30 March 2017
A thin microporous film of polyolefin placed
between the cathode and anode of lithium-ion batteries.
It prevents contact between the electrodes
which would cause a short, while allowing
lithium ions to pass between the electrodes.
DETAILS
Asahi Kasei will increase production capacity for
Li-ion battery (LIB) separator* at its plant
in Moriyama, Shiga, Japan,
with start-up scheduled in the first half of fiscal 2019.
With increasing demand for hybrid-electronic
and all-electric vehicles worldwide, the LIB market
is forecasted to grow substantially
in automotive applications.
Asahi Kasei is the world’s leading LIB separator manufacturer,
supplying both wet-process and dry-process separators products.
Wet-process manufacturing plants
are located in Japan
(Moriyama, Shiga, and Hyuga, Miyazaki)
and Korea (Chungbuk),
while dry-process manufacturing plants
are located in the US (North Carolina).
Proactively expanding the LIB separator business
as a strategic area of growth, Asahi Kasei plans
to raise its total LIB separator capacity
to 1,100 million m2/y, including
both wet process and dry process, by 2020.
Upon completion of the new production line,
Asahi Kasei’s total LIB separator capacity
will increase to 860 million m2/year,
* with wet-process capacity being 610 million m2/y and
* dry-process capacity rising to 250 million m2/y
through productivity improvements at existing plants.
The capacity increases will further reinforce
the company’s capability to provide stable supply
to meet rising global demand for LIB separators.
WWW.CHEMWINFO.COM BY KHUN PHICHAI
