JP2015109135A - Electrode, manufacturing method thereof and manufacturing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electrode that is appropriate for implementing arrangement work of a tape member continuously to application of an active material layer, a manufacturing method thereof and a manufacturing device.SOLUTION: A non-applied area which extends in a length direction and to which an active material is not applied is included in at least one end portion of a band-like electrode roll 1 in a width direction and an active material layer 12 to which the active material is continuously applied in the length direction is included in the rest in the width direction. In the electrode manufacturing device, a protective tape 13 is disposed in the length direction while partially covering both the non-applied area 11 and the active material layer 12 over a boundary portion therebetween. The manufacturing device includes application parts 3 and 5 for applying the active material to the electrode roll 11 in such a manner that the active material layer 12 in the area where the protective tape 13 is disposed is made thinner with a step than the active material layer 12 in the other area. The manufacturing device also includes a deposition part 7 as a spacer arrangement part for arranging a spacer while covering a thin portion 12B of the coated active material layer 12 and a part of the non-applied area 11.

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrode used for, for example, a lithium ion battery, a manufacturing method thereof, and a manufacturing apparatus.

  Conventionally, in order to prevent an internal short circuit between a positive electrode and a negative electrode of a lithium ion battery, a device that covers a terminal of the positive electrode and attaches a tape member that functions as a spacer has been proposed (see Patent Document 1). .

  This is because a band-shaped electrode having an active material layer coated in the longitudinal direction on the surface forms a region where the electrode surface is exposed without forming an active material layer extending in the width direction at regular intervals. An electrode terminal is joined to the exposed electrode surface by ultrasonic welding or the like, and the tape member extends in the width direction of the belt-like electrode across the electrode terminal surface, the exposed electrode surface and the region of the edge portion of the active material layer. Is pasted.

JP 2006-175415 A

  By the way, there exists a strip-shaped electrode which forms the uncoated area | region which does not apply | coat an active material layer to one end or both ends of the width direction as a strip | belt-shaped electrode, and uses the uncoated area | region as the tab which connects an electrode terminal. In such a strip electrode, in order to prevent an internal short circuit between the positive electrode and the negative electrode, a mode in which a tape member functioning as a spacer is disposed by pasting or the like across the tab and the edge portion of the active material layer It becomes. However, when a tape member functioning as a spacer is continuously disposed in the longitudinal direction of the strip electrode across the uncoated region and the edge region of the active material layer, the thickness dimension of the portion overlapping the active material layer is locally It becomes thick and it becomes difficult to wind up the obtained strip electrode uniformly. For this reason, after the application of the active material layer to the strip electrode, the tape member cannot be disposed and the productivity of the strip electrode cannot be improved.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an electrode suitable for carrying out an operation of arranging a tape member functioning as a spacer in succession to the application of an active material layer, a manufacturing method thereof, and a manufacturing apparatus are provided. The purpose is to provide.

  The present invention includes an uncoated region in which an active material extending in the longitudinal direction is not applied to at least one end in the width direction of a strip-shaped electrode fabric, and an active material in which an active material is continuously applied in the longitudinal direction to the remainder in the width direction. A material layer. And it is an apparatus for manufacturing an electrode in which a spacer member made of an insulating material is disposed in the longitudinal direction so as to cover a part of both of the uncoated region and the active material layer. In the present invention, the active material is applied to the raw electrode so that the thickness of the active material layer in the region where the spacer member is disposed is thin with a step with respect to the thickness of the active material layer in the other region. A coating part is provided. Moreover, the spacer arrangement | positioning part which covers a thin part of the apply | coated active material layer and a part of uncoated area | region and arrange | positions a spacer is provided.

  Therefore, in the present invention, the thickness of the active material layer in the region where the spacer member is disposed is thin with a step with respect to the thickness of the active material layer in the other region. For this reason, even if a protective tape as a spacer is applied, the thickness can be made equal to or less than that of the center part of the electrode, and both ends in the width direction are not raised, and the electrode is continuously wound up. Can do. As a result, the protective tape can be applied in-line, and the electrode manufacturing process can be simplified.

