Subversion! Sakuu announced that 3D printing solid-state batteries have been successfully

Sakuu's patented solid-state battery factory Sakuu prototype production line. Image provided by Sakuu

Sakuu is an innovative battery company based in Silicon Valley that is working to bring 3D printed solid-state batteries to market.

Last June, Sakuu founder and CEO Robert Bagheri said in a press release: "In terms of our solid-state battery development, we are preparing to launch a new type of fast-printed battery for large-scale production using our additive manufacturing platform. The impact of this pioneering development on sustainability and the supply chain will be revolutionary." The company said at the time that based on the company's Kavian platform, the fast 3D printed battery will enable customizable, large-scale and low-cost solid-state battery manufacturing while solving the fundamental challenges facing today's battery manufacturers.

Sakuu announced on February 16 that it has successfully manufactured 3D printed fully functional batteries of custom shapes and sizes in a completely dry process at its Silicon Valley battery pilot factory since December last year. These battery cells contain patterned openings for thermal management.

This marks the first recorded manufacturing achievement and an important step in Sakuu’s plan to commercially produce next-generation SwiftPrint batteries, including solid-state batteries, at scale on the Kavian platform at its global Quadcoplas factory, the company said in the announcement.

Karl Littau, Chief Technology Officer at Sakuu, said: “Our development demonstrates that the KavianTM platform can achieve commercial-scale, sustainable production of a wide range of battery technologies such as lithium-ion, lithium metal and even solid-state batteries, where conventional advanced battery manufacturing methods continue to encounter barriers to large-scale production.”

“In addition, our printing process can significantly increase the energy density of the complete battery. Finally, our platform can customize the shape of the battery, and by customizing the shape and size, the battery itself can become part of the product design. This is a profound moment with huge implications for advanced battery manufacturing.”

Sakuu has invented a fully industrialized battery printing process that uses a patented multi-material, multi-layer approach that employs a parallel and dry process, rather than the much slower layer-by-layer printing or screen printing, both of which are wet processes that require a lot of energy to remove unwanted solvents and are prone to poor print quality and unreliable production.

Sakuu's invention can provide low-cost, high-speed manufacturing capabilities, as well as flexibility in shape and form, while also delivering the core categories of batteries that are most important to customers. For example, Sakuu's first printed battery has successfully demonstrated cycling performance at C/5 IC current rates, and the company has every expectation of achieving high energy densities of 800 to 1000Wh/L.

Sakuu's printing process utilizes patented lithium metal battery chemistry, starting from raw materials to ready-to-use patterned batteries, creating a new paradigm in manufacturing and energy storage. The implementation of patterned battery printing technology enables new ways to more efficiently utilize battery capacity in terms of thermal dynamic regulation.

This allows for integration of fixtures, sensors, and heat transfer pathways, as well as accommodation through modular design, particularly when thin sub-cell structures are stacked together with the same modular openings for aligned thermal management.

"Collectively, our additive manufacturing and battery teams have accomplished what most thought was impossible. Using a dry process to print custom patterned cells, starting with raw materials and ending up with a fully functional, high-performance cell, is a breakthrough that has the potential to change the way batteries are manufactured in all industries in the future," said Robert Bagheri. "This milestone advances the integration of our Kavantm platform with our plans for commercial-scale battery production, through a global network of partner Gigafactories, to achieve our goal of 200GWh of energy output by 2030."

Sakuu's Kavian platform will be sold to other battery manufacturers as well as leading automotive, electric vehicle and aerospace manufacturers. Those seeking to mass produce batteries can shorten their supply chain and gain critical battery performance and safety attributes. By maximizing product design innovation, other inherent material and energy savings and sustainability benefits are achieved.

Additionally, Sakuu plans to license its own lithium metal and solid-state battery chemistries to be produced in traditional roll-to-roll manufacturing or in Gigafactories using Kavian manufacturing technology.

