As the electric vehicle (EV) battery sector matures, contamination is emerging as a widespread but underappreciated threat to production efficiency. According to Meech International, global experts in static control and surface cleaning, this challenge spans the entire development cycle – from lab test lines and prototype cells to full-scale gigafactory production. In today’s climate of plateauing EV demand and rising costs caused by global tariffs, improving yield is more critical than ever.
Research from Meech has identified 16 places in battery production where contamination can hit yields.
“Many facilities operate under the assumption that materials arrive clean and ready for processing, but contamination can be introduced at every stage – through manual handling, slitting, storage or even during inter-facility transit,” says Ian Atkinson, sales director at Meech. “Even in cleanrooms, seemingly minor factors can lead to major end-user consequences.”
Meech has identified multiple points across battery cell production where contaminants, including fine particulates and residues, can compromise electrode integrity and cause latent structural defects. These issues are often missed in early-stage quality control but become much costlier when scaled.
Yield losses of 40% or more are not uncommon in newer technologies, but Meech’s experience shows that by implementing contamination control at the right stages, manufacturers can achieve significant improvements of over 10% in all battery technologies. In the context of increasing economic pressure, this represents a vital opportunity for producers to claw back efficiency and minimise the impact of external factors, like tariffs.
Rather than offering one-size-fits-all solutions, Meech works closely with battery OEMs and technical institutes to design tailored cleaning systems that integrate static removal and particulate extraction at key production points – from pre-coating cleaning through to post-slitting stages. This helps manufacturers adopt a “zero faults forward” approach and build resilience into their processes.
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