Method and apparatus for drying electrode material

A method for drying an electrode material on a surface of a metal foil having a length greater than a width, the method comprising:

• providing a conveyer configured to move at least one of the metal foil lengthwise relative to the inductive coil and the inductive coil along the length of the metal foil, wherein the electrode material is positioned intermittently along the length of the metal foil on a common side of the metal foil with an uncoated portion of the metal foil positioned between adjacent intermittent coated portions of metal foil to alternate between coated and uncoated portions lengthwise along the length of the metal foil, the electrode material and uncoated portion located in substantially the same plane;
• positioning an inductive coil opposed to the metal foil;
• supplying power from a power supply to the inductive coil;
• moving at least one of the metal foil lengthwise relative to the inductive coil and the inductive coil along the length of the metal foil;
• sensing a border between each uncoated portion and each coated portion using a sensor configured to detect a border between the uncoated portion and a coated portion of the metal foil;
• and
• heating the metal foil with the inductive coil powered by the power supply, wherein heating is controlled with a control unit configured to:
• control at least one of the conveyer and the power supply to reduce an amount of heat applied to the uncoated portions below an amount of heat applied to the coated portions based on the border detected by the sensor, wherein the control unit reduces the amount of heat applied to the uncoated portions below the amount of heat applied to the coated portions by controlling the power supply to reduce power supplied to the inductive coil when the inductive coil is opposed to the uncoated portions and increase power supplied to the inductive coil when the inductive coil is opposed to the coated portions and by controlling the conveyer to increase a relative velocity of the metal foil with respect to the inductive coil when the inductive coil is opposed to the uncoated portions and to decrease the relative velocity of the metal foil when the inductive coil is opposed to the coated portions.