Hanatech "WIP Solid-State Equipment Pilot Supply... Solved Speed Issues"

Hana Technology Headquarters. Provided by Hana Technology

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On the afternoon of the 12th, at Hana Technology's Plant 1 in Namsa, Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, two to three foreigners wearing gowns labeled 'VIP' were closely observing the battery equipment production process. They were employees of a European battery cell manufacturer who had ordered the equipment and were stationed there to inspect the Z-stacking equipment produced by Hana Technology. A Hana Technology official explained, "We plan to complete testing of the Z-stacking equipment soon and deliver it to the client."

Battery equipment company Hana Technology is about to deliver its new assembly equipment, the Z-stacking. In addition, Hana Technology announced that it has completed the development of the On-gan Jeongsu-ap Press (WIP) equipment, which improves productivity, and has supplied it to the pilot line of a client company. The smartphone cover glass business is also being promoted as a new growth engine.

Choi Sang-guk, Executive Director (Management Headquarters), whom we met that day, said, "We have achieved a speed of producing 0.4 cells per second," and introduced it as "the world's fastest mass production equipment based on long cells (long cell) over 600 mm in length." Stacking equipment refers to equipment that stacks completed electrodes and separators neatly, and recently, the Z-folding method has become mainstream.

Hana Technology regards the WIP as next-generation equipment expected to be a core device for all-solid-state batteries. Since all-solid-state batteries use solid electrolytes, very high pressure must be applied to ensure that the active material and separator bond well. The WIP assembles the electrode and separator, places them in a pouch, then puts them into a vessel containing liquid at a high temperature (about 200 degrees Celsius) and applies high pressure (about 7000 bar) for about an hour. While WIP technology has advantages in terms of uniform pressure and stability, it has the limitation of slow mass production speed.

Hana Technology succeeded in increasing the mass production speed to 20 ppm (producing 20 cells per minute) by using a multi-stage cassette method. Executive Director Choi explained, "We have supplied or plan to supply pilot processes to numerous automobile manufacturers and battery cell companies preparing for all-solid-state batteries."

Hana Technology is also accelerating the development of sulfide-based solid electrolytes, a core material for all-solid-state batteries, and lithium sulfide, which is the raw material for it. The company stated, "By using a wet process, we can reduce manufacturing costs and supply at about 60% of the price compared to competitors," and added, "If contracts are finalized after passing client quality tests, we can achieve a production capacity of 200 kg per month."

Hana Technology supplies assembly, formation equipment, as well as inspection and pack equipment to the three major domestic battery companies. By the third quarter of this year, it recorded cumulative sales of 68.6 billion KRW and an operating loss of 16.9 billion KRW. Hana Technology explained, "Operating losses were recorded due to contraction in the front-end market such as electric vehicles and increased investment costs for new equipment development," and added, "We expect a turnaround next year." Hana Technology has set a target of 150 billion KRW in sales and 10 billion KRW in operating profit for next year. As of the end of September this year, the order backlog was 148 billion KRW.

Meanwhile, Hana Technology recently faced difficulties due to a contract cancellation. Regarding this, Executive Director Choi said, "To prevent recurrence, we have established an in-house order committee to strengthen the client verification process and reinforced the legal team to improve the drafting and review of contracts."

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