Cell Engineer

We are looking for a Junior Engineer to participate in prototype-scale development work at Tesla This job includes the transfer of lab-scale processes and components into prototype level processes and components (i.e. roll-to-roll electrode processing, assembly of small pouch cells and production of the anodes for Ah level cylindrical formats cells). The primary responsibilities of this position will be roll-to-roll production of anodes and their small-scale (small pouch cell) prototyping for smooth transfer into advanced prototyping (low volume cylindrical cell builds) and pilot level production.

~90% of time on hands-on tasks related to cell prototyping including slurry mixing, electrode coating, electrode processing, delicate assembly of pouch cells, running cell tests and data analysis.

Responsibilities

• Understand lab-scale anode development processes and transfer to prototyping equipment
• Develop and carry out anode slurry mixing and electrode coating processes
• Build and test small prototypes (500+ mAh pouch cells)
• Document prototyping processes and results thoroughly in exceptional test reports
• Capture test/ prototype failures in detail and work with the team to resolve them
• Develop equipment and test fixtures, as needed (for example, modify the roll-to-roll coater, maintain pouch cell testing fixtures and testing enclosures)
• Maintain clean, safe, and organized working environments.
• 3+ years working in a technical position in the battery field with experience in a laboratory setting
• Experience in Li-ion cell builds, including electrode coating and cell assembly and familiarity with quality control methods used to evaluate the repeatability of assembly processes
• Experience with key points of building a reliable and long-life Li-ion battery
• (preferred) Experience working with silicon, or other alloying, anode materials
• (preferred) Experience working with roll-to-roll coaters for electrode coating and Li-ion cell prototyping equipment
• Must be hands-on (assembly, fabrication/ modification, instrumentation, cell testing)
• Familiar with battery testing equipment
• Familiar with MATLAB, Python, and/or similar data analysis tool