PROCESS FOR MAKING AN ELECTRODE ACTIVE MATERIAL

Process for making an electrode active material, said process comprising the steps of: (a) mixing a composite oxide, (oxy)hydroxide, hydroxide or carbonate of nickel and at least one of cobalt and manganese and, optionally, at least one of Mg, Al and Y or a transition metal selected from Ti, Zr, Nb, Ta, Fe, Mo, and W, with at least one source of lithium selected from lithium carbonate, lithium oxide and lithium hydroxide and, optionally, with at least one dopant selected from oxides, hydroxides and oxyhydroxides of Mg, Al, Y, Ti, Zr, Nb, Ta, Fe, Mo, and W, and from fluorides, (b) optionally, transferring said mixture into saggars, crucibles or open cups, (c) calcining said mixture in a pusher kiln or roller hearth kiln or rotary kiln at a temperature in the range of from 700 to 1000° C., (d) cooling down the resultant electrode active material, (e) applying a robot to take at least two samples of 10 mg to 10 g of every saggar, crucible or open cup to be analyzed, or per defined period of time, respectively, (f) transferring said samples to another robot or to another part of the same robot, where the robot makes an electrode material mix from samples of the same saggar, crucible or open cup, and (g) transferring the electrode material mix to a test unit to perform electrochemical tests, wherein the robot performs steps (f) to (g) with several samples in parallel.