The schematic block diagram which shows the 1st Example of the manufacturing apparatus of the electrode of one Embodiment of this invention. The perspective view of a die coater. The perspective view of the shim used for a die coater. The front view which shows the slit of a die-coater. Sectional drawing of an electrode raw material provided with the active material layer apply | coated and dried. The front view which shows the slit of the die-coater which shows the specific example of shim shape. The perspective view which shows another specific example of shim shape. The front view which shows an example of the slit of a die-coater. The front view which shows a sticking roller. Sectional drawing of the electrode original fabric of the state which affixed the protective tape. The perspective view which shows the winding-up state of a strip electrode. The schematic block diagram which shows the manufacturing apparatus of the electrode of 2nd Example. The schematic block diagram which shows the manufacturing apparatus of the electrode of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The front view which shows the slit shape of the die-coater which apply | coats an insulating material. Sectional drawing of an electrode raw fabric provided with the apply | coated active material layer. Sectional drawing of the electrode raw fabric by which the active material layer and the protective layer were apply | coated.

  Hereinafter, an electrode manufacturing method and a manufacturing apparatus of the present invention will be described based on each embodiment.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a first example of the electrode manufacturing apparatus according to the first embodiment to which the present invention is applied. In FIG. 1, an electrode manufacturing apparatus includes two coating units that apply an active material on both surfaces of an electrode fabric 1 between an unwinding portion 2 and a winding portion 10 of the electrode fabric 1 made of metal foil. 3 and 5, and two drying sections 4 and 6 that dry the applied active material layer 12 on each surface of the electrode fabric 1. The electrode manufacturing apparatus also includes an affixing unit 7 that affixes protective tape 13 as a spacer on both sides of the active material layer 12 and a press unit 8 that roll-presses the active material layer 12. Between the press part 8 and the winding part 10, the slit part 9 which divides the obtained strip electrode into two strip electrodes is added. In the illustrated example, two coating parts 3 and 5 and two drying parts 4 and 6 are arranged so that the active material layer 12 is formed on both surfaces of the electrode raw fabric 1.

  The unwinding part 2 is a part to which the electrode original fabric 1 made of a metal foil wound in a reel shape is attached. The electrode raw fabric 1 for positive electrode or negative electrode is unwound, and the coating part 3, the drying part 4, It supplies to the back surface coating part 5 and the back surface drying part 6.

  The coating unit 3 (back surface coating unit 5) applies an active material to the unwound electrode raw fabric 1 with a die coater to form an active material layer 12 on the surface of the electrode raw fabric 1. The active material layer 12 is formed as an uncoated region 11 in the longitudinal direction of the electrode raw fabric 1 at the both ends in the width direction of the electrode raw fabric 1, for example, as a non-coated region 11 and used as an electrode tab. Like to do. For this reason, the active material layer 12 is formed in the area | region except the uncoated area | region 11 of the width direction both ends of the electrode raw fabric 1. FIG. As will be described later, the active material layer 12 to be applied is formed in a thick portion 12A having a normal film thickness in the central region, but the thick portion 12A is formed in a predetermined width from both ends in the width direction. The thin portion 12B having a thickness dimension smaller than the thickness of the thin film portion 12B exists in the longitudinal direction. The drying unit 4 (back surface drying unit 6) volatilizes and drys the diluted solvent contained in the applied active material layer 12.

  The affixing portion 7 functions as a spacer by covering the thin-walled portions 12B at both ends in the width direction of the coated and dried active material layer 12 and covering a part of the uncoated region 11 connected to the outside in the width direction of the thin-walled portions 12B. A protective tape 13 is applied.

  In the press part 8, the active material layer 12 is formed between the rolling rolls, and the electrode tape 1 on which the protective tape 13 is attached to both end regions is passed, thereby increasing the packing density of the active material layer 12 and making it uniform. A strip electrode is used.

  Here, the structure of the above-mentioned coating part 3 and the back surface coating part 5 is demonstrated. In addition, since the coating part 3 and the back surface coating part 5 are comprised similarly, description of the back surface coating part 5 is abbreviate | omitted by demonstrating the coating part 3. FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the coating unit 3 includes a backup roller 21 around which the electrode raw material 1 is wound, and a die coater 20 that applies a coating liquid to the electrode raw material 1 that passes over the backup roller 21. Prepare. Hereinafter, the width direction of the electrode raw fabric 1 is referred to as “width direction”. Therefore, the direction substantially parallel to the axis of the backup roller 21 around which the electrode fabric 1 is wound is the width direction.

  In addition to the backup roller 21, the coating unit 3 includes one or a plurality of guide rollers 22, and the electrode fabric 1 is wound with tension. Due to the rotation of the rollers 22, the electrode raw material 1 wound up in a roll shape is continuously fed out to the coating unit 3 at a predetermined speed, and is conveyed to the drying unit 4.

