THE PROBLEM
Electromobility and the detachment from combustion engines in automobility has been recognized as a key pillar in combating air pollution worldwide, contributing to the fight against climate change. To tackle the problem, the entire automotive industry has turned to innovative solutions for electric vehicles.
The obvious prospect for the rapid development of e-mobility in Europe, in the context of the European Green Deal, has led to the need for large rechargeable battery plants (Gigafactories), which in turn require quality raw materials with innovative production processes emphasizing on environmental protection.
THE GOAL
Symetal's goal was to develop a product that will meet the contemporary and future needs of battery manufacturers, through an innovative production process that will ensure a reduction in the use of raw materials, responsible use of raw materials and energy savings.
THE PRODUCT
Symetal Battery Foil (SBF) is at the core of Li-ion batteries, used as a key element of the electrodes. The requirements for such product are extremely high, as the quality of the rolled aluminium is linked both to the efficiency of the battery producers’ processes and to the performance of the final product (the battery) as well.
THE INNOVATION
SBF's special alloying and innovative production process is the result of exhaustive testing with established European manufacturers of rechargeable battery cells.
The development of the new innovative SBF product with this specific production process required more than a hundred different industrial-scale tests in less than three years.
Symetal has achieved its goal of launching SBF, an innovative and eco-friendly product in several aspects.
The end use of the product in electric vehicles contributes to the independence from fossil fuels, as well as to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, thus contributing to the fight against climate change.
By reducing the thickness of the rolled aluminium from 15μm and 20μm of the traditional products to 11μm and 12μm, a reduction in the use of raw materials is achieved.
Symetal offers the innovative double-rolled battery foil (SBF), reducing energy consumption by almost half for the last stages of rolling.
Our innovative production process has eliminated the need for chemical degreasing, resulting in zero use of chemicals and zero chemical waste. Therefore, responsible use of raw materials and elimination of chemical waste is achieved.
THE QUALITY SYSTEM
To enter the value chain of the automotive industry, Symetal was recently certified by Lloyd’s Register for its Quality Assurance System in accordance with the IATF 16949:2016 international standard. IATF 16949:2016 is a very demanding quality standard for the automotive industry, the certification of which has been achieved by only few Greek companies. IATF 16949:2016 promotes continuous improvement, defect prevention, reduction of variation and waste in the supply chain.
