From electric vehicles (EVs) to renewable energy storage to consumer electronics, lithium-ion batteries are powering the world around us. Over the next decade, the market for these batteries is expected to grow more than five times from what it is today.

Rugged field testing meets real-time analysis

Before batteries can power our vehicles and personal devices, raw materials like lithium, nickel, manganese, cobalt, and graphite must first be extracted. SPECTRO Analytical Instruments designs and manufactures cutting-edge spectrometers that bring lab-grade analysis to remote locations to help determine the purity level of these materials—a critical step in developing battery technology. Spectrometers from SPECTRO provide real-time data to help drive maximum efficiency and output while ensuring the right elemental composition, which is key for battery performance.

Lithium-ion batteries are rechargeable energy storage devices that use lithium ions to transfer energy between electrodes. They’re considered sustainable due to their high energy efficiency, long life cycle, and potential for recycling, reducing the need for frequent replacements and resource extraction.

Improving quality, performance, and reliability

Across AMETEK, several businesses play a critical role in lithium-ion battery manufacturing and testing. Surface Vision uses its state-of-the-art surface inspection systems throughout the entire production process to identify and eliminate defective materials, enhancing overall quality and reliability. Surface Vision’s technologies also enable traceability, ensuring defects can be traced back to their source. By automating the inspection process, Surface Vision helps manufacturers boost production efficiency while minimizing downtime.

At AMETEK Brookfield, experts are keeping the power in your lithium-ion batteries by keeping moisture out. Brookfield’s Computrac moisture analyzers play a key role in the battery development process by providing precise moisture and solids content analysis. Controlling moisture levels is essential in battery production because it directly affects the performance and longevity of the batteries. Computrac’s moisture analyzers make it easier to ensure low moisture levels in materials such as cathode powders. This enhances battery quality and improves production efficiency.

In addition to moisture testing, an AMETEK business called Lloyd Instruments facilitates several critical tests to evaluate the quality of EV battery components. From tests that simulate real-world conditions like extreme weather and thermal cycling to tests that determine tensile and puncture strength, Lloyd Instruments is playing a critical role by rigorously testing the overall quality, safety, and longevity of EV batteries.

Lithium-ion batteries are crucial for EVs because they provide high energy density, enabling longer driving ranges and faster recharging times—and that makes EVs more practical and efficient for daily use.

Driving the future of battery technology

For more than 60 years, Gatan has been pushing the limits of electron microscopy with cutting-edge research that has led to breakthroughs in measuring lithium. Gatan recently unveiled the world’s first and only system that quantifies the distribution of lithium in scanning electron microscopes that significantly raise detection limits, enabling better insights into battery performance. This technology is 10 times more sensitive than competitors, accelerating innovations in battery efficiency, energy storage, and overall reliability, and helping drive advancements in sustainable energy solutions.

Solartron Analytical and Princeton Applied Research deliver reliable, high-precision instruments that support every phase of battery development. With research and development, they assist in material research and analysis for many different battery technologies used today, in addition to exploring what will be possible tomorrow with new technologies like hydrogen cells. Solartron Analytical and Princeton Applied Research also conduct rigorous testing and evaluation during manufacturing, ensuring both accuracy and efficiency.

Key applications include assessing battery health through a nondestructive testing technique known as electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), charge/discharge cycles, urban profiling, and thermal runaway analysis, providing valuable insights into the performance and safety of batteries or battery materials at every stage. Trusted by leading battery manufacturers worldwide, these instruments are installed in major facilities to uphold high standards of quality and innovation. Whether advancing new technologies or optimizing existing systems, Princeton Applied Research and Solartron Analytical offer versatile solutions that help businesses thrive in the fast-evolving battery industry.

Better batteries for a more sustainable planet

High-tech batteries pack a lot of technology into a small space. Transitioning to a future powered by renewable energy requires better-performing, more-efficient, and more-reliable battery technology. That’s why across AMETEK’s businesses, our experts focus on improving every part of a battery’s life cycle, including material extraction, manufacturing, testing, and recycling.

For a full list of AMETEK businesses and their battery technology solutions, click here.