Electrode stacking machine for lithium-ion cells

01

Choose the stacking method and line rate

A 2025 iScience review of lithium-ion manufacturing equipment describes stacking as layering anode, separator and cathode sheets into a compressed sandwich and names pouch cells and also prismatic cells as stacked formats, while cylindrical cells are wound. It notes that flexible electrodes make pouch stacking prone to wrinkling, misalignment and uneven pressure in bigger stacks, that Z-folding folds the separator in a zigzag to improve alignment and speed, that some machines combine unwinding, punching, marking, lamination, stacking, taping and unloading with web tension control and CCD defect inspection, and that SK Innovation's Gen 3 Z-folding equipment ran 2.3 times faster than its 2010 Gen 1 machines. [1]

Rates are quoted in seconds per sheet (piece). Gweike's dual-station Z-stacking machine for square lithium-ion cells lists 0.6 s per sheet at a single station, 0.3 s per sheet for the whole machine and 6 s or less of auxiliary time per cell. Yinghe's 590-series notching and stacking machine unwinds one cathode and one anode, notches tabs, inspects by CCD, rejects bad electrodes and stacks on three Z-type stations at 0.2 s per sheet (linear layout) or four at 0.15 s per sheet (L-type layout). [2] [3]

At laboratory scale, MTI's MSK-111A-EL stacks Z-fashion at up to 5 layers per minute, with electrodes loaded by hand and the stacked cell taped by hand. [4]

Editorial calculation: assuming a cell of 100 electrode sheets, 0.15 s per sheet is 3,600 / 0.15 = 24,000 sheets or about 240 cells per hour, 0.3 s per sheet about 120 cells per hour, and 5 layers per minute (300 per hour) about 3 cells per hour. Divide the line's cell output by these rates to estimate the machines needed. [3] [2] [4]

Give the supplier the cell format and chemistry, electrode and separator dimensions and thickness, sheets per cell, target cells per hour and yield, whether notching is integrated or sheets arrive pre-cut, stacking method (Z-fold or single sheet, with or without lamination), and downstream taping and handling.

02

Set alignment, separator tension and cell size

Gweike lists alignment accuracy of ±0.2 mm for the separator end face and for adjacent tabs, ±0.3 mm for overall tab alignment, a tab-to-separator centre deviation under 0.3 mm, correction positioning accuracy of 0.1 mm or better and a gripper robot positioning accuracy of ±0.01 mm, with an adjustable number of layers. [2]

Yinghe's 590-series lines handle cells 300–600 mm high, 80–200 or 80–230 mm wide and 5–35 or 5–25 mm thick, in machines of 15,700 × 6,400 × 3,000 mm and 17,300 × 6,800 × 3,000 mm. MTI's laboratory stacker takes pouch cells 200–380 mm long, 100–200 mm wide and up to 15 mm thick, controls separator tension at 5 N or more on separator up to 250 mm wide, aligns stacked electrodes to ±0.5 mm, uses vacuum suction pick-up with a built-in pump to −90 kPa, runs on 208–240 V AC single phase at 1 kW with 0.5–0.8 MPa compressed air, and weighs about 400 kg in a 1,420 × 1,200 × 1,800 mm frame with built-in ESD and dust removal. [3] [4]

The review adds that machine vision, tension control and inspection are used to hold alignment and detect defects, and that inadequate or excessive compression during stacking can damage electrode materials. [1]

Ask which feature each alignment figure refers to (separator edge, adjacent tabs, overall stack), how it is measured and on how many cells, the separator tension range and control method, electrode handling (vacuum, gripper), defect inspection and rejection, dry-room or humidity requirements, utilities and footprint.

03

Choose the machine class

The four classes run from a hand-loaded laboratory unit to integrated notching-and-stacking lines; the lamination class comes from the review rather than from a maker's page.

04

Cutting-and-stacking machines listed by Bozhon and Lead

Bozhon's site lists a three-station cutting and stacking machine, and Lead Intelligent's lists high-speed cutting and stacking machines for EV and energy-storage cells.

05

Gripper, vision, separator tension and notching in a stacker

The notching and inspection row applies to integrated lines such as Yinghe's 590 series, which notch tabs and reject bad electrodes before stacking.

06

Rate, alignment and size limits to agree for your cell format

A positioning-accuracy figure means little until the supplier says which feature it refers to; Gweike quotes ±0.2 mm for separator end face and adjacent tabs but ±0.3 mm for overall tab alignment.

07

Send the cell, rate and line data together

Paste it into your enquiry below or into an email to a maker, then replace every bracket.

Cell: [format; chemistry; electrode and separator sizes; sheets per cell]
Rate: [cells per hour; yield target]
Process: [Z-fold or single sheet; lamination; integrated notching]
Quality: [alignment features and limits; inspection]
Site: [dry room; utilities; footprint]
Supply: [fixtures; spares; acceptance test]

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