News Releases

Judging from the atmosphere at the 2010 Advanced Automotive Battery Conference (AABC), the NBA Eastern playoffs between the Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic, and Disney World with Mickey and his friends paled in comparison to the excitement that the battery industry in the US seems to be generating this year. The Obama Administration in the past 15 months has taken a much more proactive, coordinated approach to addressing clean energy and oil dependency with the goal of decreasing greenhouse gas emissions of the largest contributor, the transportation sector, and creating jobs in the new energy and environment sector to boost the economy at the same time. Through the DOE, the Recovery and Reinvestment Act, signed into law on February 17th, 2009, slated a total of $36.7 billion dollars for energy related technological development. The majority of that amount, $16.8 billion, is for the development of energy efficiency and renewable energy (source: www.energy.gov).

The President also spearheaded a national standard for fuel efficiency for passengers vehicles last year, and as recently as May 21st , set forth one single standard for mid and large trucks to reach 35.5 mpg by 2014. This atmosphere has not only changed the tone in the battery industry, it has fueled technological development in the US, which has, up to now lagged behind other Europe and Japan. Many of the beneficiaries of these funds were present at the AABC conference this year, looking for new technologies and innovative opportunities to not only improve their development, engineering and manufacturing of batteries and other energy devices, but to contribute to the future of this industry.

For the third straight year, PRIMIX Corporation, exhibited the FILMIX, which has a proven track record for superior dispersion of cathode and anode slurry in the manufacturing of batteries. It is now being used in many of the largest battery manufacturers in Japan and China, and is gaining the interest of companies elsewhere.

Mr. Tsumoru Ohata, Technical Director of PEACE and the brain behind the Continuous Dispersion Mixing (CDM) method, also delivered a presentation on PRIMIX’s patented CDM process that not only improves the life and efficiency of the battery because of the superior dispersion properties it delivers prior to the coating process, it decreases manufacturing costs because less equipment investment is required compared to a batch process, which requires multiple machines for the same production level. Furthermore, companies save cost in energy usage, labor, and factory floor space while obtaining a consistent, high quality product because the process is continuous and controllable. The technology is very innovative and unique, which is why many interested researchers and engineers visited the PRIMIX booth following the presentation. Higher quality, longer-life batteries at lower manufacturing costs with less emissions are exactly what the industry is looking for. Furthermore, the dispersion technology, which mixes at a submicron level, is making the most of the new materials being tested and used in new battery technologies.

Compared to last year’s 50 some companies exhibiting, 97 had booths this year while the number of attendees increased about 25%. Toyota and A123 were signature sponsors with as many as 40 other major sponsors from various manufacturers, suppliers and service providers in the battery industry.
The conference generally spans 5 days that include day of various tutorials on design principles of lithium ion battery design, engineering capacitor energy storage systems, materials for lithium ion batteries and long-term market outlook. The second and third day have symposiums on Large Lithium Ion Battery Technology Applications (LLIBTA) and Large EC Capacitor Technology Applications (ECCAP) that run simultaneously, with the fourth and fifth days saved for the Advanced Automotive Battery & EC Capacitor Conference which included presenters from Toyota, Johnson Controls, Nomura Research Institute, Ford Motor Company, BMW, Hitachi Vehicle Energy, A123 Systems, GM, US Department of Energy, Coda Automotive, Mitsubishi R&D of America, Inc., and Saft America among others.

For the ten years since 2000, when Dr. Menahem Anderman and his staff started the conference, the past three that PRIMIX Corporation has exhibited have provided an excellent opportunity to meet with movers and shakers in the battery industry, and to gradually develop a presence in the US. PRIMIX hopes to build on its efforts in the US going forward by bringing its successes with the CDM process and FILMIX in Japan and China to the US.

For more information on PRIMIX and its activities, or if you would like more information about the CDM process or the patented FILMIX dispersion machine, please contact US Sales Representative, Tracy Miller (tracymiller@primix.jp).