Fraunhofer IWS opens “DRYplatform”: dry coating moves closer to industrial cell production

The Fraunhofer IWS has officially commissioned its “DRYplatform” technology platform as part of the Dry Coating Forum. The infrastructure consolidates equipment and analytics for solvent-free DRYtraec coating of battery electrodes and is intended to significantly shorten the path from lab data to industry-relevant demonstrators. According to the institute, nearly 200 experts attended the accompanying conference, around 80 percent from industry. The BMFTR supported the setup with €3.7 million.

Technically, the platform combines a dry-air multi-room concept with high-intensity and extrusion mixers for powder preparation, stations for post-compaction, electrode converting and cell tests, as well as an end-to-end data infrastructure. Inline and offline measurements are merged to robustly model material–process–property relationships and rapidly scale parameters.

Institute Director Prof. Christoph Leyens put the significance into context: “DRYplatform significantly accelerates the transfer from science to industry. With it, we are sending a visible signal for battery research in Germany and providing our partners with a research environment that is unique worldwide in this form.”

For the AM sector, the platform is relevant for two reasons. First, dry coating eliminates energy-intensive drying steps and reduces media handling—an approach that can be transferred to powder-based 3D printing processes where stable, reproducible powder qualities and tight climate control are key levers. Second, the digital linkage of process data creates a foundation for qualified, additively manufactured peripherals such as busbar holders, sensor housings, or thermal interfaces, which are often already 3D-printed in prototype lines.

Dr. Benjamin Schumm, Head of the Particle Technology Department, acknowledged the team effort: “We have systematically interlinked material development, plant engineering, and process analytics. This allows us to provide partners with quick and reliable answers to complex questions— a unique selling point that we can only achieve through the diversity of competencies at Fraunhofer IWS.”

Along the value chain, DRYplatform addresses material suppliers, machine builders, and cell manufacturers; the Fraunhofer facility FFB plans to set up a pilot plant with DRYtraec as early as 2025. Looking ahead, this will enable faster evaluation of dry processes for future cell chemistries—such as solid-state, sodium-ion, and lithium–sulfur systems. For companies, this creates a basis for decisions to invest in scalable dry routes in parallel with established wet coating.