Asahi Kasei Corp. (Tokyo, Japan; www.asahi-kasei.co.jp) will increase production capacity for Hipore Li-ion battery (LIB) separator at its plant in Moriyama, Shiga, Japan, with startup scheduled in the first half of fiscal 2019. The company will invest approximately ¥15 billion in the expansion.
With increasing demand for hybrid-electronic and all-electric vehicles worldwide, the LIB market is forecasted to grow substantially in automotive applications. In an LIB system, a separator is 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.
Asahi Kasei supplies both wet-process and dry-process LIB separators with its Hipore and Celgard 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 U.S. (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/yr, including both wet process and dry process, by
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.