Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Tsuneo Ando

Hiroyuki Usui

Hiroki Takeshima

Ikuo Katsumata

An apparatus for manufacturing a battery electrode from foamed metal electrode material includes first and second rollers which are parallel to each other at a shaft center, and rotatable in directions opposite to each other, and a guide bar which is between the first and second rollers. A method for manufacturing a battery electrode includes supplying a foamed metal electrode material including voids, and having a filled portion filled with active material and an unfilled portion without the active material, and a boundary line between the filled and unfilled portions. Part of the unfilled portion is folded in parallel to the boundary line passing through the unfilled portion, and at right angle against the unfilled portion. A lead welding portion is formed along the direction of the longer side, by applying, to the unfilled bent portion, a force in the direction perpendicular to the filled portion in a way to crush the voids, and compress the bent portion. Preferably, the height of the unfilled portion is compressed to a thickness no more than about the thickness of the filled portion. The lead welding portion formed this way has high density and high mechanical strength. And a battery electrode includes a foamed metal including voids and partly filled with an active material and having a plane surface, and a lead welding portion.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Tsuneo Ando