Battery Laboratory Technician - Key Responsibilities
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Prioritise laboratory safety, Health & Safety (H&S), and safe working practices at all times.
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Follow laboratory SOPs, risk assessments, COSHH requirements, PPE rules, chemical-handling procedures, and emergency-response procedures.
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Maintain a clean, organised, and safe battery laboratory, including correct storage, labelling, handling, and disposal of chemicals and battery materials.
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Identify laboratory hazards, unsafe conditions, damaged equipment, chemical spills, and abnormal battery behaviour, and report or escalate issues immediately.
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Ensure battery-making and testing equipment is operated safely and only in accordance with approved procedures.
The technician must be trained and competent in operating equipment used for pouch-cell preparation and assembly, including:
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Electrode cutting and punching equipment
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Electrode weighing and preparation equipment
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Vacuum ovens and drying equipment
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Gloveboxes and dry-room equipment
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Pouch-forming equipment
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Electrode stacking or cell-assembly equipment
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Ultrasonic or tab-welding equipment
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Vacuum sealing and heat-sealing equipment
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Electrolyte filling and injection equipment
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Cell degassing and final-sealing equipment
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Thickness, weight, dimensional, and quality-control measurement equipment
The technician should be able to set up, operate, clean, inspect, and perform basic troubleshooting of this equipment.
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Prepare battery electrolytes accurately according to approved formulations and procedures.
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Safely handle solvents, lithium salts, additives, and other electrolyte chemicals.
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Use analytical balances, pipettes, dispensers, mixing equipment, and associated laboratory tools correctly.
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Carry out electrolyte preparation in the appropriate controlled environment, such as a glovebox, dry room, or fume hood.
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Maintain strict control of contamination, moisture exposure, chemical compatibility, and cleanliness.
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Accurately label electrolyte batches and maintain preparation records, batch information, and traceability.
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Follow correct procedures for chemical storage, waste disposal, spill response, and handling of flammable or hazardous materials.
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Set up, operate, and monitor battery testing equipment safely and correctly.
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Manage charge/discharge cycling, capacity testing, formation cycling, ageing, and other battery-performance tests.
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Monitor running tests and identify abnormal voltage, current, temperature, capacity, or cell behaviour.
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Safely remove, isolate, and report failed, swollen, leaking, overheated, or otherwise abnormal cells.
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Maintain accurate test records, sample identification, test-channel information, and laboratory logs.
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Perform routine equipment checks, cleaning, basic maintenance, and calibration verification where required.
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Support engineers and scientists with pouch-cell manufacture, electrolyte preparation, battery testing, experimental work, and troubleshooting.
Core expectation: The technician must demonstrate strong practical knowledge of laboratory safety and be competent in safely operating the equipment required for pouch-cell manufacture, electrolyte preparation, and battery testing."
