Medtronic, Inc.

Joseph P Hartwick

Donald R Merritt

Bernard Frank Heller, Jr

Lithium is a soft malleable metal and sticks to most materials when a fresh surface is exposed. Currently lithium anodes are pressed in a die with temporary polymer components protecting the pressing die. During anode pressing, the lithium anode sticks to these temporary components. They facilitate easy release of the lithium anode from the die via operator intervention. The pressed anode is then manually wrapped with a micro-porous polymeric separator material and built into the battery. This process is labor intensive and would be difficult to automate. By utilizing a formed polymer cup on the anode, both the anode pressing process and separator sealing process would be simplified and have potential options for automation. The cup would allow easy release from the anode pressing die and provide some of the insulation of the anode from regions of opposite polarity.

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Spring Lake Park, MN, United States of America

Joseph P Hartwick