The filling of the electrolyte and the subsequent wetting of the electrodes is a quality critical and time-intensive process in manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries. Currently, the process times and process framework conditions for wetting are defined empirically with high safety margins. This leads to long battery cell storage times with high added value. Due to the metallic cell housing, the process phenomena can be described inadequately up to now. This makes it difficult to take appropriate measures to accelerate the process.
Taking into account the process and product properties, a mathematical description based on the Lucas Washburn equation can describe the wetting effects of the cell components. With this method, the exact process time for the respective battery cell can also be quantified and the process duration can be individually adjusted. This enables a time, energy and cost-efficient wetting process. Therefore, this approach promotes transparency in the planning and operation of wetting processes in battery cell manufacturing.