The first stage is to mix the electrode materials with a conductive binder to form a uniform slurry with the solvent. (The anode material is a form of Carbon and the cathode is a Lithium metal oxide. To avoid contamination between the two active materials, the anodes and cathodes are usually processed in different rooms.)

The slurry is then coated either continuously or intermittently on both sides of the current collector (Al foil for cathode and Cu foil for the anode) using an application tool (e.g. slot die, doctor blade, anilox roller). The thickness of the electrode coating can be controlled in the coating machine.

The coated foil is fed directly into a long drying oven to evaporate the solvent. (The highly flammable solvent contained in the cathode coating is recovered or used for thermal recycling. From the water-based anode coating, the harmless vapor is exhausted to the ambient environment directly.)

This is followed by the calendaring process where the coated foils are compressed by a rotating pair of rollers. This process helps adjust the physical properties (bonding, conductivity, density, porosity, etc.) of the electrodes.

After calendaring, the finished electrodes are cleaned and fed into slitting machines to be cut into narrow strips and recoiled. The coils are then sent to a vacuum oven to remove the residual moisture and solvent.

(Active materials, conductive additives, solvents, and binders, as well as the aluminum foil and copper foil, are usually purchased components for the cell manufacturer.)