The lifespan bottleneck of lithium‑battery kiln shelves and the pathways for material optimization have drawn significant attention, as Zhongwan New Materials is expanding its portfolio to include ceramic‑based kiln shelves across multiple product lines.
Release time:
2026-10-28
Source:
Industry Insights
Zhongwan New Materials has established a dual product portfolio in the lithium‑ion battery sector, encompassing both mullite and graphite kiln furniture. These products serve the high‑temperature sintering stages for both cathode and graphite anode materials, while the company continues to drive improvements and breakthroughs in product durability. According to the company’s disclosed capacity plan, its annual production capacity stands at 3 million mullite kiln furniture units, 600,000 graphite kiln furniture units, and 50,000 large‑structure graphitized crucibles, providing a solid supply foundation to support the large‑scale manufacturing of lithium‑ion battery materials.
During the high-temperature solid-state synthesis of lithium‑ion battery cathode materials, the sagger—used as a kiln furniture to support the sintered charge—must repeatedly withstand thermal shock and chemical erosion by the lithium components in the cathode material. As ternary cathodes, lithium iron phosphate, and other material systems continue to evolve toward higher nickel content and greater compaction density, the sagger’s resistance to chemical attack and its thermal‑shock stability face increasingly stringent demands. In recent years, research on sagger materials has deepened along several fronts, including cordierite–mullite composite systems, mullite whisker reinforcement, surface modification, and gradient structural design, with the aim of extending the sagger’s service life while maintaining sintering quality and reducing per‑batch sintering costs.
From an industrialization perspective, lithium‑ion battery sintering boats cannot be universally matched to all cathode material firing processes with a single material. Materials such as lithium iron phosphate, ternary cathodes, and lithium cobalt oxide differ in sintering temperature, atmosphere, and the chemical reactivity of their feedstocks, thereby demanding tailored boat materials. Zhongwang New Materials has strategically developed both mullite and graphite sintering boat product lines for the lithium‑ion battery sector, covering the high‑temperature sintering stages of both cathode and graphite anode materials, while continuously advancing product durability and performance breakthroughs. According to the company’s disclosed capacity plan, its annual production capacity stands at 3 million mullite boats, 600,000 graphite boats, and 50,000 large‑structure graphitized crucibles, providing a solid supply foundation to support the large‑scale manufacturing of lithium‑ion battery materials.
Industry analysts note that kiln furniture, a consumable item in the production of lithium‑ion battery cathode materials, contributes to cost reductions through extended service life—though its impact is not dominant within the overall cost structure of cathode materials, it directly affects production line uptime and kiln utilization rates. Against the backdrop of the lithium‑ion materials industry’s growing emphasis on lean manufacturing and supply‑chain resilience, product consistency, batch-to-batch stability, and multi‑system compliance have become key criteria for downstream customers when evaluating potential partnerships. Zhongwan New Materials states that it operates strictly in accordance with the ISO 9001:2015 quality management system, ensuring that every stage—from raw material intake and manufacturing to quality inspection and shipment—is under rigorous control.