Matthews and hs-tumbler Forge Alliance for Greener Battery Production

PITTSBURGH and QUAKENBRÜCK, Germany – March 19, 2026 – In a significant move to accelerate the future of sustainable energy, Matthews Engineering has announced a strategic partnership with German innovator hs-tumbler GmbH. The collaboration aims to revolutionize dry battery electrode (DBE) manufacturing by combining their respective expertise in calendering and advanced mixing, promising a faster, cheaper, and more environmentally friendly path to producing next-generation batteries.

This joint development brings together Matthews' decades of experience in high-precision industrial machinery with hs-tumbler's groundbreaking trajectory mixing technology. The goal is to solve critical bottlenecks in the production of dry battery electrodes, a solvent-free process rapidly gaining favor among automakers and cell manufacturers for its potential to slash energy use and environmental impact.

The Drive Toward Solvent-Free Manufacturing

The global battery industry is at a critical juncture, facing immense pressure to scale up production for the electric vehicle revolution while simultaneously reducing its environmental footprint. Conventional battery manufacturing relies on a wet-coating process that uses vast amounts of energy and toxic solvents like N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP). This method requires large, expensive ovens to dry the electrode slurry, a step that creates a significant production bottleneck and necessitates costly solvent recovery systems.

Dry battery electrode manufacturing emerges as a powerful alternative. By eliminating solvents entirely, the DBE process can reduce a battery factory's energy consumption by as much as 40% and its total carbon emissions by 9%. This translates into significant operational cost savings, estimated between 6-15%, and requires a much smaller factory footprint.

However, scaling DBE technology from the lab to gigafactory-level production has presented persistent challenges, particularly in preparing a perfectly uniform dry powder mix and feeding it consistently into the production line. The partnership between Matthews Engineering and hs-tumbler directly targets these upstream hurdles, aiming to create a seamless, high-throughput system.

A New Spin on Mixing Technology

At the heart of the collaboration is hs-tumbler's proprietary trajectory mixing technology. Developed by physicist Bernhard Hukelmann and commercialized in 2021 after years of research, the system represents a paradigm shift from traditional mixing methods. Instead of using internal blades or agitators, which can damage sensitive materials and introduce contaminants, the technology moves a sealed container along a precisely programmed, two-dimensional path resembling a Lissajous curve.

This controlled motion generates gentle yet pervasive shear forces—the inspiration for the "hs" or hukelmann's scherkraft (shear force) in the company's name—that ensure every particle in the batch is engaged. In a single, rapid step, often completed in under 60 seconds, the process achieves a highly homogeneous powder mixture, uniformly distributes the binder, and achieves controlled fibrillation of materials like PTFE. This replaces several time-consuming stages in conventional dry mixing, all while operating within an enclosed system that drastically reduces dust exposure and enhances worker safety.

While new to the battery sector, this German innovation has already proven its value in demanding industries such as food processing, pharmaceuticals, and technical ceramics, where material consistency is paramount. Its application in battery materials promises to reduce mixer wear, minimize metal contamination, and prevent damage to active material particles, all of which are critical for battery performance and longevity.

A Strategic Partnership for the Gigafactory Era

The alliance is a calculated strategic move for both companies. For Matthews International (NASDAQ: MATW), the parent company of Matthews Engineering, it deepens its strategic push into the high-growth energy storage market. Following key acquisitions in recent years, including German engineering firms OLBRICH GmbH and R+S Automotive GmbH, Matthews has been building a comprehensive portfolio of equipment for battery production. This partnership solidifies its position as a key enabler of next-generation manufacturing technologies.

A recent favorable arbitration ruling that affirmed Matthews' right to market its proprietary DBE solutions to third parties makes this collaboration particularly timely, freeing the company to pursue broad market opportunities without restriction.

"This partnership advances our shared vision of enabling next-generation battery manufacturing for our customers," said Brandon Babe, President, Matthews Engineering, in the official announcement. "By combining Matthews' advanced calendering and process expertise with hs-tumbler's innovative trajectory mixing, we aim to provide the scalable upstream processing foundation that DBE production requires, while further enhancing our intellectual property platform."

The synergy is clear: hs-tumbler perfects the powder preparation, and Matthews Engineering, with its world-class calendering machines, densifies that powder into a flawless electrode sheet at high speed. This integrated solution could offer battery manufacturers a validated, end-to-end system that de-risks their transition to dry processing.

Paving the Way for High-Speed Production

Early results from the joint development are promising. The partners report that electrode powders prepared via trajectory mixing can be processed through calendering systems at higher line speeds without sacrificing the quality of the final electrode sheet. This directly addresses the industry's need for higher throughput to meet the soaring demand for EV batteries.

By improving the consistency and mouldability of the dry powder, the technology has the potential to enable the creation of thicker electrodes, a key pathway to increasing a battery's energy density and, by extension, an electric vehicle's range. The collaboration is set against a competitive backdrop where industry giants like Tesla and LG Energy Solution are also racing to perfect their own dry electrode processes.

The global market for dry electrode materials is projected to grow exponentially, potentially reaching over $18 billion by 2036. By offering a robust and scalable equipment solution, the Matthews and hs-tumbler partnership is not just developing new machinery; it is building a critical piece of infrastructure for the future of electrification. This integrated approach is poised to not only accelerate the adoption of dry processing but also to set a new standard for efficiency and sustainability in the global race to power the future.