Sakuú, developer of the first 3D-printed solid-state battery (earlier post), has opened a multi-faceted engineering hub for its battery platform printing initiatives in Silicon Valley. This multi-million dollar buildout follows the recent opening of Sakuú’s battery pilot line facility currently producing batteries for clients and the company’s successful follow-on funding round of $62 million earlier in the year.

Sakuú’s new facility is 79,000 square feet and will be used as the company’s flagship engineering hub. It will house a confluence of teams: battery, engineering, material science, R&D and additive manufacturing, and will oversee new gigafactory employee training and client product demos. It is estimated to house 115 employees by the first quarter of 2023.

The new facility will allow Sakuú to scale its 3D printing battery platform as the company looks to open gigafactories around the world with a total energy output goal of 60 GWh by 2028.

The new facility will showcase two of Sakuú’s flagship products. First, the Kavian platform—the first at-scale 3D printing platform capable of rapidly printing safe, ultra-high energy density solid-state batteries in custom shapes and sizes.

Kavian uses multiple processes on one platform to Swift Print fully functioning solid-state batteries. Multistage, integrated quality checks at each layer minimize the risk of error. The Kavian process broadly consists of six stations:

1. Powder Deposition. Powder is deposited in designated pattern onto the transport substrate and automated WEB.

2. Powder Conditioning. The pattern then undergoes multiple stages to prepare it for polymer and metal deposition.

3. Layer Inspection. At multiple points, the layer is inspected to ensure no defects can be found.

4. Binder Jetting. Polymer binder is deposited onto the layer.

5. Metal Ink Jetting. Conductive metal is deposited onto the layer.

6. Stacking. The layers are then stacked together.

Second, Sakuú’s non-battery manufacturing platforms capable of producing medical devices, IoT sensors, and other electrical devices produced in a highly sustainable and efficient manner.

In June, Sakuú announced that its first-generation non-printed lithium metal battery achieved continuous 3C discharge rate under extensive testing. This result came after Sakuu’s recent announcement that its lithium-metal battery cells registered a consistent baseline benchmark energy-density of 800Wh/L—placing it at the forefront of today’s leading commercially available lithium-ion batteries found in top-selling electric vehicles and other mass energy storage applications.

Sakuu’s new lithium metal anode battery will be shipped to Sakuu’s customers starting in 4Q2022. In the ongoing development of the first printed solid-state battery, sample cell deliveries are anticipated to ship to clients in 2023.