{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Additive Snack","title":"Printing Batteries, how AM is changing Battery Manufacturing and Performance","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":3176,"description":"Fabian Alefeld hosts Karl Littau, CTO of Sakuu, to discuss why rechargeable battery manufacturing has changed little in decades and how Sakuu is rethinking it with additive approaches. Littau explains conventional thick-film slurry coating and stacked anode/cathode layers, noting heavy use of copper and aluminum and high costs driven largely by bill of materials. He outlines battery basics (anode, cathode, electrolyte) and contrasts lithium-ion with solid-state concepts, where solids replace liquid electrolytes but face commercialization challenges. Sakuu’s initial product targets electrode coating by shifting from wet, solvent-based processes to dry powder-bed methods, enabling powder reclaim/reuse, removing toxic solvents, reducing equipment size (e.g., long drying ovens), and potentially increasing throughput. The conversation also covers future possibilities like multi-material patterning, arbitrary shapes, bipolar designs that reduce metal, and broader impacts on EVs, grid storage, and electrification. 00:00 Welcome and Topic01:32 Why Batteries Need Change04:13 Cost Drivers Today07:53 Sakuu Additive Approach13:09 Battery Basics Explained18:30 Dry Powder Manufacturing26:10 Speed and Footprint Gains28:47 Scaling and Supply Chain32:27 Future Shapes and Structures35:42 Solid State Readiness37:48 Sakuu Origin Story40:31 Roadmap and Industry Impact42:34 Electrification Future Vision49:48 Wrap Up and Thanks ","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/27ZYLdyZ8MHWZlxUWh87sIQyB5ttPhwcP3_CmUBDsv0/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9zaG93/LzE2NDk0LzE3MDU5/NDgwMjItYXJ0d29y/ay5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}