For some time now, battery production and the manufacturing of energy storage has posed a rapidly growing dynamic field of technology with global significance.
The driving forces to be considered here are the sharp growth in e-mobility and increasing demand for energy storage, which is needed due to the transformation of energy production. Sales Manager at INOMETA, Stephan Palenga, is a specialist in rollers and roller coatings for battery production and will be answering some interesting questions on this topic for us today.
Herr Palenga, systems engineering for battery production poses major challenges to the suppliers and operators of such systems. What do you think are the greatest obstacles to overcome for this relatively young field of technology even for INOMETA?
We are keeping a watchful eye on and are interested in the dynamic developments taking place in the battery production industry. There are a lot of unresolved questions, for which system manufacturers and operators are seeking answers and solutions. There is no doubt that particularly in web guidance and substrate treatment, the requirements will markedly increase and we will be able to support rather sensitive material webs, in particular, with our expertise and product quality.
In which process areas do you envisage INOMETA components and why are you and your team the ideal choice when it comes to selecting a manufacturer?
INOMETA is a name you can trust across many industrial sectors, renowned for rollers and roller coatings as well as lightweight components in rotating applications. Expertise from the fields of printing, film, converting or paper provide us with an excellent basis to also be a key development partner and supplier in battery production. We are able to serve and offer our product solutions to any fields, in which guided webs are used. These include the following areas, among others:
- Coating process
- Cutting / slitting
- Calendering
- Separating, stacking, laminating, winding
- Cutting / halving / half slitting / separating
So let’s get to the heart of the matter. Which rollers and functional coatings are available as solutions in battery production?
I’d be delighted to give you a brief insight into the potential solutions, which we currently provide to the battery production industry. A number of development projects have underlined the need and great potential for roller products and coatings. INOMETA currently has an interesting product portfolio available for the battery production sector. The following product areas are most worthy of mentioning:
- Web guidance with unique web guide rollers – even for use in the dry room
- Coating solutions for calender rollers, guide rollers and draw rollers
- Web tension measurement rollers with the highest level of precision even with minimal web tension
- Heated rollers
- High-precision winding cores (WinCore®)
How do you see this field of technology progressing in five to ten years’ time and how will INOMETA shape this market in future?
We can all see how gigafactories are currently developing and plans for them being made. Such plans are already in motion at many sites. It is not currently possible to assess which technological challenges we will have to face over this period across the entire mechanical engineering industry. We have opted to support this interesting yet challenging development with our specialist skills and are very much looking forward to developing the right solutions with our valuable partners. It goes without saying that our overall focus will be on producing specific products with this demanding market in mind.
Will customers be able to sneak a peek at initial developments at the upcoming ICE Europe in Munich?
Any technology enthusiasts or interested parties from the sector are very welcome to join us at our booth at ICE Europe in Munich. We would be delighted to discuss current trends and developments with you in close dialogue, offering scope for ideas to be exchanged. We would love to hear any suggestions you may have and look forward to discussing specific projects together. We are excited to hear your ideas and look forward to your visit – Order free voucher now.
