GREEN BAY, Wis. — Sept. 29, 2026 — BW Converting will showcase its Baldwin Electrode Press Industrial Cleaning (EPIC™) System at The Battery Show North America 2026, taking place Oct. 12–15 at Huntington Place in Detroit. Visitors to Booth #2934 can see how fully automated, in-line calender roll cleaning can help battery manufacturers support uniform, high-purity electrode production, reduce production interruptions and create a safer working environment.
As North American battery manufacturers work to advance new cell technologies from development and pilot production toward commercial scale, maintaining consistent conditions throughout electrode manufacturing becomes increasingly important. Calender roll cleanliness is one of those critical process variables. Contamination and buildup on roller surfaces can affect electrode uniformity, while conventional manual cleaning introduces downtime, process variability and operator safety concerns.
The EPIC System is the world’s first fully automated, in-line, edge-to-edge cleaning system developed for advanced battery production, providing effective surface cleaning for both anode and cathode calendering applications. Recent developments in high-performance battery cells have introduced anode formulations that can create greater levels of residue and contamination on calender roller surfaces, increasing the frequency and impact of cleaning stops.
For some North American and European anode production lines, cleaning-related downtime can now consume more than an hour per shift. EPIC addresses that challenge with an automated cleaning cycle of approximately three minutes, allowing manufacturers to return rollers to production quickly while providing a consistent, repeatable cleaning process.
“What we are seeing now is that advances in high-performance cell formulations are changing the cleaning challenge, particularly on the anode side,” said Dennis Behnisch, Product Line Leader, Surface Treatment, Cleaning & Spray, BW Converting. “Newer recipes can leave significantly more residue on the roller surface, and that is translating directly into additional cleaning stops and lost production time. A three-minute automated cleaning cycle can make a measurable difference in keeping those lines productive.”
The technology can also provide significant value in pilot and development environments, where manufacturers may test multiple electrode formulations and change materials frequently. More frequent changes increase the need for effective cleaning between trials to minimize cross-contamination and establish repeatable manufacturing conditions. Automated in-line cleaning can therefore support both process development and the transition toward scaled production.
Key benefits of BW Converting’s Baldwin EPIC System include:
- Fast, automated anode cleaning: Approximately three-minute cleaning cycles help reduce downtime associated with residue buildup from newer high-performance cell formulations.
- Increased production time: Automated cleaning enables manufacturers to return rollers to production quickly, reducing the impact of cleaning stops on overall line availability.
- Anode and cathode capability: EPIC is engineered to clean both electrode processes, providing manufacturers with a single automated cleaning platform across calendering applications.
- Uniform, consistent electrode production: Thorough, repeatable roller cleaning helps maintain a stable calender surface and supports consistent electrode film quality.
- Improved operator safety: Fully automated cleaning reduces the need for operators to work near rotating rollers or manually handle cleaning chemicals and electrode residues.
- Flexible integration: EPIC can be incorporated into new calendering lines or retrofitted to existing production equipment.
The system uses BW Converting’s Baldwin specialized lint-free cleaning cloth and precisely dosed cleaning liquids to remove deposits from mirror-polished calender surfaces without scratching the rollers. Operators can customize cleaning frequency, duration, liquid dosage and other parameters through a digital touch-screen control interface.
Attendees of The Battery Show North America can visit BW Converting Booth #2934 to explore the EPIC System and speak with the company’s battery manufacturing specialists about integrating automated cleaning into pilot, development and production-scale calendering lines.
For more information about BW Converting’s Baldwin EPIC System, visit bwconverting.com.