Investment enables future scaling to hundreds of MWh and deepens customer sampling capabilities
ION Storage Systems (ION), a leading innovator in next-generation solid-state battery (SSB) technology, announced that it has invested in a new pilot production ceramic sintering furnace at its Beltsville, MD facility. The advanced equipment is intended to increase ION’s annual ceramic production capacity by ~1,000x and unlock the ability to rapidly scale to hundreds of megawatt-hours (MWh) through future expansion.
Sintering is critically important as a major processing step in forming ION’s proprietary and high-performing ceramic electrolyte, which is the core of its solid-state battery technology. ION’s investment in this new equipment represents another major commercialization milestone that will position the company to significantly ramp up the delivery of its patented solid-state battery cells for customers across market segments.
“I am excited for our new sintering furnace, as it gives us a clear path to reach commercial scale as well as serve as the launchpad for future expansion,” said Dr. Greg Hitz, Co-Founder and CTO of ION Storage Systems. “We will have the infrastructure in place to deliver our current footprint as well as expand to large-format solid-state batteries, accelerating our ability to meet growing demand from OEMs, integrators, and government partners across market segments like consumer electronics and EV.”
ION’s proprietary ceramic solid-state platform is based on a compressionless, anodeless, and 3D-structured architecture, eliminating the high-pressure packaging constraints that have historically hindered the adoption of solid-state batteries. The new advanced process equipment is specifically designed to support this architecture, optimizing the sintering process to produce high-performance ceramic electrolyte without compromise at scale.
Unlike conventional solid-state designs that require pressure to maintain contact between layers, ION’s zero-compression approach enables modular and scalable stacking, leading to improved safety, manufacturability, and design flexibility for a wide range of energy storage applications.
This investment follows ION’s successful production of multi-layer solid-state battery cells on its semi-automated manufacturing line, marking another critical step in scaling its compression-free architecture toward full commercialization.
“As we continue to prove out both performance and scalability, this new production capability will allow us to meet our customers’ demand head-on,” Hitz added. “It’s the next step in our mission to power a limitless future with long-lasting, safe, and practical batteries.”
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