key to achieving optimal battery performance.

Vaisala’s chemical concentration measurement solution, the Vaisala Polaris process refractometer, enhances efficiency and sustainability in battery manufacturing by ensuring that costly and toxic NMP is effectively recovered, minimizing chemical waste and reducing environmental impact – helping you cut costs while supporting a more sustainable production process.

Learn how Vaisala’s process refractometers bring savings, advance sustainable operations, and enhance product quality.
Download application note

Watch webinar

Reliability and simplicity in your critical battery manufacturing measurement points

Make smart choices, and reduce your workload and uncertainty in battery manufacturing by selecting accurate and reliable measurement instruments.

Download brochure

The benefits of a rapidly reacting probe in a battery manufacturing dry room

Drying is one of the costliest operations in a battery manufacturing dry room. Drying is also a delicate act as overdrying is expensive and underdrying is dangerous.

Learn why it all can fail if a dew point probe in a dryer reacts slowly.

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WHY VAISALA

SAVE ENERGY

Save energy in all dryer operations of a dry room. Manage dryer precisely, and benefit from the probe’s rapid response time for immediate dryer adjustments.

LOW DEW POINT COMPATIBLE

Monitor dry room conditions with Vaisala Indigo products and ensure consistent and on-target operations for both standard and specialized conditions. High-performance Vaisala Indigo products are already suitable for the dry requirements of the future.

HOT/DRY/CHEMICAL PROCESSES

Vaisala products are good with everything as the measurement probes are designed to be in the most demanding environments.

GATHER DATA AND PROCESS SAFELY

Gather data with Indigo products, equip dry room with local screens, and feed data to the supervisory control and data acquisition system (SCADA) for immediate adjustments and safe processing.

FULL OFFERING

Versatile measurement solutions, including measurement range, temperature, sampling solutions, support for various digital outputs, and probes with chemical tolerance.

Ecosystem execution in design enables mixing and matching probes meeting specific needs.

SOLID STATE

Solid-state, the next generation batteries will require even stricter dew point conditions down to -80°C Td/f, to which Vaisala already has offering. Get to know the DMT152.

Researching solid-state and beyond

Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries, sodium-ion batteries, and solid-state batteries.

Battery technology is evolving at an unprecedented speed in the quest to find more powerful, safer, and smaller products to satisfy the ever-growing demand. Despite the new advances, these new technologies are even more sensitive to humidity and require accurate control and monitoring.

Vaisala has ready solutions for R&D, laboratory, and scaling-up manufacturing. In cases where a measurement need is identified but lacks a suitable instrument, we find solutions.

Partner with the most trustworthy measurement provider for reliable results and safe experiments, and prepare future developments with the best-in-class humidity and dew point probes.

WEBINAR: Efficient cathode drying in battery manufacturing

As battery manufacturers know, cathode drying is one of the most energy-intensive operations in battery manufacturing consuming up to approximately ~45 % of the total energy consumption in a dry room. Join this upcoming webinar to learn how to optimize this processing step.

Enroll now

Customer cases and expert content

Expert article

How fast-response dew point sensors in dehumidifier units help to reduce energy consumption in battery manufacturing dry rooms

Fast-response dew point sensors are critical for optimizing dehumidifier unit (DHU) performance in secondary battery manufacturing dry rooms, where extremely low humidity is essential.

Vaisala’s sensors provide real-time, precise measurements, enabling efficient energy use and improved humidity control. Read how to reduce operational costs and prevent product defects with the help of Vaisala's accurate measurement probes.

Read the article

Expert article

Why sensors that can handle high temperatures are important for battery making

High-temperature environments, such as cathode drying in secondary battery manufacturing, demand sensors capable of withstanding extreme heat to provide real-time, accurate measurements.

Vaisala’s dew point and humidity sensors excel in these conditions, ensuring precise monitoring and process optimization. Read how to save energy, maintain equipment longevity, and achieve optimal battery performance with the help of Vaisala's products.

Read the article

eBook

Ensure battery cell performance with efficient cathode drying

Cathode drying is a crucial, energy-intensive process that greatly impacts battery cell performance. Proper electrode drying prevents degradation, as residual moisture and impurities can reduce battery functionality. Inconsistent drying can lead to lower capacity and faster degradation. Drying also affects electrode thickness and porosity, key factors in battery performance.

Automating the drying process allows manufacturers to optimize heat use, achieve precise dryness levels, reduce costs, and boost production efficiency and yield. Deep dive into cathode drying with this eBook, and avoid pitfalls.

Expert article

Rechargeable battery quality starts with accurate, calibrated dew-point sensors

Controlling humidity in the rechargeable battery production process, such as lithium-ion, sodium-ion, and solid-state, is critical for safety, product quality, and energy efficiency. Manufacturers use large numbers of sensors throughout their processes to measure, monitor and control humidity levels. The cost of these sensors is negligible in comparison with the value of the assets and products that they protect. Nevertheless, it is vitally important that sensors are accurate and stable in the long-term, so regular calibration is essential.

Expert article

Drive quality and production efficiency in rechargeable battery manufacturing with fast-response dew point measurements

With the rise of electrification and the shift towards green energy, the demand for more powerful and safer rechargeable batteries—such as lithium-ion, sodium-ion, and solid-state—is rapidly growing. Manufacturing these batteries is a delicate process performed in highly controlled, ultra-low humidity environments. So how can accurate, highly responsive dew point probes help to increase safety, yields, and energy efficiency?

Blog

Why accurate dew point measurement is key to optimizing cathode drying and battery cell performance

Inconsistencies in manufacturing electrode layers can have a significant negative impact on performance, leading to reduced overall battery capacity, or capacity degradation over time. Drying also influences the thickness and porosity of electrodes, which also affects the battery’s capacity.

