Innovation at scale: Overcoming the challenges of battery manufacturing

The ability to translate laboratory breakthroughs into industrial-scale production will define who leads in the global battery race. Yet for most start-ups and research teams, this is where progress stalls.

The scale-up gap

Every new battery material follows the same path: discovery, optimisation, scale-up, and commercialisation. However, scaling a novel chemistry can introduce a cascade of interrelated problems. 

Whilst a process works repeatedly at benchtop scale, scaling it to 10 kg or 100 kg quantities can trigger unexpected issues such as particle agglomeration, contamination, or inconsistent morphology. Even minor changes in equipment geometry or heat transfer can alter the material’s microstructure and electrochemical performance. 

For innovators without dedicated pilot infrastructure, the costs of discovering these issues too late can be crippling. A failed pilot batch can derail grant milestones, investor confidence, or partnership opportunities. 

This is why the move from lab to pilot (TRL 4 – 7) is one of the most critical and risk-intensive steps in the energy materials value chain. 

Scale-up, validation, and de-risking

At CPI, scale-up doesn’t just mean producing more material. It means maintaining performance, purity, and reproducibility as production quantities increase. 

Through the Advanced Materials Battery Industrialisation Centre (AMBIC), a joint initiative with Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), we offer open-access pilot facilities to produce and validate 10 kg and larger batches of cathode, anode, or solid-state electrolyte materials under controlled conditions. 

Our approach combines: 

• Material synthesis using industrially relevant unit operations to conduct process chemistry scale-up of activities such as co-precipitation, calcination, milling, and blending. 

• Analytical characterisation to confirm phase purity, crystallinity, and particle morphology. 

• Process optimisation using soft sensors and modelling tools. 

• Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Techno-Economic Assessment (TEA) to demonstrate both sustainability and economic viability. 

By doing this at pilot scale, we help companies navigate the ​“valley of death” between R&D and commercialisation, providing validation data that investors and OEM partners demand. 

The technical challenge: from batch to continuous

Most battery materials today are produced using batch processes, which are flexible for R&D but inefficient for scale-up. Transitioning to continuous production unlocks advantages in cost, consistency, and throughput, but requires sophisticated process control and real-time feedback systems. 

Without accurate data on mixing, temperature, residence time, and reaction kinetics, small fluctuations can produce significant performance drift in electrode materials. To manage these transitions effectively, innovators can use: 

• Soft sensors and digital feedback loops to monitor particle size, composition, and reaction stability in real time. 

• Predictive modelling and automation to identify optimal process windows and prevent off-spec batches. 

• Pre-FEED studies to assess feasibility and safety before investing in full production lines. 

CPI’s expertise in real-time process control, supported by digital twins and adaptive Design of Experiments (DoE), allows partners to de-risk this transition. By integrating in-line monitoring and data analytics, CPI helps innovators predict how their materials will behave under industrial conditions before committing to major capital expenditure.

Proof in practice: Scale‑up success stories

As these approaches move from development into real‑world application, it becomes clear that successful scale‑up depends not just on the right tools, but on the ability to deploy them in complex industrial environments. This is where practical examples illustrate how these principles translate into impact.

LiNa Energy – proving a sodium-metal-chloride alternative

LiNa Energy’s sodium-metal-chloride (Na-MTC) chemistry offers a safer, more sustainable alternative to lithium-ion. CPI supported the project by optimising electrode layering and investigating routes to reduce cost and improve cycling performance. By proving that the design could be produced reliably at pilot scale, the collaboration moved LiNa’s technology from concept to prototype, unlocking investor interest.

CatContiCryst – continuous NMC precursor production

In partnership with NiTech Solutions and the University of Sheffield, CPI helped develop a continuous manufacturing route for nickel – manganese – cobalt (NMC) precursors. This process improved yield, reduced energy use, and ensured consistent particle morphology. It demonstrated proof of concept for continuous oscillating baffle reactors to be used for production of pCAM and evaluated the economics and sustainability versus traditional batch methods.

HISTORY Project – scaling solid-state batteries

CPI supported Ilika Technologies and automotive partners in developing high-silicon anode formulations for solid-state batteries (SSBs). Using our advanced coating and formulation expertise, CPI demonstrated electrodes with three times the specific capacity of conventional lithium-ion anode materials and proved scalability through process transfer to larger manufacturing environments.

Process control and digital innovation

Real-time analytics are transforming the economics of scale-up. CPI’s integration of soft sensors and data-driven feedback loops allows engineers to capture parameters that would otherwise go unseen. This reduces batch failures, tightens quality tolerances, and accelerates learning cycles. 

Through AI-assisted predictive control and adaptive process design, companies can explore ​“what-if” scenarios virtually, adjusting temperature, concentration, or residence time before committing physical resources. 

Combined with CPI’s battery forensics and ageing analysis, these digital tools give innovators unprecedented visibility into performance degradation and process stability. 

Closing the loop: sustainability and circularity

Scaling isn’t only about throughput; it’s also about responsibility. As global regulations tighten around the Battery Passport, traceability and environmental validation are now commercial necessities. 

CPI supports clients in embedding sustainability from the start through: 

• Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to quantify carbon footprint and material impact. 

• Techno-Economic Assessment (TEA) to verify cost per kWh and return on investment. 

• Critical element recovery and recycling process development using hydrometallurgy, bioleaching, and ionic liquids. 

This combination of technical optimisation and sustainability insight helps clients secure funding, satisfy investor due diligence, and meet regulatory standards before entering mass production. 

Why scale-up success starts with partnership

For start-ups, spinouts, and established OEMs alike, the path to commercial battery innovation is rarely linear. CPI’s integrated model, combining materials science, process chemistry, process engineering, digital analytics, and sustainability assessment, allows companies to accelerate from lab to pilot scale with greater confidence and less risk. 

We provide the expertise, infrastructure, and validation environment needed to prove that new materials can meet the performance, cost, and ESG standards the market demands. 

Scaling innovation does not have to mean going it alone. By partnering with CPI and AMBIC, innovators can shorten R&D cycles, reduce capital risk, and bring breakthrough battery materials to market faster, powering the shift to an electrified future.