Award at InterBattery 2026 signals global validation of solvent-free electrode manufacturing, combining micron-level precision, GW-scale throughput and 35% energy savings for next-generation lithium-ion and solid-state batteries.
In a rare break from precedent at Asia’s most influential battery gathering, China’s Wuxi LEAD Intelligent Equipment won the “Best Equipment of the Year” award at InterBattery 2026, becoming the first and only non-Korean company to receive the honour since the prize was established.
The accolade, announced on March 3 at the InterBattery exhibition in Seoul, places LEAD’s dry-electrode mixing and coating system at the centre of a strategic shift in battery manufacturing. As gigafactories race to cut energy consumption and prepare for solid-state batteries, the award signals that solvent-free electrode production is moving from pilot lines to industrial scale.
A symbolic breakthrough in Seoul
InterBattery, organized by the Korea Battery Industry Association, is widely regarded as a bellwether for global storage and EV supply chains. Its annual awards are judged against five criteria: policy compliance, supply chain contribution, ESG sustainability, commercial viability, and safety.
LEAD’s selection is notable on two fronts. First, it was the only foreign winner this year. Second, it marks the first time a Chinese equipment maker has topped the list, a symbolic shift in an industry long dominated by Korean, Japanese, and European machinery suppliers.
For executives in Seoul, the decision reflected more than technical novelty. At a pivotal moment when Korea’s three major battery makers are advancing toward mass production of dry-electrode technology, it underscores the urgency facing manufacturers as they grapple with tightening carbon rules, cost pressures and the looming industrialization of solid-state batteries (SSB).
Notably, in November 2024, LEAD delivered a customized solid-state dry electrode coating system to a leading Korean battery manufacturer. The solution offers significant advantages, including cell-structure buffer component forming, separator-free stacking, continuous densification, and high-pressure formation and capacity grading.
Dry-electrode manufacturing at GW scale
At the core of LEAD’s award-winning platform is a fully integrated dry-electrode production system – spanning powder unpacking, metering, fiberisation, film formation, lamination and waste recovery. Unlike conventional wet slurry coating, which relies on solvents such as NMP and requires energy-intensive drying ovens, dry processing eliminates solvents entirely.
Technically, the challenges are formidable. Stabilizing cathode film formation without liquid binders demands precise control of powder morphology and fiberisation. Maintaining uniform areal density across wide formats at high speed requires micron-level mechanical tolerances.
LEAD’s next-generation system addresses these constraints through an integrated anode–cathode process design and high-precision mechanical engineering:
- Roll gap precision: ±1 μm
- Thickness control: ±2 μm
- Areal density uniformity: ±1.5%
- Coating width: up to 1,000 mm
- Thickness range: 40–400 μm
- Line speed: up to 100 m/min
- Single-line capacity: 5–8 GWh annually
In industrial terms, a 5–8 GWh line places the platform firmly within gigafactory benchmarks. Multi-line configurations can scale to tens of GWh per year, aligning with global EV battery plant capacities.
Material compatibility extends across graphite and silicon-carbon anodes, as well as LFP (lithium iron phosphate) and NCM (nickel-cobalt-manganese) cathodes. Crucially, the platform supports both conventional liquid lithium-ion batteries and emerging all-solid-state architectures, reducing pathway risk for manufacturers transitioning between chemistries.
ESG and cost: quantifiable gains
Dry processing addresses three long-standing weaknesses of wet coating: high energy consumption, solvent emissions, and operating costs.
LEAD reports energy savings exceeding 35% compared with traditional wet lines, primarily through eliminating drying ovens and solvent recovery systems. Material and manufacturing costs fall by around 20%, reflecting simplified process flows and reduced auxiliary infrastructure.
These metrics matter in an industry where manufacturing energy can account for a significant share of battery lifecycle emissions. As regulators in Europe and Asia tighten carbon disclosure rules and local content requirements, solvent-free processes offer both compliance advantages and reputational benefits.
From a plant design perspective, dry lines also reduce footprint and capital intensity by removing large-scale drying tunnels. That can translate into faster construction timelines and lower facility-level emissions, critical factors for developers building multi-GW campuses under policy incentives.
Solid-state readiness: bridging lab and factory
The commercial significance extends beyond incremental efficiency. As solid-state batteries approach early-stage commercialization, manufacturing readiness is emerging as a bottleneck equal to materials science.
Dry-electrode processing is widely viewed as a pivotal enabler for SSB, where solvent interactions can degrade solid electrolytes and complicate interface stability. By integrating dry mixing and coating into turnkey solutions, LEAD positions itself as a bridge between laboratory prototypes and industrial throughput.
Operating at 100 m/min while maintaining ±2 μm thickness control moves the technology beyond pilot validation. In effect, the system approaches industrial deployment standards rather than remaining at the experimental stage.
Importantly, its compatibility with existing liquid battery production infrastructure reduces transition risk. Manufacturers can retrofit or co-locate dry lines alongside conventional equipment, phasing in new chemistries without wholesale factory redesign.
Commercial relevance: value chain positioning
Battery equipment sits at a critical junction in the value chain. While cell makers capture headlines, machinery providers shape cost curves and process standards.
LEAD’s integrated approach, covering unpacking, metering, fiberisation, coating, lamination and recycling, shifts the company from a component supplier to a system architect. Turnkey delivery to leading battery and automotive manufacturers worldwide suggests growing international acceptance.
The 1,000 mm coating width aligns with global gigafactory norms, enabling high-throughput pouch and prismatic cell formats. At 5–8 GWh per line, the economics become meaningful: a 40 GWh facility, for example, could be configured with fewer than ten lines, depending on utilization rates.
From a policy perspective, dry processing supports national goals around decarbonization and the circular economy. Waste recovery integration and reduced solvent use directly address ESG screening criteria, which featured prominently in this year’s InterBattery judging framework.
From “Made in China” to global standards
The Seoul award carries symbolic weight beyond a single product launch. It signals that Chinese high-end equipment makers are not merely cost competitors but potential standard-setters in next-generation manufacturing.
For Korean and Japanese incumbents, the emergence of solvent-free industrial platforms at the GW scale intensifies competitive pressure. For European gigafactories navigating the carbon border adjustment mechanisms, the appeal of lower-energy, lower-emission lines is equally evident.
If dry-electrode manufacturing achieves broad adoption, it could redefine the benchmark metrics that shape battery plant design — from energy consumption per kWh produced to capital expenditure per GWh installed. Equipment capable of delivering ±1 μm roll-gap precision at 100 m/min throughput effectively sets a new industrial standard.
For Wuxi LEAD, the challenge now shifts from technical validation to sustained global execution. Delivering multi-line projects across jurisdictions will require supply chain resilience, localization strategies, and after-sales service depth.
Yet the trajectory is clear. As energy systems evolve, manufacturing capability becomes the decisive link between laboratory innovation and commercial scale. In recognizing LEAD’s dry-coating system, InterBattery 2026 has effectively endorsed solvent-free, gigawatt-scale electrode production as a defining frontier in battery technology.
For an industry racing to cut costs, carbon, and time-to-market simultaneously, that frontier may soon become the mainstream.