The UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC) has opened its unique clean and dry zone (CDZ) which is available for use by cell developers, equipment manufacturers, and specialists working in the battery sector

Capable of maintaining the precise climate-controlled conditions needed in the production of high-quality, reliable cells, the 800m²  CDZ consists of five independent rooms which can be rented either individually or together for a range of uses.

The five controlled environment areas are ISO 7 clean rooms that use an air filtration system to maintain air cleanliness levels, and which have the capability of reaching minus 40°C dew point.

The flexible empty spaces, which range in size from 83m² to 245m², are three metres in height, with one room, having a ceiling height of five metres in parts to accommodate processes which require additional height. Access to each room is controlled by smart card to protect customer intellectual property.

Richard LeCain, UKBIC’s Chief Technology Officer, said: "We're delighted to unveil our clean and dry zone, tailored to meet the fast-evolving demands of the battery industry.

“One of the largest costs for cell and material developers is buying, installing and paying for the ongoing costs of keeping large areas dry. These dynamic, climate-controlled spaces are designed with flexibility for different customers in mind and offer the perfect environment for specialised testing, manufacturing, and R&D, enabling customers to increase their technology readiness levels without large outlay in capex and opex.

“The CDZ enable organisations to push the boundaries of innovation and efficiency in battery technology, supporting one of UKBIC's core missions.”

UKBIC is part of the Faraday Battery Challenge, which is a £657m investment programme which supports world-class scientific technology development and manufacturing scale-up capability for batteries in the UK. The Challenge supports world-class scientific technology development and manufacturing scale-up capability for batteries in the UK.

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Notes to editor:

To arrange an interview, please email richard.robinson@ukbic.co.uk or phone +44 (0) 7503 628892

UKBIC is the UK’s national manufacturing development facility, providing scale-up, laboratory expertise, and module and pack assembly, and helping develop skills to support the sector. 

With its Giga-scale equipment, battery technologies can be manufactured from electrode and cell materials through to battery modules and packs, providing the link between prototype scale and mass production.

UKBIC has two house cell designs, a 21700 cylindrical and a 300 x 100 mm pouch, which customers can use as a guide to further develop and scale their own technologies.

The open access facility – which doesn’t take a share of our clients’ IP – has seen several new facilities introduced in recent months.

These include:

• A new Battery Development Laboratory;
• A flexible Clean and Dry Zone;
• New cell cyclers; and
• A smaller-scale Flexible Pilot line which is used for product development, validation, and commercial activities, which is due to come on stream later this year and which provides a missing link between our main line and university-scale demonstrator lines elsewhere. 

UKBIC’s construction was originally part-funded through the West Midlands Combined Authority and was delivered through a consortium of Coventry City Council, Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership and WMG, at the University of Warwick.