Kodak, renowned film manufacturing brand, has announced that it is repurposing some of the expensive high-tech machinery used to make photographic film for use in electric vehicle batteries. The company invested in Wildcat Discovery Technologies, which makes batteries for electric vehicles.
Kodak engineers discovered that the “supercell” batteries produced by Wildcat required the same coating and engineering services as their 35mm film. Company will be able to use this converted technology for a wide range of battery production.
Kodak traditional manufacturing, new technology
Kodak Executive Chairman and CEO Jim Continenza said its old machines were ‘‘probably a $70 million or $80 million machine, and we were selling it extremely cheap, for less than $2 million. “And it’s like, ‘No, we’ve got to put this back to work. This is an incredible piece of equipment.’ And we realised, accidentally, George Eastman made a battery company, he just didn’t know it. It’s identical to making film and coating on batteries.”
“It’s not just EV batteries,” Continenza said. “There’s home storage and there’s different technologies, we’re looking at doing some solid-state stuff for others. We’re also doing hydrogen, hydrocell. So it’s not just limited in there because we know how to manufacture these things.”
According to a video tour of Destin’s Kodak facility from Smarter every day on YouTube company’s modern film production process, known as ESTAR, requires the use of polymers to create the film itself. These polymers have replaced the old-school acetate base in 35mm film (except for motion pictures) and require special chemical coatings that Kodak says are very similar to those required for Supercell EV Wildcat batteries.
Company is currently expanding its productive capability beyond photography. It is already in the production of components for pharmaceuticals, health care, and chemicals for lab operations. The addition of EV battery manufacturing could be an important milestone for Kodak.