  The die coater 20 causes a coating liquid supplied from a coating liquid tank (not shown) to flow out from the slit 24 opened in the beak-shaped nozzle 23 and is applied to the electrode fabric 1 on the backup roller 21. The slit 24 of the nozzle 23 of the die coater 20 is long in the width direction of the electrode original fabric 1, and the prescribed width in which the coating liquid is applied to the electrode original fabric 1 is determined by the opening width of the slit 24.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the slit 24 of the nozzle 23 of the die coater 20 has a first shim 25 having a small thickness dimension (for example, 0.3 mm) for setting a coating width, and is coated from the shim 25. A second shim 26 having a narrow width (for example, 4 mm on each side) and a slightly thick thickness (for example, 0.5 mm) is overlapped. That is, the first shim 25 and the second shim 26 are overlapped in this order on the nozzle forming surface of one die head 20A, and the nozzle forming surface of the other die head 20B is overlapped and fixed by fastening bolts (not shown). As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, slits 24 are formed which are thin in the width direction both end regions and thick in the central region excluding both end regions.

  For this reason, by changing the combination of the first and second shims 25 and 26, the width and thickness of the thin portion 12B and the thick portion 12A of the active material layer 12 can be arbitrarily changed. There is no need to replace the shim with a special shim, and the equipment cost can be reduced. In addition, since simple flat shims 25 and 26 are formed so as to overlap, the shape can be formed with high accuracy, and the coating accuracy when used as the die coater 20 can be improved.

  This coating die coater 20 is installed at the die coater mounting position of the coating machine, and after the drying units 4 and 6 have risen to the drying condition temperature, the electrode slurry is supplied to the die coater 20 to start coating on the raw electrode 1. . The active material layer 12 applied from the die coater 20 to the electrode fabric 1 is applied with a normal film thickness (thick portion 12A) in the central region, but is usually applied to the central region at both ends in the width direction. The step coating is performed so that the thin portion 12B is applied with a thickness smaller than the thickness (thick portion 12A). The thin portion 12B is applied in a thickness dimension of, for example, 30 μm or more in a width dimension of 2 to 10 mm and 40 μm or more thinner than a normal film thickness applied to the central region. The applied active material layer 12 is transported to the pasting unit 7 after being dried by the drying units 4 and 6. Although the detailed structure is not shown, step coating is similarly performed on the other surface of the electrode raw fabric 1 using the same coating die coater in the back surface coating unit 5, and the back surface drying unit 6 performs the step coating. The active material layer 12 is dried.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the electrode fabric 1 having the active material layers 12 formed on both sides as described above includes a thick portion 12A having a normal thickness in the central region, and the thickness of the central region at both ends in the width direction. A step-coated active material layer 12 having a thin-walled portion 12B having a thinner thickness is provided.

  In order to prevent sagging of the corners of the thick part 12A and the thin part 12B of the active material layer 12 to be step-coated, the end faces of the first and second shims 25, 26 are inclined as shown in FIG. 25A and 26A. Thereby, the corner | angular part of the thick part 12A and the thin part 12B of the apply | coated active material layer 12 can also be made into an acute angle. For the same purpose, a heating device is disposed in the vicinity of the corners of the thick part 12A and the thin part 12B of the active material layer 12 immediately after being applied, and the corners are dried and cured by a drying furnace. It may be cured prior to.

  The shim provided in the die coater 20 is not limited to the above-described configuration, and may be configured as shown in FIG. 7, for example. In FIG. 7, a stepped shim 27 is formed by integrating the first shim 25 and the second shim 26 described above, and extends inward from the thick part 27A and the thick part 27A formed to protrude from both ends. The formed thin portion 27B is integrally provided. And the coating width of the width dimension including both the thin part 12B of the active material layer 12 is set in the thick part 27A, and the thin part 12B and the thick part 12A of the active material layer 12 are set in the thin part 27B It is. The stepped shim 27 can be formed by forming the thin-walled portion 27B by cutting the shim material without causing thermal deformation. In this way, the width and thickness of the thin portion 12B and the thick portion 12A can be arbitrarily changed by simply replacing the shim, and the die heads 20A and 20B need to be replaced for each type of electrode. The equipment cost can be reduced.

