A Revolutionary Manufacturing Technology to Secure the DAF’s Battery Supply Chain

Current dependence on potential adversaries for battery materials and the increasing prevalence of unique battery designs pose challenges in securing crucial battery supply chains. The surging demand for electric vehicles is steering the commercial market away from the smaller cell formats crucial for the DAF. To address this, the Air Force needs to promptly adapt by capitalizing on innovative battery manufacturing investments. This adaptation aims to enable domestic production of Li-Ion cells and battery packs essential for USAF systems, ensuring safety and affordability, aligning with the Department of Defense's Lithium Battery Strategy for the period 2023-2030. AM Batteries Inc. (AMB) has invented a novel patented dry electrostatic spray electrode manufacturing process and manufacturing equipment for Li-Ion battery production, paving the way for higher energy density, faster charging, and lower-cost batteries. AMB’s ‘powder-to-electrode’ method will cut the drying and solvent recovery steps, which will create a more energy-efficient electrode manufacturing process.As a spin-off from Mechanical and Materials Engineering Department, Worchester Polytechnic Institute, AMB has successfully demonstrated and validated its technology in a small pilot scale through an internally developed coating line. AMB is backed by a diverse network of financial investors (Anzu Partners, Foothill Ventures, Creative Ventures), renewable energy developers (Doral Energy Tech-Ventures), EV OEMs (Toyota Ventures, Vinfast, SAIC Motor), electronics manufacturers (TDK Ventures), and global chemical manufacturers (Zeon Ventures), and raised a total funding of $60.3M. This technology development is seeking to empower the USAF by enabling improved manufacturing systems for safe, cost-efficient, and effective energy storage that advance the capability and sustainability of battery energy storage solutions, benefitting both the Defense and Non-Defense markets reaching $436B by 2030.