Sakuu said its pioneering manufacturing technology has created a disruptive additive manufacturing platform for the commercial production of batteries and other complex active devices. The company said its non-battery manufacturing platform is capable of producing medical devices, IoT sensors and other cutting-edge electronic devices in a highly sustainable and efficient manner.

Sakuu said in today’s press release that its initial efforts will focus on energy storage, using its Kavian platform to print a range of next-generation batteries — from lithium metal to all-solid-state — that could help reduce society’s reliance on fossil fuels.

According to 3D Printing Industry, “The company appears to be on track. Its second-generation battery has twice the energy density and 30 percent less weight than existing lithium-ion batteries, with potential residential and industrial applications in energy storage, microreactors, and electronics.”

There are a number of companies racing to bring solid-state batteries to market, including QuantumScape and StoreDot. One of the main advantages of solid-state batteries is that they significantly reduce the need to remove liquid from the "wet" substrate used in traditional lithium-ion batteries - a process that takes a lot of time to complete and consumes a lot of energy. Removing the wet slurry used in current "jelly roll" batteries will greatly speed up production time and reduce the unit cost of the battery.

Sakuu can’t guarantee it will win the solid-state battery market, but it certainly has big ambitions. 200GWh of batteries per year would be enough to power millions of electric cars and trucks. Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd. (CATL), by far the world’s largest battery maker, produced 97GWh in 2021, almost a third of the world’s 297GWh total. Even Sakuu’s more modest goal of 60GW by 2028 is pretty ambitious.

The Sakuu team answered some of our questions:

Q: How did the name Sakuu come about? What does it mean?

Our founder and CEO, Robert Bagheri, is from Iran. In Persian, Sakuu means “platform,” which relates to our revolutionary Kavian additive manufacturing platform. The name Sakuu is also a nod to one of Sakuu’s earliest corporate investors, Musashi from Japan. In Japanese, Sakuu means “bloom,” symbolizing our platform for creators and its inherent sustainability benefits.

Q: How quickly do 3D printed batteries charge? How much do they weigh compared to regular lithium-ion batteries? What is the cost advantage? How many times can they be recharged?

The 3D printed battery cells are single-layer. Single-layer cells allow for patterning and sealing of active materials, adapting to the 3D packaging space of the product. The 3D printing process also allows for the use of thinner layers than conventional roll-to-roll. The integrated manufacturing process then allows for the stacking of the single-layer cells produced by Kavian. Thus, we will stack the cells after manufacturing is complete to build the battery pack that the customer wants, in series or in parallel. There is no limit to the number of stacks, depending on the customer’s requirements. Patterned cells can have any shape, allowing for better integration and packaging efficiency in the target product. Channels, holes and irregular 2D and 3D shapes will become possible thanks to this innovation.

Our high energy density batteries have reached 800Wh/L, but we can also provide batteries with higher cycle life at lower energy density. Our goal is to manufacture batteries that can precisely meet the specific needs and use cases of various Sakuu customers. Our 3D printed solid-state batteries are expected to reach an ultra-high energy density of 1200Wh/L.

Sakuu's cost advantage comes from additive manufacturing technology, which is estimated to reduce material usage by 40% compared to roll-to-roll manufacturing, which is currently a major component of battery costs.

Q: Are they recyclable? Do they use cobalt or other materials that are problematic in terms of supply?

The Kavian platform uses materials that can be broken down and reused, resulting in more sustainable production with less than 1% material waste. The benefits add up to an impressive 69% reduction in manufacturing process steps, 44% smaller factory footprint, 33% lower manufacturing costs, and 23% lower capital expenditures compared to traditional roll-to-roll battery manufacturing.

In terms of materials, the chemistry of our cells is proprietary and we cannot disclose how we use different materials and the groups of materials we use. We can say that Sakuu is intentionally building a network of suppliers that will enable it to scale up battery production, including the recently announced partnership with NGK Spark Plugs to become our global ceramic material supplier.

(Source: Sakuu Global Energy Storage Network, New Energy Network Comprehensive)