In battery slurry preparation and coating, the peristaltic pump is one of the popular choice for transferring slurry from the mixing tank to the coating area, such as doctor blade, reverse comma bar, and microgravure.

Peristaltic pumps offer specific advantages: (1) Zero Contamination: The slurry remains entirely contained within the tubing. This prevents metallic particles from pump gears from leaching into the slurry, which would otherwise cause micro-shorts in your pouch cells. (2) Shear-Thinning Friendly: Many battery slurries are non-Newtonian. The gentle "squeezing" action of the rollers minimizes mechanical shear, preventing the breakdown of long-chain PVDF binders or the "clumping" of conductive carbon. (3) Handling High Solids: Peristaltic pumps can easily move high-viscosity slurries with high solids content (up to 70%+) that would clog or seize a standard mechanical pump. (4) Easy Cleanup: You only need to clean or replace the tubing. This is a massive time-saver when switching between different cathode recipes (e.g., NMC 811 to LFP).

References:

H. Lee, et al., Design and Assembly of a Thin-Film-Based Micro Pump for a Micro-slot Die, International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing, 2020, 21, 2335–2344

X. Ding, et al., A review of the operating limits in slot die coating processes, AICHE J., 2016, 62, 2508-2524.