Interpretation of the thinning of lithium battery copper foil 8 microns to 6 microns, battery energy density increased by 5%

Lithium battery copper foil, as the negative electrode current collector of lithium battery, accounts for 5%-8% of the cost of lithium battery (increased in recent years), and is an important lithium battery material. Assuming that the average use of copper foil per GWH of lithium batteries is 9 million tons/GWH, it is estimated that by 2020, the global demand for copper foil for lithium batteries is about 200,000 tons. Corresponding to the global demand for lithium battery copper foil of 85,500 tons in 2016, the compound annual growth rate reached 21.93%. According to public information, Gaogong Lithium Battery has about 10 domestic companies producing lithium battery copper foil in 2015, but by 2018, as the thick copper foil market has moved from the war, the number of copper foil factories has increased and the influx of new capital , The number of lithium battery copper foil companies has doubled to more than 30, and it is still increasing. The 2016-2018 production capacity is planned in the 10,000-ton level lithium battery copper foil project. A total of 8 companies including Warwick Copper Foil, Garden Group, Jiayuan Technology, Chaohua Technology Lingbao Huaxin, Nordisk and Tongling Nonferrous have announced their investment. The planned production capacity of the lithium battery copper foil project totals more than 200,000 tons. According to the production cycle of lithium battery copper foil, the new production capacity was concentrated in the first half of 2017 and the first half of 2018. The price of lithium battery copper foil consists of two parts: 'raw material copper + processing fee'. For copper foil companies, the price of copper ingots has been relatively stable in recent years (copper price is about 50,000 yuan), and the main point of profit growth comes from processing fees. In 2017, 8μm lithium battery copper foil is very hot, and the processing fee of copper foil has increased by about 30% to 40%, and it once exceeded 70,000-80,000 yuan/ton. In the first half of 2018, it basically fell back by half, but as of August this year, the overall price of 8μm lithium battery copper foil has fallen below 100,000 yuan/ton. In order to meet the needs of downstream cruising range and reduce costs and increase efficiency, power battery companies have intensified their demand for the thinning of lithium battery copper foil, and thinning is the development direction of high-end copper foil. Thinning the copper foil can increase the mileage of lithium batteries, which is one of the core areas of global new energy battery competition. Since the second half of 2017, the market price of 6μm products has exceeded 135,000 yuan/ton. Previously, the price of imported high-end lithium battery copper foil was as high as 200,000 yuan/ton. The mass production of 6μm products will greatly reduce the price of imported copper foil, break the monopoly of Japan and South Korea, and establish the competitiveness of the domestic copper foil market. Chen Lizhi, chairman of the board of directors of Noord shares, a leader in the domestic lithium battery copper foil industry, said that the company has developed and achieved mass production of 6-micron, microporous copper foil, etc., with ultra-thin anti-oxidation technology, which can directly improve power batteries Density and meet the needs of 5G high frequency and high speed. Replacing 8 micrometers with 6 micrometers can increase the energy density of batteries by 5%, which plays a very important role in enhancing the competitiveness of lithium battery companies. Although compared with 8μm lithium battery copper foil, 6μm products are currently the hot spot for power battery companies to chase, but from the actual application point of view, 6μm lithium battery copper foil in the application of power battery companies has not reached expectations. According to the analysis of Gaogong's lithium battery, there are mainly the following two factors: 1. There are not many domestic companies that can produce 6μm copper foil stably. At present, CATL and BYD are the most mature battery companies using 6μm lithium battery copper foil in the market. Most of the supply has also entered the pockets of these two battery companies. Although Guoxuan Hi-Tech, Lishen, AVIC Lithium Battery, Funeng Technology and other battery companies are also actively introducing, but the marketization process needs to be improved; 2. Power battery companies encountered such as broken foil and die-cut copper powder during the introduction process Many technical problems need to be solved. The thickness of 6μm lithium battery copper foil is just one-tenth that of a human hair. It has been learned from copper foil companies and battery companies that power battery companies have never used such light and thin copper foil before. Coating, die-cutting, cold pressing, baking and other links have all encountered great challenges. For example, at present, slicing off copper powder is the most troublesome problem for power battery companies. With the improvement of technology and process of power battery companies and the gradual improvement of copper foil products, the industry's judgment is that in the second half of this year, the market demand for 6μm lithium battery copper foil will increase a lot compared with the first half of the year.