Australia has many of the minerals, metals and manufacturing capabilities needed to support a stronger battery industry. The next opportunity is to turn more of these resources into battery parts made in Australia.
CSIRO’s report, The future of Australian battery manufacturing: cell cans and current collector foils, looks at two important components used in lithium-ion battery cells: cell cans and current collector foils.
Cell cans are the outer casings of battery cells, that hold and protect the energy storage components that make the cell function. Current collector foils are very thin sheets of copper and aluminium that physically support the electrochemical materials. They also conduct the electrical current to the cell terminals.
Put simply, these parts are essential to battery performance, safety and reliability.
This report compares the technical requirements for making these components with Australia’s existing industrial strengths. It finds that some manufacturing options would need major new investment, such as new sheet rolling mills, and sheet electroplating facilities. These investments may be difficult to justify unless they can serve wider markets beyond batteries.
The report identifies two near-term opportunities that could be worth further study.
The first is manufacturing prismatic battery cell cans by the technique of impact extrusion using locally produced aluminium slugs. Australia already has strengths in aluminium production, and this pathway may offer a more direct way to build local capability.
The second is producing copper current collector foil using electrolytic deposition. Australia is a significant producer of electrical-grade copper cathode, and this process may require a smaller investment than traditional rolled copper foil production.
Together, these opportunities could help Australia capture more value from its mineral resources, build sovereign manufacturing capability and support the growth of a local battery supply chain.
The report also highlights the importance of careful market analysis. New manufacturing facilities need a sufficiently high utilisation to be economic. For some products, this may mean looking beyond batteries to wider markets for aluminium sheet, foil and other flat products currently imported into Australia.
By identifying where local strengths match real manufacturing needs, this report provides a practical starting point for industry, government and research partners considering the next steps for Australian battery manufacturing.
Read the full paper
- The future of Australian battery manufacturing: Cell cans and current collector foils
- The future of Australian battery manufacturing: Cell cans and current collector foils (accessible text)
Contact our team to learn more.
Australia has many of the minerals, metals and manufacturing capabilities needed to support a stronger battery industry. The next opportunity is to turn more of these resources into battery parts made in Australia.
CSIRO’s report, The future of Australian battery manufacturing: cell cans and current collector foils, looks at two important components used in lithium-ion battery cells: cell cans and current collector foils.
Cell cans are the outer casings of battery cells, that hold and protect the energy storage components that make the cell function. Current collector foils are very thin sheets of copper and aluminium that physically support the electrochemical materials. They also conduct the electrical current to the cell terminals.
Put simply, these parts are essential to battery performance, safety and reliability.
This report compares the technical requirements for making these components with Australia’s existing industrial strengths. It finds that some manufacturing options would need major new investment, such as new sheet rolling mills, and sheet electroplating facilities. These investments may be difficult to justify unless they can serve wider markets beyond batteries.
The report identifies two near-term opportunities that could be worth further study.
The first is manufacturing prismatic battery cell cans by the technique of impact extrusion using locally produced aluminium slugs. Australia already has strengths in aluminium production, and this pathway may offer a more direct way to build local capability.
The second is producing copper current collector foil using electrolytic deposition. Australia is a significant producer of electrical-grade copper cathode, and this process may require a smaller investment than traditional rolled copper foil production.
Together, these opportunities could help Australia capture more value from its mineral resources, build sovereign manufacturing capability and support the growth of a local battery supply chain.
The report also highlights the importance of careful market analysis. New manufacturing facilities need a sufficiently high utilisation to be economic. For some products, this may mean looking beyond batteries to wider markets for aluminium sheet, foil and other flat products currently imported into Australia.
By identifying where local strengths match real manufacturing needs, this report provides a practical starting point for industry, government and research partners considering the next steps for Australian battery manufacturing.
Read the full paper
- The future of Australian battery manufacturing: Cell cans and current collector foils PDF (2 MB)
- The future of Australian battery manufacturing: Cell cans and current collector foils (accessible text) TXT (65 KB)
Contact our team to learn more.