The electrode die cutting machine is a key equipment in the production process of lithium-ion batteries, used to press the coated electrode (positive/negative electrode) into a specified shape through a mold. Its operational accuracy directly affects core performance indicators such as battery energy density and cycle life. The following elaborates on the key points of use from three aspects: equipment operation, process control, and maintenance management:

1、 Equipment operation specifications

1. Preparation before startup

-Environmental confirmation: The temperature in the operating room is 20-25 ℃ (± 2 ℃), and the humidity is ≤ 40% (to avoid moisture absorption and deformation of the electrode), equipped with dehumidification devices and temperature and humidity monitoring devices.

-Equipment self inspection: Check the effectiveness of protective devices such as emergency stop buttons, safety light curtains, and mechanical limits; Confirm that the torque of the mold locking bolt meets the standard (recommended 30-35N · m).

-Parameter preload: Enter the production batch number and load the process parameters corresponding to the specifications of the polarizer (such as pressure value, cutting speed, dwell time, etc.). It is prohibited to directly call historical records.

2. Pole positioning and fixation

-Benchmark alignment: When using a visual positioning system, a standard fixture is required to calibrate the relative position between the edge of the polarizer and the mold, with a deviation controlled within ± 0.1mm.

-Adjustment of compression device: The pneumatic compression pressure is set at 0.2-0.4MPa to ensure that the pole piece is flat and wrinkle free, avoiding edge cracking caused by stress concentration.

3. Die cutting process control

-Principle of segmented pressure control: For large-area electrode plates (such as those used in power batteries), a three-stage pressure control method of 'light first, heavy later' is adopted:

-Initial contact section: 5-10% rated pressure, used for preliminary shaping;

-Main cutting section: 80-90% rated pressure, ensuring thorough cutting;

-Demoulding buffer section: The pressure decreases to 0 to prevent the electrode from adhering to the mold.

-Speed matching: The synchronization error between die-cutting speed and polarizer conveying speed is ≤ 1%. If it is too fast, it may cause burrs, while if it is too slow, it will reduce efficiency.

4. Exception handling

-Material jamming disposal: Immediately trigger an emergency stop and cut off the main power supply. Use non-metallic tools to clean the gaps between the molds. It is strictly prohibited to touch moving parts directly with your hands.

-Excessive burrs: Check the wear of the mold blade (blade roughness Ra ≤ 0.4 μ m), repair or replace the mold in a timely manner; Adjust the pressure compensation value to not exceed 5% of the original setting.

2、 Optimization of process parameters

1. Pressure parameter debugging

-Material adaptation: Positive electrode materials (such as LiCoO ₂) have high hardness and require 10-15% higher pressure than negative electrodes (such as graphite); Composite polarizer (such as NCA+graphene) needs to reduce pressure by 20% to prevent delamination.

-Thickness compensation: For every 10 μ m increase in electrode thickness, the pressure needs to be increased by 5-8% and adjusted in real-time through pressure sensors.

2. Temperature control strategy

-Mold preheating: When the ambient temperature in winter is below 15 ℃, the mold needs to be heated to 25-30 ℃ (using a silicone heating plate) to prevent the pole pieces from cracking due to cold brittleness.

-Cooling system: During continuous production, start the water cooling cycle (inlet water temperature 18-22 ℃), control the mold temperature to ≤ 40 ℃, and avoid material overheating and bonding.

3. Dust management

-Online dust removal: Install a pulse back blowing dust collector (with a filtration accuracy of 0.3 μ m) at the dust collection port, adjust the air volume to ensure that there is no obvious dust accumulation on the surface of the polarizer.

-Self cleaning of the mold: automatically purge the mold surface after each mold to prevent the residual metal debris from affecting the quality of the next the first mock examination.

3、 Equipment maintenance management

1. Daily maintenance

-Mold maintenance: After each shift of production, dismantle the mold, clean it with ethanol solution by ultrasonic cleaning for 15 minutes, dry it, and apply anti rust oil (thickness ≤ 0.02mm).

-Guide rail lubrication: Add food grade lubricating oil (viscosity ISO VG32) to the linear guide rail oiler daily, with the amount of oil injected based on the formation of an oil film that does not drip.

2. Periodic maintenance

-Precision re inspection: Use a laser rangefinder to check the punching gap of the mold every month (single-sided gap 0.05-0.08mm). If the deviation exceeds ± 0.01mm, it needs to be returned to the factory for correction.

-Electrical system inspection: Test the zero drift of the servo motor encoder every quarter, and perform the origin calibration procedure when it exceeds ± 0.5 °.

3. Replacement of vulnerable parts

-Blade life management: When the cumulative stamping frequency reaches 500000 times or obvious passivation occurs, replace the entire blade set (recommended spare parts inventory is 2 sets).

-Sensor calibration: The pressure sensor should be sent to the metrology institute for calibration every six months. If the error exceeds ± 1%, it should be immediately stopped.

4、 Safety operation standards

1. Permission management: Implement a three-level permission system (operator/engineer/administrator), and engineer permission authentication is required to modify key parameters such as pressure and speed.

2. Emergency response: In the event of mold cracking, immediately activate the dust cover isolation device and evacuate personnel to a safe area for further handling.

3. Fire and explosion prevention: Use a nitrogen protection box to cover the pole piece storage and release area, control the oxygen concentration below 3%, and equip with a CO ₂ automatic fire extinguishing system.