New Technology

LS Mtron, an LS Group affiliate specializing in industrial machinery and high-tech components, entered into mass production of 6-micometer (1㎛ = 1/1,000㎜) copper foil for batteries for the first time in the world.

LS Mtron announced on March 11 that it will supply this new copper foil to some global major battery manufacturers, who will apply it to batteries for new smartphones. Copper foil serves as anode current collector in secondary batteries. There are only a few companies in the world that have technological capability for this core component. Particularly, LS Mtron’s 6㎛ copper foil has a thickness of one seventeenth of a A4-size sheet, 25% thinner than the existing 8㎛ one. So, it can make batteries thinner but longer-lasting.

A source from the company explained, “It’s been eight years since 8㎛-thick copper foil was first applied to secondary batteries. But, due to the technological difficulty in the manufacturing process, no more advanced product had been created. Then LS Mtron, for the first time in the world, succeeded in developing and mass-producing 6㎛-thick copper foil based on its world-class coating and web-handling technology.”

Demand for 6㎛ copper foil is expected to sharply increase since technologies for thinner batteries are vital to wireless chargers for cell phones which are soon to be commercialized. Now Korea-based LS Mtron and Japan-based Furukawa are vying with each other for the lead in the global battery copper foil market. Experts estimate the market is now worth of 400 billion won but it will swell at an annual average of 30% and reach 700 billion won by 2015. LS Mtron aims to become the world’s leader in this market by increasing its annual sales of copper foil for batteries up to 300 billion won in 2015, and achieve the goal of 1 trillion won in sales of copper foil by 2017.

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