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Calendering is the common compaction process for lithium-ion battery electrodes and has a substantial impact on the pore structure and therefore the electrochemical performance of Lithium-ion battery cells. For a targeted determination of the performance-optimized pore structure, it is of decisive importance to be able to comprehensively control the compaction process. Thus, during continuous calendering of graphite anodes and lithium nickel cobalt manganese oxide (NCM) cathodes the applied line load is tracked and varied at different speeds to compact the electrode to several coating densities. The generated pore structures are measured via mercury intrusion, resulting in quite similar porosities, while the densities of graphite and NCM diverge greatly. The porosities, measured via mercury intrusion, are compared to geometrical determined data, identifying compaction resistant closed pores in the NCM. On the basis of the measured porosity reduction the compaction behavior of the line load was found to be describable by an exponential model equation. The model parameters quantify the different compaction resistances of the cathodes and anodes in converging to a maximal density, respectively minimal porosity. This substantial difference could be traced to the closer packing of the spherical and harder NCM particles. The calendering speed showed only an insignificant impact up to speeds of 5 m/min.

Uncertainty in production processes has proven to be a useful lens through which to explain the international entry mode choices of large manufacturing firms. This paper adapts that approach to suggest that service firms determine their internationalization mode based on the uncertainty arising from their interactions with customers. In our model, service firms counter customer interaction uncertainty by deploying knowledge in two primary forms: in processes and procedures or within workers themselves. We suggest that the location of this knowledge deployment impacts the choice of which mode firms will use when they deploy their services internationally. Also, befitting the greater alternatives available for conducting business internationally for service firms, we explore and model a wider range of modes than traditionally suggested by manufacturing-centric scholarship.