With the continuous development of automotive electrification, powerful lithium-ion batteries have become a central topic in the field of electric vehicles. Although the design of battery systems varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, all automotive battery technologies share common performance goals, namely longer life, safer operation, lower total cost, and greater reliability. To this end, Covestro and Henkel have recently developed a solution that can combine cylindrical lithium with Henkel ’s ultraviolet (UV) curing adhesive and Covestro ’s high ultraviolet through polycarbonate alloys. The ion battery is efficiently fixed in the plastic battery holder.
OEMs are considering large-scale, high-efficiency and low-cost lithium-ion battery components as a prerequisite for competition in order to cope with the severe price reduction pressure of electric vehicles. Henkel's Loctite AA 3963 battery module adhesive and Covestro's high ultraviolet transmission polycarbonate alloy Bayblend® meet the requirements of high-volume automatic injection technology. The adhesive can Flexible and fast curing. In addition, the professionally developed acrylic adhesive is suitable for battery holders made of special flame retardant plastics. This adhesive has strong adhesion to the substrate, and has good production adaptability for long open time and short curing cycle.
Efficient and flexible production
Frank Kerstan, head of Henkel ’s European electric vehicle business, explained: “It ’s critical to be able to complete high-volume manufacturing with a flexible process in a short period of time. Loctite is a one-part adhesive that cures on demand. After being approved by the vehicle manufacturer, the cylindrical lithium-ion battery can be fixed in the carrier. After high-speed injection, the material can endure a longer opening time, which improves the adaptability of the entire process to deal with unexpected production interruptions. All batteries are placed in the battery holder, and after the injection of the adhesive is completed, the curing step will be activated by ultraviolet light, which takes less than 5 seconds. "This is the main advantage from traditional manufacturing. In the traditional manufacturing process, curing may require several Minutes to hours, so additional parts storage space is required.
The battery holder is made of Covestro Bayblend® FR3040 EV polycarbonate + ABS alloy. When the thickness of this plastic is only 1 mm, it can reach the UL94 flame retardant V-0 level of the US UL company, and has good transparency to ultraviolet rays with a wavelength of more than 380 nanometers.
Steven Daelemans, E-Mobility Market Development Manager, Covestro's Polycarbonate Business Unit, said: "This material allows us to manufacture dimensionally stable parts, which are necessary for automated batch packaging. Combined with the rapid curing capabilities of Loctite adhesives This material combination provides an innovative method for the production of large-scale cylindrical lithium-ion battery modules. "