Customer Case

The recharging economy is here

In response to this rapidly growing need, Guangdong LIK Industry has developed a range of environmental test chambers for battery manufacturing that rely on Vaisala’s high-precision sensors. These test chambers are already being used by China’s national inspection center as well as by large enterprises both within China and internationally.

Blog

Indigo500 series dual-probe support

Learn about the benefits of using two probes measuring either the same parameter or two different ones.

The Vaisala DRYCAP® Dewpoint Transmitter DMT143 is a miniature dew point measurement instrument

Miniature Dew Point Transmitters DMT143 & DMT143L (Long)

Miniature size dew point transmitters DMT143 and DMT143L are ideal choices when you want to measure dew point accurately in small compressed air dryers, plastic dryers, additive manufacturing and other OEM applications.

DMT152 Dewpoint Transmitter for Low Dew Point Measurement in OEM Applications

Dew Point Transmitter DMT152

The Vaisala DRYCAP® Dewpoint Transmitter DMT152 is designed for measuring low dew point in OEM applications, even down to -80°C.

Indigo520 with TMP1, HMP1, HMP3, HMP7 and HMP9

Barometric pressure measurements with Indigo520 Transmitter

The Indigo520 transmitter with the barometric pressure measurement module combined with one or two of the Indigo-compatible humidity and temperature measurement probes is a unique combination of a meteorological-grade barometer in a single industrial device.

Indigo80 Handheld Indicator for portable measurements with Indigo-compatible probes

Indigo80 handheld measurement device

The latest addition to the Indigo family of transmitters and probes, the Indigo80 is a compact, handheld indicator and data logger.

Relative Humidity and Temperature Probe HMP7

Vaisala HUMICAP® Humidity and Temperature Probe HMP7 is designed for applications which involve constant high humidity or rapid changes in humidity

Dew Point and Temperature Probe DMP5

Vaisala DRYCAP® Dew Point and Temperature Probe DMP5 is designed for in-line humidity measurement in industrial drying applications with high temperatures and a wide dew point range.

Probe head and probe body of the DMP6 for very high temperatures

Dew Point Probe DMP6

Vaisala DRYCAP® Dew Point and Temperature Probe DMP6 is designed for in-line humidity measurement in industrial drying applications with very high temperatures and a wide dew point range.

Dew Point and Temperature Probe DMP7

Vaisala DRYCAP® Dew Point and Temperature Probe DMP7 is made for tight spaces and low-humidity applications.

Dew Point and Temperature Probe DMP8

Vaisala DRYCAP® Dew Point and Temperature Probe DMP8 is designed for industrial low-humidity applications with pressure up to 40 bars.

Vaisala’s intrinsically safe HMT370EX is ideal for hazardous areas up to zone 0 and 20. Relative humidity, temperature and other parameters.

Intrinsically Safe Humidity and Temperature Transmitter Series HMT370EX

The intrinsically safe HMT370EX is the ideal solution for use in hazardous areas up to zone 0 and 20.

Vaisala Polaris™ PR53GC Process Refractometer

Measure concentrations of acids, alkaline solutions, alcohols, hydrocarbons, solvents and various other solutions directly in pipeline, in production transport and quality control in chemical and other industries

Vaisala Polaris™ PR53GP Process Refractometer

Measure concentrations of sugars/Brix, acids, alkaline solutions, alcohols, hydrocarbons, solvents, and various other solutions directly in pipeline and tanks, in production transport and quality control in sugar, chemical, petrochemical, and other industries.

Upstream processes in lithium-ion battery manufacturing

Measure aggressive chemicals in mining

Go to applications

Downstream processes in lithium-ion battery manufacturing

Monitor temperature and relative humidity seamlessly in downstream operations

Lead acid battery manufacturing

Correct sulphuric acid concentration
Optimized curing chambers

Contact us

Interested to receive more information on a specific application or product? Drop us a line, and we'll get back to you!

Battery manufacturing

Ensure the highest quality and performance of rechargeable batteries

How to operate dry rooms cost-efficiently and sustainably

1. Fast response is the only way to go

2. Simple is beautiful

3. Ecosystem thinking is wise

Trusted partner for midstream operations of lithium battery manufacturing

Technology comparison

Dry room monitor and control

Midstream applications

Anode drying:

Cathode drying:

Dehumidifier control:

Glove boxes:

Dry booths and other inert atmospheres:

NMP and other solvents

Reliability and simplicity in your critical battery manufacturing measurement points

The benefits of a rapidly reacting probe in a battery manufacturing dry room

WHY VAISALA

SAVE ENERGY

LOW DEW POINT COMPATIBLE

HOT/DRY/CHEMICAL PROCESSES

GATHER DATA AND PROCESS SAFELY

FULL OFFERING

SOLID STATE

Researching solid-state and beyond

WEBINAR: Efficient cathode drying in battery manufacturing

Webinars

Controlling NMP in rechargeable battery manufacturing

Efficient cathode drying in battery manufacturing

Manufacturing rechargeable batteries: powering the green transition in transportation

Ensure your yield in semiconductor and battery manufacturing

Customer cases and expert content

How fast-response dew point sensors in dehumidifier units help to reduce energy consumption in battery manufacturing dry rooms

Why sensors that can handle high temperatures are important for battery making

Ensure battery cell performance with efficient cathode drying

Rechargeable battery quality starts with accurate, calibrated dew-point sensors

Drive quality and production efficiency in rechargeable battery manufacturing with fast-response dew point measurements

Why accurate dew point measurement is key to optimizing cathode drying and battery cell performance

The recharging economy is here

Indigo500 series dual-probe support