METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING LITHIUM SHEET

• Main Authors: DUBE JONATHAN, LALIBERTE RICHARD
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 09.08.2012
• Subjects: AUXILIARY OPERATIONS USED IN CONNECTION WITH METAL-WORKINGWITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL; BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CHANGING THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF NON-FERROUS METALS ANDNON-FERROUS ALLOYS; CHEMISTRY; ELECTRICITY; FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS; MANUFACTURE OF METAL SHEETS, WIRE, RODS, TUBES OR PROFILES,OTHERWISE THAN BY ROLLING; MECHANICAL METAL-WORKING WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVINGMATERIAL; METALLURGY; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSIONOF CHEMICAL INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY; PUNCHING METAL; TRANSPORTING; TREATMENT OF ALLOYS OR NON-FERROUS METALS

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method of extruding a lithium/lithium alloy ingot into a thin sheet or film of a width not limited by the diameter of the ingot.SOLUTION: There is provided a method of manufacturing lithium or lithium alloy anodes for electrochemical cells by an extrusion process wherein a lithium or lithium alloy ingot is formed into a thin sheet. The method is adapted to extrude the thin sheet having a width exceeding the diameter of the lithium or lithium alloy ingot and enables the extrusion of lithium or lithium alloy thin sheets with more than one lithium or lithium alloy ingot. The invention also provides a die assembly adapted to allow adjustment and fine tuning of a die aperture while the extrusion process of a lithium or lithium alloy ingot is being carried out.