  Alternatively, the shape of the slit 24 of the die coater 20 may be formed by making the tip lip shape of one die head 20B a stepped shape as shown in FIG. 8 without using a shim as described above. In this case, the die head 20B can be formed by forming it into a stepped shape by machining such as grinding.

  The affixing portion 7 functions as a spacer by covering the thin-walled portions 12B at both ends in the width direction of the coated and dried active material layer 12 and covering a part of the uncoated region 11 connected to the outside in the width direction of the thin-walled portions 12B. The protective tape 13 is stuck continuously. A total of four protective tapes 13, one on each side of one surface of the electrode fabric 1 and one on each side of the other surface, are adhered.

  The protective tape 13 has a width of about 10 mm, preferably 7 mm, for example, and has a thickness of 20 μm to 80 μm, preferably 30 μm. As a material of the protective tape 13, any material such as polyimide, polyester, polyvinylidene fluoride, etc. may be used as long as it is excellent in insulation.

  Moreover, although not shown in figure, the sticking part 7 is made to follow the shift | offset | difference of the width direction of the electrode original fabric 1, and the protection tape 13 is made to follow and it affixes stably. As a tracking device to be used, for example, an EPC device (edge position control, an abbreviation for Edge Position Control, which is a registered trademark of Nireco) is used. Moreover, as the sticking roller 30, as shown in FIG. 9, a drum-shaped crown roll is used. The crown-shaped (drum-shaped) sticking roll 30 always has a tension concentrated on the center of the roll 30 due to its shape, and the traveling of the protective tape 13 can be stabilized, preventing misalignment. The protective tape 13 can be affixed to.

  FIG. 10 shows a state where the protective tape 13 is pasted by the pasting unit 7. The thickness of the protective tape 13 is as thin as, for example, 30 μm, and can be easily formed smaller than the thickness dimension of the step portion between the thin portion 12B and the thick portion 12A of the active material layer 12. Here, for example, when the thickness dimension of the thin part 12B is 30 to 50 μm and the thickness dimension of the thick part 12A is 120 μm, the step size between the thick part 12A and the thin part 12B is 70 to The protective tape 13 having a thickness of 90 μm and a thickness of 30 μm is sufficiently accommodated within the step size. For this reason, it can affix and form, without the surface of the protective tape 13 rising from the surface of the active material layer 12 which comprises the thick part 12A. Moreover, even if the thick portion 12A is compressed by, for example, 40 μm by the downstream press portion 8 and the step size is reduced to 30 to 50 μm, the active material layer 12 in which the surface of the protective tape 13 forms the thick portion 12A. It is possible to prevent swelling from the surface.

  Further, there may be a case where the protective tape 13 and the thin portion 12B are pressed by the rolling roll by compressing the thick portion 12A by compression at the press portion 8 without taking a large step size. In this case, since the thin part 12B becomes thin, the surface of the protective tape 13 and the surface of the thick part 12A are formed on the same plane, and the surface of the protective tape 13 constitutes the thick part 12A. Swelling from the surface of the active material layer 12 can be prevented.

  The electrode fabric 1 with the protective tape 13 attached is conveyed to the press unit 8 and passes between the rolling rolls of the press unit 8 to increase the packing density of the active material layer 12 and make it uniform to form a strip electrode. . Next, by passing through the slit portion 9, the band-shaped electrode is divided at the center portion in the width direction. The divided strip electrode is cut into a predetermined length in the next step, so that an electrode plate can be formed by itself. As shown in FIG. 11, the left and right pairs (or the left and right directions) of the strip electrode divided by the slit portion 9 are wound around the winding roller 31 of the winding portion 10.

  FIG. 12 shows an electrode manufacturing apparatus according to the second embodiment in which the affixing unit 7 is arranged downstream of the press unit 8. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

  The electrode material 1 coated with the active material layer 12 in the coating parts 3 and 5 and dried in the drying parts 4 and 6 passes between the rolling rolls of the press part 8, thereby forming the active part 12 </ b> A constituting the thick part 12 </ b> A. The material layer 12 is compressed to increase the packing density and to make it uniform.

