Ilika plc (LON: IKA), an independent global expert in solid state battery technology, has announced that the production of Stereax batteries for process qualification has now commenced.
In July 2024, Ilika confirmed that installation of its key equipment had been substantially completed in Cirtec Medical’s facility in Lowell, MA, USA. Ilika can now confirm its equipment has been commissioned and successfully passed its User Acceptance Tests (UATs). These production tools include layer deposition machines as well as alignment and patterning machines. This final stage in the commissioning of Stereax new manufacturing facilities means that both Cirtec and Ilika are now satisfied that the equipment meets its requirement for the start of production transfer.
To support equipment commissioning, since June 2024, Ilika has delivered a series of batches of cathode-coated wafers to Cirtec, for further processing and verification of subsequent process steps. Process qualification has the aim of refining and tuning the process equipment to achieve specified product performance in preparation for the start of product manufacturing. Ilika currently retains and will operate part of the production equipment in the UK, including that for cathode deposition and cell formation and testing.
