Batteries and advanced materials
Optimising powder flow for battery materials, advanced powders, and high-performance applications.
Powder behaviour is critical throughout battery and advanced materials manufacturing – from initial feeding and mixing of cathode and anode materials through slurry preparation, coating, drying, and calendaring, to the handling of recycled or reclaimed powders for reuse. At each stage, subtle changes in flow, packing, or consolidation behaviour can translate directly into coating thickness variation, electrode density inconsistency, or yield loss.
Battery electrode materials – including lithium iron phosphate, NMC and NCA cathode powders, graphite and silicon anode materials, and conductive carbon additives – span an enormous range of particle size, surface area, and morphology. What they share is that their behaviour under dynamic conditions (feeding speed, mechanical stress, handling history) is rarely predictable from particle size or tap density alone. The Powder Flow Analyser characterises how these materials behave during feeding, conveying, and reuse, while Texture Analyser tests assess compaction response, agglomerate hardness, and the mechanical properties of consolidated powder beds – both directly relevant to calendaring and electrode integrity.
Recommended test approach
Powder Flow Analyser – dynamic behaviour
|
Typical issue |
Recommended test |
Insight provided |
Why it matters |
|
Inconsistent powder packing |
Bulk Density (conditioned) |
Packing behaviour under controlled preparation |
Influences coating thickness and electrode density |
|
Poor flow of fine or cohesive powders |
Cohesion (1 speed) |
Flowability and resistance to movement |
Affects feeding and powder spreading |
|
Sensitivity to processing speed |
Cohesion (4 speeds) |
Speed-dependent cohesion and flow stability |
Critical for coating and feeding operations |
|
Segregation or attrition during handling |
Powder Flow Speed Dependence (PFSD) |
Behaviour changes with speed and conditioning |
Impacts material uniformity and performance |
|
Consolidation during storage or reuse |
Caking / Consolidation |
Cake formation and work to break |
Affects powder reuse and discharge reliability |
|
Powder bed packing and relaxation |
Compressibility |
Packing, relaxation, and elastic recovery |
Influences bed stability and calendaring outcomes |
Texture Analyser – strength and compaction
|
Typical issue |
Recommended test |
Insight provided |
Why it matters |
|
Powder bed strength |
Uniaxial Compression |
Stress–strain response and yield behaviour |
Relevant to calendaring and compaction |
|
Hard agglomerates |
Penetration / Hardness |
Agglomerate resistance to break-up |
Helps prevent coating defects |
|
Strength of consolidated material |
Cake Break Test |
Mechanical strength after storage |
Influences discharge and reuse behaviour |
Powder problems are driven by movement, stress, and time. Dynamic flow and strength-based testing reveal behaviours that static tests cannot capture.
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