Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Fabian Alefeld hosts Karl Littau, CTO of Sakuu, to discuss why rechargeable battery manufacturing has changed little in decades and how Sakuu is rethinking it with additive approaches. Littau explains conventional thick-film slurry coating and stacked anode/cathode layers, noting heavy use of copper and aluminum and high costs driven largely by bill of materials. He outlines battery basics (anode, cathode, electrolyte) and contrasts lithium-ion with solid-state concepts, where solids replace liquid electrolytes but face commercialization challenges. Sakuu’s initial product targets electrode coating by shifting from wet, solvent-based processes to dry powder-bed methods, enabling powder reclaim/reuse, removing toxic solvents, reducing equipment size (e.g., long drying ovens), and potentially increasing throughput. The conversation also covers future possibilities like multi-material patterning, arbitrary shapes, bipolar designs that reduce metal, and broader impacts on EVs, grid storage, and electrification.
00:00 Welcome and Topic
01:32 Why Batteries Need Change
04:13 Cost Drivers Today
07:53 Sakuu Additive Approach
13:09 Battery Basics Explained
18:30 Dry Powder Manufacturing
26:10 Speed and Footprint Gains
28:47 Scaling and Supply Chain
32:27 Future Shapes and Structures
35:42 Solid State Readiness
37:48 Sakuu Origin Story
40:31 Roadmap and Industry Impact
42:34 Electrification Future Vision
49:48 Wrap Up and Thanks
____________________
Subscribe to our YouTube channel:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/eosgmbh?sub_c...
Follow us:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/eos
Twitter: twitter.com/eos3dprinting
Instagram: instagram.com/eos3dprinting
____________________
Imprint: eos.info/en/footer/imprint
Privacy Policy: https://www.eos.info/en/footer/privac...
____________________
Fabian Alefeld hosts Karl Littau, CTO of Sakuu, to discuss why rechargeable battery manufacturing has changed little in decades and how Sakuu is rethinking it with additive approaches. Littau explains conventional thick-film slurry coating and stacked anode/cathode layers, noting heavy use of copper and aluminum and high costs driven largely by bill of materials. He outlines battery basics (anode, cathode, electrolyte) and contrasts lithium-ion with solid-state concepts, where solids replace liquid electrolytes but face commercialization challenges. Sakuu’s initial product targets electrode coating by shifting from wet, solvent-based processes to dry powder-bed methods, enabling powder reclaim/reuse, removing toxic solvents, reducing equipment size (e.g., long drying ovens), and potentially increasing throughput. The conversation also covers future possibilities like multi-material patterning, arbitrary shapes, bipolar designs that reduce metal, and broader impacts on EVs, grid storage, and electrification.
00:00 Welcome and Topic
01:32 Why Batteries Need Change
04:13 Cost Drivers Today
07:53 Sakuu Additive Approach
13:09 Battery Basics Explained
18:30 Dry Powder Manufacturing
26:10 Speed and Footprint Gains
28:47 Scaling and Supply Chain
32:27 Future Shapes and Structures
35:42 Solid State Readiness
37:48 Sakuu Origin Story
40:31 Roadmap and Industry Impact
42:34 Electrification Future Vision
49:48 Wrap Up and Thanks
____________________
Subscribe to our YouTube channel:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/eosgmbh?sub_c...
Follow us:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/eos
Twitter: twitter.com/eos3dprinting
Instagram: instagram.com/eos3dprinting
____________________
Imprint: eos.info/en/footer/imprint
Privacy Policy: https://www.eos.info/en/footer/privac...
____________________
