Comau accelerates battery business and opens dry room in Grugliasco

Comau is pushing the battery industry and is building a Dry Room at its Grugliasco plant in the Turin area to develop and test technological solutions for the battery sector. The new dry room, the result of a €1 million investment, is a temperature- and humidity-controlled laboratory and will allow technological and process validation for the production of lithium-ion and next-generation battery cells.

The Centre covers 500 square metres and is destined to become a true open laboratory available to customers as well as universities and associations. The asset built in Comau's historic factory strengthens the expertise of the Group, led by CEO Pietro Gorlier and controlled since last year by the One Equity Partners fund, in cell production processes, supporting the development of an integrated European value chain for batteries.

The laboratory will also be used to test new machines to produce lithium-ion and lithium metal cells, with the aim of accessing solid-state technologies as a further step towards next-generation and post-lithium batteries. The dry room therefore enriches the portfolio of complete solutions for the electric mobility sector, thanks also to the team of Comau's Global Competence Centre, which currently has more than 40 engineers.

From a process point of view, the dry room will facilitate Comau's development in electrode production, assembly and cell formation, with a focus on the study and validation of solutions for next-generation and solid-state battery production technologies. In addition, thanks to the technical characteristics of the laboratory, the dry room allows processing with humidity-sensitive materials, such as lithium metal and electrolytes. Comau's dry room is also key to proceeding with the optimisation of ongoing cell assembly developments, including cutting processes (both laser and mechanical) and stacking technologies.

"As recently demonstrated by the launch of a complete new line of collaborative robots and self-driving mobile vehicles, as well as in welding technologies, Comau continues to invest in research and development in various industrial sectors, including e-Mobility," stresses CEO Gorlier. "Our new dry room," he adds, "allows us to experiment with new cell formats and materials in a controlled, humidity-free environment, reflecting our ongoing commitment to promoting industrial innovation while strengthening our presence and investment in Italy.