  In the affixing part 7, the thin raw part 12B of the electrode raw fabric 1 provided with the pressed active material layer 12 and a part of the uncoated region 11 connected to the outer side in the width direction of the thin part 12B are covered as spacers. A functioning protective tape 13 is continuously applied. The thin-walled portion 12B to which the protective tape 13 is applied is a surface that has not been compressed by the press portion 8, and the step size with the thick-walled portion 12A that has been compressed by the press portion 8 is reduced. For this reason, it sets so that the level | step difference dimension after the compression in the press part 8 may become larger than the thickness dimension of the protective tape 13 to paste. For example, when the thickness of the protective tape 13 is 30 μm and the active material layer 12 of the thick portion 12A is compressed from 123 μm to 80 μm by the press portion 8, it is formed by the coating portions 3 and 5. By making the thickness dimension of the thin part 12B to be 50 μm or less, the surface of the protective tape 13 can be prevented from rising from the surface of the thick part 12A.

  In addition, in the said embodiment, what provided the uncoated area | region 11 which does not apply | coat the active material extended in a longitudinal direction to the both ends of the width direction of the strip | belt-shaped electrode raw fabric 1 as an electrode was demonstrated. However, the non-coated area | region 11 which does not apply | coat the active material extended in a longitudinal direction to the one end part of the width direction of the strip | belt-shaped electrode raw fabric 1 may be provided.

  In the present embodiment, the following effects can be achieved.

  (A) The active material is continuously applied in the longitudinal direction to the uncoated region 11 where the active material extending in the longitudinal direction is not applied to at least one end in the width direction of the strip-shaped electrode raw fabric 1 and the remaining portion in the width direction. Active material layer 12. An electrode manufacturing apparatus in which a protective tape 13 as a spacer made of an insulating material is disposed in the longitudinal direction, covering a part of both of the uncoated region 11 and the active material layer 12 and covering each part of both. It is a manufacturing method. Then, the thickness of the active material layer 12 in the region where the spacer member adjacent to the uncoated region 11 of the active material layer 12 is arranged is thin with a step with respect to the thickness of the active material layer 12 in other regions. In addition, coating portions 3 and 5 for applying an active material to the electrode fabric 1 are provided. Further, a pasting portion 7 is provided as a spacer placement portion for placing a spacer so as to cover the thin portion 12B of the applied active material layer 12 and a part of the uncoated region 11.

  That is, the thickness of the active material layer 12 in the region where the spacer member is disposed adjacent to the uncoated region 11 of the active material layer 12 is different from the thickness of the active material layer 12 in the other region with the thin portion 12B. It is trying to become. For this reason, even if the protective tape 13 as a spacer is affixed, the thickness can be made equal to or less than that of the center portion of the electrode, and both ends in the width direction are not raised, and the electrode is continuously wound up. be able to. As a result, the protective tape 13 can be attached in-line, and the electrode manufacturing process can be simplified.

  (A) The coating parts 3 and 5 apply | coat the electrode slurry containing an active material to the electrode raw fabric 1 with the die-coater 20 which made the slit shape the opening dimension thin in the width direction both ends. For this reason, the active material layer 12 provided with the thin part 12B and the thick part 12A in the electrode raw fabric 1 can be formed continuously.

  (C) The slit shape of the die coater 20 was configured to face the opening of the shim 27 sandwiched between the die heads 20A and 20B. The width and thickness of the thin wall portion 12B and the thick wall portion 12A can be arbitrarily changed only by exchanging the shim 27, and it is not necessary to replace the die heads 20A and 20B for each type of electrode. Can be reduced.

  (D) The shim is a first shim 25 that sets a boundary region with the uncoated region 11 of the thin portion 12B of the active material layer 12, and the upper surface of the thin portion 12B and other regions overlapped with the first shim 25 And a second shim 26 for setting the width of the active material layer 12. For this reason, by changing the combination of the first and second shims 25, 26, the width and thickness of the thin portion 12B and the thick portion 12A can be arbitrarily changed. There is no need for replacement, and equipment costs can be reduced. In addition, since simple flat shims 25 and 26 are formed so as to overlap, the shape can be formed with high accuracy, and the coating accuracy during use in the die heads 20A and 20B can be improved.

  Further, in order to prevent the corners of the thick part 12A and the thin part 12B of the active material layer 12 to be step-coated, the end surfaces of the first and second shims 25, 26 are formed by the slopes 25A, 26A. The corners of the thick part 12A and the thin part 12B of the applied active material layer 12 may be acute angles. For the same purpose, a heating device is disposed in the vicinity of the corners of the thick part 12A and the thin part 12B of the active material layer 12 immediately after being applied, and the corners are dried and cured by a drying furnace. It may be cured prior to.

