In aviation and aerospace engineering, weight is always a critical consideration. Whether designing electric aircraft, eVTOL platforms, or space technologies, reducing system mass can directly improve range, efficiency, and overall performance.
While attention often focuses on motors, airframes, and battery chemistry, smaller components inside the battery pack can also play an important role. One example is cell tabs, the conductive links that connect the internal electrodes of a battery cell to the external circuit.
At Avocet Battery Materials, we have developed Flyweight, a bimetallic tab designed specifically to reduce the weight contribution of cell tabs in high-performance battery systems.
Why Cell Tabs Matter in High-Performance Battery Packs
Cell tabs are repeated hundreds or even thousands of times in a battery pack. Because of this multiplication effect, even small reductions in the weight of each tab can translate into meaningful overall savings.
Traditional anode tabs are commonly made entirely from copper. Copper provides excellent electrical conductivity, but it also adds mass. In applications where every gram counts, this can become a limiting factor.
Flyweight addresses this challenge through a different materials approach.
A Bimetallic Design That Reduces Weight
Flyweight combines copper and aluminium in a single tab design. Copper remains where it is required for reliable electrical connection within the electrode stack, while aluminium replaces much of the remaining material where high conductivity is not essential.
This allows the tab to maintain electrical performance while significantly reducing its overall weight. Because Avocet Battery Materials controls the copper-to-aluminium ratio during production, the tab can also be tailored to meet the needs of different cell and module designs.
Ideal for Aviation, eVTOL and Space Applications
The benefits of Flyweight are particularly relevant for industries where weight reduction directly affects system capability. Aviation programmes, eVTOL developers, and space applications are constantly looking for ways to improve energy efficiency and payload capacity.
In these sectors, even small component-level changes can contribute to improved system performance. By reducing the mass of cell tabs, Flyweight supports battery designs that prioritise lightweight structures without compromising electrical functionality.
Supporting the Next Generation of Electric Flight
As electric aviation continues to develop, the optimisation of every battery component becomes increasingly important. At Avocet Battery Materials, our focus is on delivering specialised tab solutions that help engineers refine their battery designs and achieve better performance at pack level.
Flyweight represents one example of how advances in cell tabs can support the broader goals of electrified aviation and other high-performance energy systems.
