Start With What the Mold Has to Do
A more expensive mold is not automatically the better one. All four LabCore solid-state molds share a φ10 mm working cavity and a 200 °C temperature limit. What separates them comes down to three questions:
- Are you pressing pellets and running routine cycling, or do you need to separate cathode and anode behavior? The second case requires a reference electrode.
- Is your material sensitive to uneven pressure? Oxide ceramics, sulfide glass-ceramics and ultra-thin lithium foil all are.
- How often do you swap samples? If you open the cell several times a day, a controlled pressure release starts to matter.
Answer those three and most of the decision is made.
The Four Molds at a Glance
| Single-point | Three-point | Locking-ring | Three-electrode | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pressing design | Single axial load | Three-point clamping | Upper locking ring, quick release | Locking cap + base |
| Electrodes | Two | Two | Two | Working / counter / reference |
| Max stack force | 5 T | 5 T | 4 T (500 MPa) | 5 T (rated 500 MPa) |
| Footprint | Φ36 × H62 mm, 180 g | Φ36 × H62 mm, 180 g | φ70 × H93 mm | φ78 × H105 mm |
| Load-sensor version | Yes | Yes | — | — |
| Best for | Pellet pressing, assembly, conductivity | Pressure-sensitive chemistries | Frequent sample changes | Interface and failure-mechanism studies |
Single-Point Pressing: The Default Starting Point
A single axial load path keeps the design simple and the workflow quick to learn. Force travels along one axis, so loading stays balanced even at modest pressure, which reduces the risk of micro-shorts caused by off-axis loading.
Use it for:
- Pressing solid-electrolyte powder into pellets or sheets
- Routine cell assembly and cycling
- Ionic-conductivity measurements
- Groups new to solid-state work who are still dialing in process parameters
At Φ36 × H62 mm and 180 g, it takes up almost no room in a glovebox. The sensor version adds an integrated load cell with 500 / 1000 / 3000 / 5000 kg ranges.
👉 Single-Point Pressing Solid-State Battery Test Mold
Three-Point Pressing: When Pressure Uniformity Matters
Three-point clamping spreads stack pressure more evenly across the working cavity and improves contact at the electrode–electrolyte interface.
When a single-point mold is not enough:
- Oxide ceramic electrolytes (LLZO, LATP): brittle, and local overpressure cracks them
- Sulfide glass-ceramics: interfacial contact quality depends on how pressure is distributed
- Ultra-thin lithium anodes: uneven loading concentrates lithium deposition and invites dendrites
Same compact footprint as the single-point mold, with a sensor version available.
👉 Three-Point Pressing Solid-State Battery Test Mold
Locking-Ring Mold: Built for Frequent Sample Changes
An upper locking ring lets you release stack pressure quickly and evenly once a test is done, so disassembly stays under control.
That only sounds minor until you open cells every day. Prying a mold apart is how PEEK cores, plungers and samples get damaged. If you are screening compositions, assembling several cells a day, or need to recover cycled electrodes intact for SEM or XRD, a smooth pressure release directly affects your yield.
Rated 4 T and 500 MPa; footprint φ70 × H93 mm.
👉 Solid-State Battery Test Mold with Locking Ring
Three-Electrode Mold: When You Need to Know Which Electrode Failed
A two-electrode cell only reports the potential difference between cathode and anode. When impedance climbs and capacity fades, you cannot tell whether the lithium interface degraded or a resistive layer grew between cathode and electrolyte.
The three-electrode mold places a reference electrode in the electrolyte layer, so you can track working- and counter-electrode potentials separately and split total impedance into its cathode and anode contributions.
Use it for:
- Diagnosing capacity fade with no obvious cause
- Measuring a new electrolyte's stability window against each electrode
- Finding the onset of lithium plating at the anode
- Answering the reviewer who asks "which side is it?"
Three-electrode assembly takes longer and demands careful reference placement, so it is not the right default for routine cycling. A common workflow is to screen in two-electrode molds, then run the best few compositions in a three-electrode cell to understand why they work. See Three-Electrode Testing for Solid-State Batteries for the method.
👉 Solid-State Battery Three-Electrode Test Mold
Converting Tons to MPa
Your press reads in tons; papers report MPa. The only thing between them is the cavity area. A φ10 mm cavity is about 78.5 mm²:
| Press reading | Pressure in a φ10 mm cavity |
|---|---|
| 1 T | ≈ 125 MPa |
| 2 T | ≈ 250 MPa |
| 3 T | ≈ 375 MPa |
| 4 T | ≈ 500 MPa |
Formula: pressure (MPa) = force (N) ÷ area (mm²), with 1 T ≈ 9807 N.
Watch out: the standard locking-ring and three-electrode molds are rated to 500 MPa, which is roughly 4 T in a φ10 mm cavity. The three-electrode mold can take 5 T of stack force, but keep pressure at or below 500 MPa. If you need more, ask about the 1000 MPa high-pressure version. With a custom cavity diameter, the same tonnage gives a different pressure, so recalculate with the new area.
Do You Need the Load-Sensor Version?
The standard version is enough when:
- Your chemistry is established and the optimal pressure is known
- You are only pressing pellets, measuring conductivity or running routine cycling
- Budget is tight
Choose the sensor version when:
- You are developing a new material and need to correlate pressure with impedance and capacity
- You run temperature sweeps and want to see how stack pressure drifts on heating
- You suspect pressure relaxation is behind fade during long cycling
- Mechanical variables need to appear in your published data
Quick Selection by Scenario
| Your situation | Recommended |
|---|---|
| New to solid-state; getting pellet pressing and assembly working | Single-point (standard) |
| Oxide ceramics or ultra-thin lithium; worried about cracking or off-axis load | Three-point |
| New material; optimal stack pressure unknown | Single- or three-point, sensor version |
| Composition screening with daily disassembly | Locking-ring |
| Unexplained fade; need to separate cathode and anode | Three-electrode |
| Group doing both screening and mechanism work | Locking-ring + three-electrode |
Common Mistakes
"More pressure is always better." Not necessarily. Too much pressure crushes ceramic electrolytes or pushes lithium into electrolyte pores and shorts the cell. Forming pressure during pellet pressing and holding pressure during cycling are also two different things.
"Three-electrode data is more accurate, so use it for everything." A reference electrode adds diagnostic information; it does not make routine data more accurate. Two-electrode cells are faster for everyday cycling.
"If it fits in the glovebox, it's fine." Also count the space for the press and whether you can get your hands around the mold to open it. The Φ36 mm single- and three-point molds are far easier to work with in a small glovebox.
Customization and Quotes
All four molds can be built with a custom working cavity (5–20 mm). The single-point, locking-ring and three-electrode molds are available in a 1000 MPa high-pressure version; the three-point mold can also be customized for sensor range and fixture size.
Email model, specifications, quantity and target delivery date to business@labcorematerials.com. We reply with a formal quote within 48 hours (USD, DDP to major US ports).