Sakuu
Canvas Category OEM : Electrical Equipment
Sakuu is reinventing battery manufacturing and technology via total process and product disruption. In process, batteries can be rapid printed from the transformative Kavian™ platform in gigafactory settings, which enables mass-scale, cost-effective, and sustainable production to meet global cell demand. In product, our Swift Print™ solid-state batteries can deliver best-in-class performance and safety in a recyclable and customizable format. Proprietary cell technologies can provide superior energy densities for broad industry applications. The big picture impact of our manufacturing and battery technology is profound.
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🔋 The Race for Solid-State Batteries
Solid-state batteries could reshuffle the deck on the market for electric vehicles. Longer ranges, faster charging times, greater safety—solid-state batteries offer numerous advantages for electric cars. Many other applications are also conceivable, such as in aerial taxis, commercial vehicles, and buses, as well as stationary energy storage for renewables. The road to market readiness, however, is by no means clear. Six key tasks need to be solved for a breakthrough in the automotive industry alone: improving product properties, converting existing gigafactories to solid-state production, integrating the batteries into vehicle systems, establishing robust supply chains for new materials, reducing costs by enlarging cell formats, and funding the start-up stage.
While Asian manufacturers like CATL and LG dominate lithium-ion technology, most of the leaders in solid-state battery technology are start-ups in the USA. The established Asian players are not leaving the field without a fight, however. For example, leading cell manufacturers in Korea are forming close partnerships with their suppliers to drive the technology forward. The big carmakers appear to have learned their lesson from lithium-ion batteries. In order to prevent further dependence on Asian suppliers, they have been investing heavily in tech start-ups.
Startup Dive: Sakuu
Sakuu has several claims on its website. One of the central claims is their 3D printing technique which they call Kavian. We focus on the claims that we could hone in on with data from other publicly available sources or patents.
🔋 Sakuu to become publicly traded company via Business Combination with Plum Acquisition Corp. I
Sakuu Corporation and Plum Acquisition Corp. I, have announced that they have entered into a definitive business combination agreement, providing for a merger that will result in Sakuu becoming a publicly traded company. Upon the closing of the proposed transaction, the combined company will be renamed Sakuu Holdings Inc. and is expected to be listed on a US national exchange under the ticker symbol “SAKU”. The transaction implies an enterprise value of approximately 705 million USD, according to Sakuu.
Additive Manufacturing For Batteries Of The Future: Will 3D Printing Transform Battery Making
Sakuú, a California start-up hoping to bring the main benefits of 3D printing to the battery market, plans to open its first full production factory this year. The company says its Swift Print battery cells can be manufactured in any shape or size and even customized to order on the company’s proprietary 3D printers. Complex shapes not possible with traditional manufacturing methods are a hallmark of 3D printing, which also enables production flexibility and speed because there’s no waiting for molds or manufacturing tools to be produced.
3D printed battery start-up Blackstone Technology says its approach is more sustainable than traditional methods because it can not only save on battery metals during manufacturing, but the process will use 25% less energy. Blackstone is further along in product maturity than Sakuú, having printed its first functional battery in 2021. Its technology, called Thick Layer Technology, is vastly different from Sakuú and relies on the 3D screen printing method. The company says the technology will be 30% cheaper than traditional battery manufacturing and can be used for both liquid-electrolyte and solid-state batteries.
Still in R&D, Photocentric’s technology, unlike Sakuú’s or Blackstone’s, is based on resin 3D printing using photopolymers Photocentric has, so far, developed polymer electrolyte binders, along with anode and cathode powders into a printable photopolymer resin. Its patent-pending approach promises to enable low-cost mass manufacture of lightweight batteries for the UK market.
How 3D printing is playing a key role in the production of solid-state batteries at Sakuu
The method that Sakuu uses for the 3D printing of its batteries involves a 3D printing platform named Kavian, developed by the company. The Kavian platform integrates multiple processes and materials to print fully functioning batteries at scale.
Speaking about the capabilities of the system, Niestroj said: “The Kavian platform can print fully functioning batteries at scale. The Kavian platform can print ceramic, glass, metals, and polymer – in the same layer. The platform uses binder jetting for larger areas, and distinct material jetting for finer details. Conventional additive manufacturing processes perform each 3D printing step in series, whereas Kavian performs all steps in parallel, enabling a streamlined model that saves energy, cost, labour, materials, and time, while also increasing quality and reliability.”