  (E) The spacer arrangement portion 7 covers the dried active material layer 12 or the thin-walled portion 12B of the dried and pressed active material layer 12 and a part of the uncoated region 11, and serves as a protective tape as a spacer. 13 is pasted. For this reason, the protective tape 13 as a spacer can be continuously affixed inline to the thin portion 12B of the active material layer 12 of the electrode raw fabric 1 and a part of the uncoated region 11 being conveyed.

  (F) The spacer arrangement portion 7 includes a guide roller 30 that presses the protective tape 13 against the thin portion 12B of the active material layer 12 and a part of the uncoated region 11, and the guide roller 30 has a crown-shaped surface. Prepare. For this reason, the tension of the protective tape 13 can always be concentrated on the center of the roll 30 from the crown shape, the traveling of the protective tape 13 can be stabilized, and the displacement of the protective tape 13 as a spacer can be prevented. , It can be applied to the target position with high accuracy.

(Second Embodiment)
13 to 16 show a second embodiment of an electrode to which the present invention is applied, a method for manufacturing the electrode, and a manufacturing apparatus, and FIG. 13 is a schematic configuration diagram of the apparatus for manufacturing the electrode. In this embodiment, the structure which apply | coats the insulating material which functions as a spacer to the upper surface of the thin part of an active material layer is added to 1st Embodiment. The same devices as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted or simplified.

  In FIG. 13, in the electrode manufacturing apparatus of the present embodiment, instead of providing the attaching portion of the protective tape 13, the coating portions 3 </ b> A and 5 </ b> A are adjacent to the downstream of the die coater 20 for applying the active material. A die coater 28 for applying the insulating material 14 is provided. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  In the die coater 28 for applying the insulating material 14 provided in the coating portions 3A and 5A, two slits 28B of the nozzle 28A are provided on both sides in the width direction of the electrode raw material 1. As shown in FIG. 14, each slit 28 </ b> B has a thin portion 12 </ b> B of the active material layer 12 applied to the electrode fabric 1 by the preceding die coater 20 and an uncoated region 11 that continues to the outside in the width direction of the thin portion 12 </ b> B. An opening is formed in a width region facing a part of the substrate. Then, the insulating material 14 is quantitatively supplied to the die coater 28 with a dispenser (dispenser, liquid quantitative discharge device) or the like, and the thin portion 12B of the active material layer 12 and the width direction outer region of the thin portion 12B shown in FIG. Apply a part of it wet-on-wet to a specified thickness.

  The insulating material 14 is polyimide, polyester, polyvinylidene fluoride, or the like, and may be a resin material mixed with a filler such as alumina or talc in order to increase the insulating effect. Since these insulating materials 14 have a composition different from that of the electrode slurry made of the active material, the insulating material 14 does not mix with the active material even when applied wet-on-wet, and consists of the active material layer 12 and the insulating material 14. It exists separately in the protective layer. FIG. 16 shows a state where the active material layer 12 and the protective layer made of the insulating material 14 are applied.

  The electrode fabric 1 coated with the active material layer 12 and the insulating material 14 is dried by the drying unit 4, and then the back coating unit 5 similarly forms a protective layer made of the active material layer 12 and the insulating material 14. Is applied. Then, it is dried by the back surface drying unit 6, the density is adjusted by the press unit 8, separated by the slit unit 9, and wound by the winding unit 10.

  Thus, the protective layer can be more easily formed by applying the protective layer made of the insulating material 14 serving as the spacer to the thin portion 12B formed by the step and a part of the uncoated region 11. It becomes possible.

  In the present embodiment, in addition to the effects (a) to (d) in the first embodiment, the following effects can be achieved.

  (G) The spacer is arranged by applying an insulating material 14 serving as a spacer so as to cover the thin portion 12B of the active material layer 12 applied to the electrode raw fabric 1 by the die coater 20 and a part of the uncoated region 11. The second die coater 28 is configured. For this reason, only by adding the 2nd die coater 28, the insulating material 14 used as a spacer can be continuously arranged, and equipment can be formed at a lower cost. Further, since the insulating material 14 has a composition different from that of the electrode slurry made of the active material, it does not mix with the active material even when applied wet-on-wet, and is separated into the active material layer 12 and the protective layer. Can exist.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electrode raw material 2 Unwinding part 3,5 Coating part 4,6 Drying part 7 Pasting part as spacer arrangement part 8 Press part 9 Slit part 10 Winding part 11 Uncoated area 12 Active material layer 12A Thick part 12B Thin portion 13 Protective tape as spacer 14 Insulating material as spacer 20, 28 Die coater 20A, 20B Die head 27, 25, 26 Shim 30 Guide roller

