Harper, Buffalo, N.Y., has announced a strategic alliance with Novonix Limited to develop specialized furnace technology designed to enhance the latter’s synthetic graphite manufacturing process. This provides Novonix a local, established supplier of key equipment to produce greater quantities of material and scale quickly and cost effectively. This is, in turn, aimed at supporting electric vehicles and energy storage systems.
Under this alliance, Harper will develop and supply Novonix with proprietary systems for thermal processing material for the battery anode market. Novonix’s PUREgraphite anode material plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee is ramping up capacity to 2,000 tons per year of synthetic graphite which includes supply of an initial 500 tons to Samsung SDI, one of the world’s largest lithium-ion battery makers for EVs.
Novonix chief executive, Dr. Chris Burns, said “Harper’s track record and experience made them the ideal company to work with on innovative thermal processing systems. Novonix’s unique thermal processing technology is central to our ability to produce high performance materials at globally competitive costs. This combination of technologies, experience and capabilities creates a powerful alliance to deliver scale-up, quality control and operational savings.”
Engineering and production of the first Harper-built system developed under this alliance is well underway, and installation is scheduled to begin in February 2021.
