Manufacturing method for an electrode with a separator layer and manufacturing apparatus for an electrode with a separator layer

A manufacturing method for an electrode with a separator layer, the method comprising cutting a strip-shaped separator layer-coated electrode including:

• a strip-shaped current collecting member having a front surface and a back surface;
• a front-side electrode mixture layer laminated on the front surface of the current collecting member;
• and a front-side separator layer laminated on the front-side electrode mixture layer, the front-side separator layer containing thermoplastic resin particles, by irradiation of a laser beam to a laser irradiation target portion extending over a whole width of the strip-shaped separator layer-coated electrode to produce a separator layer-coated electrode having a predetermined length,
• wherein the cutting includes irradiating the laser beam to the laser irradiation target portion from a front-side separator layer side by use of a laser irradiating device to cut the strip-shaped separator layer-coated electrode,
• the method further comprises preheating the front-side separator layer in the laser irradiation target portion prior to the cutting,
• the preheating includes heating the thermoplastic resin particles included in the front-side separator layer of the laser irradiation target portion by use of a preheating device to enhance a transmittance of the laser beam through the front-side separator layer of the laser irradiation target portion,
• the preheating device is different from the laser irradiating device to be used in the cutting,
• the cutting is performed directly next to the preheating, and
• the cutting includes irradiating the laser beam to the laser irradiation target portion including the front-side separator layer with enhanced transmittance of the laser beam from the front-side separator layer side to cut the strip-shaped separator layer-coated electrode.