Thin Battery To Expand Production

Thin Battery Technologies of Parma, Ohio, has raised $6.2 million to expand production of its ultrathin carbon-zinc battery. The company, which spun out of Eveready Battery in 2002, has developed a battery that can be printed onto the devices they power, using traditional printing equipment.

John Gannon, a general partner with investor SunBridge Partners, says the batteries were well suited to companies that make disposable radio frequency identification tags or medial patches that deliver drugs through the skin. He estimates the potential battery market for each of those applications at more than $1 billion each. “The battery has the potential to be cheaper, and it is also completely disposable, giving it a significant advantage over lithium-based products in the market,” he says.