Claims (12)

An uncoated region in which the active material extending in the longitudinal direction is not applied to at least one end portion in the width direction of the strip-shaped electrode original fabric, and an active material layer in which the active material is continuously applied in the longitudinal direction to the remaining portion in the width direction; In the electrode manufacturing apparatus in which a spacer member made of an insulating material is disposed in the longitudinal direction, covering a part of each of the both of the uncoated region and the active material layer across the boundary portion,
The active material is disposed on the electrode material so that the thickness of the region where the spacer member adjacent to the uncoated region of the active material layer is thin with a step with respect to the thickness of the active material layer in the other region. Coating part to apply,
An apparatus for manufacturing an electrode, comprising: a spacer placement portion that places a spacer so as to cover a thin portion of an applied active material layer and a part of an uncoated region.   The said coating part applies the electrode slurry containing an active material to an electrode raw fabric with the die-coater which made the slit shape the opening dimension thin at the width direction both ends, The electrode raw material is characterized by the above-mentioned. Electrode manufacturing equipment.   The electrode manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the slit shape of the die coater is configured to face a shim opening sandwiched between die heads.   The shim includes a first shim that sets a boundary region with an uncoated region of the thin portion of the active material layer, and an upper surface of the thin portion and the active material layer of the other region that overlaps the first shim. The electrode manufacturing apparatus according to claim 3, comprising: a second shim that sets a width.   The spacer arrangement portion covers a thin active portion of the dried active material layer or the dried and pressed active material layer and a part of the uncoated region, and a protective tape as a spacer is applied. The electrode manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4.   The said spacer arrangement | positioning part is equipped with the guide roller which presses a protective tape to the thin part of an active material layer, and a part of uncoated area | region, The said guide roller is provided with the crown-shaped surface. The electrode manufacturing apparatus described in 1.   The arrangement of the spacer is constituted by a second die coater that applies an insulating material to be a spacer so as to cover a thin portion of the active material layer applied to the electrode raw material by the die coater and a part of the uncoated region. The electrode manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the electrode manufacturing apparatus includes: An uncoated region in which the active material extending in the longitudinal direction is not applied to at least one end portion in the width direction of the strip-shaped electrode original fabric, and an active material layer in which the active material is continuously applied in the longitudinal direction to the remaining portion in the width direction; In the method of manufacturing an electrode in which a spacer member made of an insulating material is disposed in the longitudinal direction, covering a part of both of the uncoated region and the active material layer across the boundary portion,
The active material is disposed on the electrode material so that the thickness of the region where the spacer member adjacent to the uncoated region of the active material layer is thin with a step with respect to the thickness of the active material layer in the other region. Coating process to apply,
A spacer disposing step of disposing a spacer so as to cover a thin portion of the coated active material layer and a part of the uncoated region.   9. The coating process is characterized in that an electrode slurry containing an active material is applied to an electrode raw material by a die coater having a slit shape whose opening dimension is reduced at both ends in the width direction. Of manufacturing the electrode.   The spacer disposing step covers a thin active portion of a dried active material layer or a dried and pressed active material layer and a part of an uncoated region, and a protective tape as a spacer is applied. The manufacturing method of the electrode of Claim 8 or Claim 9 to do.   The spacer arrangement step is constituted by a second die coater that applies an insulating material so as to cover a thin portion of the active material layer applied to the electrode raw material by the die coater and a part of the uncoated region. The method for producing an electrode according to claim 8 or 9, wherein An uncoated region in which the active material extending in the longitudinal direction is not applied to at least one end portion in the width direction of the strip-shaped electrode original fabric, and an active material layer in which the active material is continuously applied in the longitudinal direction to the remaining portion in the width direction; An electrode in which a spacer member made of an insulating material is disposed in the longitudinal direction, covering a part of both of the uncoated region and the active material layer across the boundary portion,
The active material is disposed on the electrode material so that the thickness of the region where the spacer member adjacent to the uncoated region of the active material layer is thin with a step with respect to the thickness of the active material layer in the other region. Apply
An electrode, characterized in that a spacer is disposed so as to cover a thin portion of the applied active material layer and a part of an uncoated region.

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