NOVONIX Limited(ASX: NVX) (“Novonix” or “the Company”) is pleased to announce a strategic alliance with US-based Harper InternationalCorporation (“Harper”) to develop specialized furnace technology that will enhanceNovonix’s synthetic graphite manufacturing process.
This alliance specifies commitments from Novonix to purchase from Harper, and from Harper to develop and supply Novonix with proprietary systems for thermal processing material for the battery anode market.
Harper traces its name and technological roots back to John L. Harper, who patented the first electric furnace in the early 1900’s. Today Harper, based in Buffalo, N.Y., is recognized as an industry leader with operational experience focused on engineering and manufacturing of high temperature thermal processing systems.
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.”
The teams at Novonix and Harper have worked together over the past year to establish a strong business relationship and a technology roadmap. 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.
“Harper has an incredibly strong background in development and manufacturing of advanced furnace technology,” Dr. Burns said. “This relationship provides a local, established supplier of key equipment which will enable Novonix to produce greater quantities of material and scale more quickly and cost effectively.”
Harper Vice President Paul Elwell said “We are excited to join forces with Novonix to further enable their expansion of graphite manufacturing in the United States aimed at supporting electric vehicles and energy storage systems.”
“Harper brings significant experience to this alliance with Novonix and we are looking forward to expanding with a company in the United States that has an established and growing presence as a supplier of battery grade graphite to tier one cell makers like Samsung SDI”, Mr. Elwell said.
Novonix’s PUREgraphite anode material plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee is ramping up capacity to 2,000 tons/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 also has a non-binding agreement with Sanyo (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation), another leading battery producer, to assess production materials from this plant.
About Harper
Harper International (Buffalo, New York) is a global leader in complete thermal processing solutions and technical services essential for the production of advanced materials. From concept to commercialization, from research scale to full production line operations, Harper produces cutting edge innovative furnace designs for worldwide markets. Harper specializes on processing materials at high temperatures up to 3000°C and in non-ambient atmospheres. For additional information, please visit www.harperintl.com or email [email protected].
About NOVONIX
NOVONIX LIMITED (ASX: NVX) is an integrated developer and supplier of high-performance materials, equipment and services for the global lithium-ion battery industry with operations in the USA and Canada and sales in more than 14 countries. NOVONIX's mission is to support the global deployment of lithium-ion battery technologies for a cleaner energy future. For any questions, please contact [email protected]