As global electrification gains momentum, the battery industry is under growing pressure to boost production efficiency, minimize environmental impact, and build more resilient supply chains. To address these challenges, many companies are exploring advanced manufacturing methods. Among them is Sakuu, a Silicon Valley-based developer of battery printing equipment and technologies.
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Founded in 2016 by CEO Robert Bagheri, Sakuu has evolved from developing battery material sets to producing 3D printed batteries in a variety of shapes and sizes. Central to these efforts is the Kavian platform, which the company describes as a manufacturing system for dry electrode printing. Using additive manufacturing (AM), the platform constructs battery layers sequentially, enabling designs that extend beyond conventional formats. The platform became commercially available in 2025 and has been recognized for its innovative approach within the industry.
I recently spoke with Arwed Niestroj, President and COO at Sakuu, about the company’s approach and the introduction of the Kavian platform, discussing both technical considerations and its role in modern battery production.
Focusing on Customer Needs: Dry Electrode Printing
Sakuu specializes in printing dry materials, and its Kavian platform has readapted 3D printing techniques for high-volume battery production. The company developed a process in which the battery’s current collector foil moves beneath the deposition head, rather than moving the head itself.“This allows us to increase the speed of material deposition,” Niestroj explained. “More importantly, it’s about applying the right process to each layer, controlling thickness, speed, and quality. Aligning the process, the material, and the resulting layer is the core capability that enables scaling.”
While the initial focus was on 3D printing batteries, Niestroj explained that efforts were later adjusted in response to customer feedback. “Interestingly, our customers indicated that printing complete batteries is not their immediate priority. Instead, they want to start with components—specifically, dry-process electrode printing.” As a result, the first commercial iteration of the Kavian platform focuses on producing dry electrodes—both cathodes and anodes—across a range of chemistries. The system employs a roll-to-roll printing method that matches the throughput and handling characteristics of conventional wet-coating lines while also offering additional operational and environmental advantages.
Kavian Platform: Dry Electrode Printing vs. Traditional Wet Processes
A key advantage of the Kavian platform is its reduced capital expenditure. Unlike traditional wet-coating lines, which rely on large, energy-intensive ovens and offsite solvent recovery systems, the dry process lowers operational costs and simplifies plant layout. It also enables the reuse of leftover materials—a major benefit, since raw materials can account for over 80% of battery production costs.
Sakuu highlights a key challenge in conventional wet processes: the evaporation of solvents is difficult to control at the particle level, often leading to electrode defects such as non-uniformities and lower yields. By contrast, its dry process removes the need for solvent evaporation. Once process parameters are set to match customer layer specifications, equipment is fine-tuned to meet both electrode quality and throughput requirements. This approach is presented as a way to reduce defect rates and improve yield.
The platform also lowers the carbon footprint by an estimated 55%, as confirmed by an independent consulting firm, while eliminating water usage. When considering the full battery cell manufacturing process on a cradle-to-gate basis, the reduction is around 40%, based on a typical U.S. power mix. That said, these gains depend on careful process optimization and material handling. Future developments aim to further improve efficiency, including structured electrodes for new functionalities, alternative cell designs, and strategies to reduce end-of-life recycling costs.
Operational Compliance and Scalability
Kavian meets standard equipment certifications across operating regions, including safety and power compatibility requirements. “The process is independent of the specific battery application,” Niestroj explained. “Batteries produced can be certified under the usual protocols for electric vehicles, grid storage, drones, defense, and consumer electronics.”
While electrode processing remains highly demanding, scalable, real-world solutions are rare. Sakuu is currently collaborating with SK On in pre-commercial testing to assess requirements for producing final electrodes and mass-production equipment. These pilot studies are intended to validate the technology, identify limitations, and inform potential adoption.
Supporting Regional Supply Chain Flexibility
Amid shifting geopolitical conditions, there is increasing interest in regionalizing battery supply chains to reduce reliance on a small number of dominant suppliers and overseas manufacturing hubs. Recent disruptions—from trade tensions to pandemic-related logistics challenges—have highlighted vulnerabilities in global supply networks.
Niestroj explained that the Kavian platform’s design supports localized production of key components and offers chemistry-agnostic capabilities, allowing the use of a wide range of electrode materials—including NCM, LFP, NCA, graphite, silicon-graphite, and other dry particles suitable for battery-grade layers, as well as solid-state chemistries.
“Customers decide where to buy their materials—they’re not locked into a specific supplier or foreign source,” explained Niestroj. “Western countries, for example, have supply options in South Korea, Germany, the US, and beyond. We take the customer’s chosen materials, preprocess them for printability, and then print them on our equipment.”
Beyond Batteries: Scaling Energy Storage Applications
The Kavian platform is being adapted for a wider range of energy storage solutions, including high-power capacitors. Potential use cases extend to AI data centers, where robust, high-performance energy storage is critical for managing power fluctuations. “Lithium-ion capacitors are essential for handling sudden spikes in demand. That’s where our technology excels—delivering both high power and high energy,” Niestroj said.
To meet these needs, Kavian is engineered for high throughput, targeting speeds comparable to professional laser printers—around 100 square meters per minute. Achieving this requires precise calibration of both equipment and materials. Niestroj emphasized that collaboration with industry partners will be key to integrating such technologies. Early production-floor installations are expected to support rapid scaling for facilities with large annual capacity.
Looking ahead, the dry printing process could also enable new cell architectures, from alternative methods of sealing active materials to replacing conventional aluminum and copper current collectors with lighter or lower-cost options. “Drawing on our extensive experience in the semiconductor industry, we understand the transformative power of adopting new technologies…The key to sustained success is consistent innovation,” Niestroj added.
Expanding the 3D Printed Battery Ecosystem
Sakuu’s position in the market is underscored by the rapid growth of the 3D printed battery sector. According to Market Research Intellect, the global 3D printed battery market is projected to expand from $11.86 billion in 2025 to $21.89 billion by 2033, reflecting a CAGR of 10.75%. At the same time, the International Energy Agency’s Global EV Outlook 2025 forecasts that global electric vehicle battery demand will surge from around 1 TWh in 2024 to over 3 TWh by 2030.
With battery demand rising, manufacturers are increasingly turning to AM methods to scale production, improve efficiency, and reduce costs.
Alongside Sakuu, Addionics is advancing the field through structural innovation with its Smart 3D Electrodes. Rather than changing chemical compositions, Addionics focuses on redesigning the architecture of battery current collectors to reduce internal resistance, enhance mechanical stability, and improve thermal management. These solutions can be integrated into existing production lines without major overhauls, enabling safer, higher-performing, and more efficient batteries.
Academic research is also contributing to innovation in 3D printed batteries. In 2023, the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) joined a NASA-led $2.5 million initiative to 3D print rechargeable batteries using lunar and Martian regolith. With a $615,000 grant, UTEP collaborated with Youngstown State University and Formlabs to develop shape-conformable batteries for space missions, leveraging local materials to reduce payload weight. Using AM techniques such as material extrusion (ME) and vat photopolymerization (VPP), the team has successfully produced battery components including electrodes, electrolytes, and current collectors.
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Featured photo shows Kavian platform dedicated to the production of dry electrodes. Photo via Sakuu.
