Together with exhibiting on the Battery current this October in Michigan, Engel held an open residence in Austria with stakeholders in November to point its progress in the direction of altering metallic and aluminum throughout the rising software program {{of electrical}} car (EV) battery enclosures.
Michael Fischer, Engel’s enterprise development supervisor for electrical mobility and good panels, cites LMC Automotive’s (now GlobalData Plc’s) market forecasts to deal with the approaching acceleration for the market. The powertrain composition ratio for world delicate car product sales report from GlobalData forecasts that the market share of inside combustion engines (ICE) will drop from 65.6% in 2024 to 22.3% by 2036, with battery electrical car’s (BEV) share rising from 12.6% to 52.9% over that exact same time interval. Whilst you mix in plug-in hybrid electrical vehicles (PHEV) and full-hybrid electrical vehicles (FHEV), the potential is even higher. “What do all these — BEV, PHEV, FHEV — vehicles have in widespread?” Fischer asks, “They need to retailer electrical energy for the motors.”
As a proof of concept, Engel, in collaboration with supplies supplier SABIC and sustainable product development company Forward Engineering, developed an OEM-specific, high-voltage battery enclosure (HVBE) primarily based totally on one already in manufacturing for Volkswagen’s ID.4 electrical sport utility car. “The aim is to ship an revolutionary, cost-effective, and versatile scale decision for future EV battery enclosures,” Fischer says.
The tray choices ribs and 37 metal inserts, and 5 commonplace fasteners molded proper right into a single factor.
Provide: SABIC
This concept HVBE consists of a three-piece development, along with an injection molded cowl and tray affixed to a structural metallic underbody panel. The best cowl consists of three main elements in a sandwich design throughout which a 1.9-mm thick layer of flame-retardant Stamax PP supplies is molded between two 0.3-mm organosheets inserted onto the A and B halves of the software program, which was constructed by Christian Karl Siebenwurst GmbH & Co. KG (Dietfurt, Germany).
Run on an Engel Duo 5500 combi M on the agency’s tech center in St. Valentin, the cell makes use of an easix 6-axis robotic with a dual-sided end-of-arm-tool (EOAT) to pick up two 50% glass-filled polypropylene (PP) organosheets and place them on each side of the software program, with the Siebenwurst mildew holding the sheets in place and sustaining home between, which is then crammed by a 7.5-kg (16.5-lb) shot of UL-verified flame-retardant Stamax PP from SABIC.
Throughout the outer fringe of the finished half, there’s solely the molded Stamax, whereas the rest of the 9-kg (20-lb) factor choices the sandwich development. Throughout the self-discipline, the very best cowl is tasked with containing any potential thermal runaway of the battery, stopping any potential fireplace originating throughout the cells from spreading by means of the auto. Significantly, the material ought to stand as much as the UL 2596 thermal runaway examine. SABIC has confirmed out {{that a}} 4-mm thick sheet of flame-retardant Stamax 30YH570 can transfer the examine, which mixes pressure, ablative energy, heat and fireplace, with temperatures as a lot as 420°C and inside pressures of 250,000 kPA (36,000 psi).
Trials with the mould and course of began in August, and Engel outfitted the Duo 5500 combi M with a third injection unit for flexibility in future trials. For this course of, the machine makes use of a 190-mm (7.5″) diameter screw with an L/D ratio of 25.
Battery enclosure tray and cover on present at moldmaker Siebenwurst displaying the scale of the elements. Provide: SABIC
This cowl goes over the injection molded tray, which choices ribs and molded-in fasteners for mounting connections and cargo swap to the automotive’s underbody panel or physique in white. Fischer says the elemental concept for the tray was to mix as so much as potential proper right into a single molded factor. To that end, the design choices 37 metal inserts and 5 commonplace fasteners which is likely to be insert overmolded into the final word half. Automation is used to load the inserts and fasteners into one different Siebenwurst software program. Testing on the tray, which has a design that choices molded-in cooling circuits for the battery, has been working since April 2024, utilizing an Engel duo 4000 press.
Whereas metallic and aluminum presently dominate the sector, Fischer does stage out some thermoplastic encroachment inside the home. Significantly, Lucid Motors’ Lucid Air BEV incorporates a one-shot insert-molded module housing, that features insert molding of a contactor plate and making use of a 20% glass-filled Lexan 3412ECR polycarbonate (PC) from SABIC. This factor is molded by Plastikon Industries. Fischer and Engel maintain that thermoplastic enclosures, considerably when various elements and choices are built-in by means of molding in a single shot, current an attractive value place for OEMs and their suppliers. In addition to, if the carbon footprint of aluminum and thermoplastics are weighed in these elements, PA has 2.1 kg of CO2 equal for a kilogram of cloth, whereas cast aluminum is accessible in at 6.8 kg of CO2.
What’s Required
The possibility is very large every throughout the potential quantity of elements, however moreover throughout the specific particular person dimension of these elements, with Fischer saying future enclosures will measure 8 by 5 ft — an issue to mildew with the one provides. “We’re talking about shot weights which is likely to be going as a lot as 75 kg with fully completely different, carefully crammed provides,” Fischer says. These embrace PP and polyamides (PA), filled with glass fibers in ranges from 30 to 50%. Components going as a lot as 3 sq. meters in dimension, would require clamp forces as a lot as 11,000 tons.
Siebenwurst constructed the molds for the battery tray (pictured) and cover. Provide: Siebenwurst
Together with its validation and evaluation work with SABIC and Forward Engineering, Engel might be collaborating with Envalior on battery housing concepts, specializing in PA constructions, along with completely or partially built-in organosheets or UD tapes, metal inserts for connections and built-in ribs for affect resistance.
Together with wonderful mechanical properties, lots of these provides and elements would possibly wish to present electromagnetic shielding (EMS) and flame-retardant (FR) capabilities. For the trays the keep the battery cells, long-glass fiber PP with FR V0 rating could possibly be the underside provides, with UD tapes, rods and organosheets utilized as wished. The module housing and administration subject would use glass-filled PC and short-glass-fiber-filled PA and PP. Proper right here too, the elements need FR V0 rating and EMS. For the quilt and the tray, postmold habits, along with potential warpage, need to be considered. Fischer says together with serving to fulfill the FR requirements, the organosheets moreover alleviate potential warpage.
Plasticizing Concepts and Course of Requirements
Fischer says a standard 3-zone screw for provides strengthened with fast glass fibers is likely to be utilized, whereas for prolonged glass fiber provides (like SABIC’s Stamax), screws with geometries significantly designed for sustaining fiber dimension must be used. He offers that two injection fashions for these elements can current further flexibility and, given the shot volumes that should be prepared, keep screw diameters in extra customary ranges.
As one different strategy of sustaining longer fibers, Fischer says a two-stage course of — the place glass fibers are added into the soften in a second screw after a serious screw has prepared the provides — is an risk. Engel’s private inside assessments of such a 2-stage course of confirmed important will enhance in fiber dimension compared with single-stage plasticization, with fiber lengths measured after the nozzle. Fischer notes that this two-stage concept moreover opens the door for the introduction or regrind and recycled supplies into these elements. In relation to injection pressure, forces equal to or higher than roughly 22,000 psi are need with a metering stroke of 1.5 to 2D, or one-and-a-half-to-two-times the screw diameter. Use of a sequentially valve-gated scorching runner system, with cascading injection all through various gates, might be instructed.
“Based on testing, Engel stays open supplies sensible,” Fischer says. “I personally think about it need to be cost-effective and fulfill all the needs from the OEM. We’re preparing for all associated provides. Completely completely different provides may have fully completely different properties, and these shall be mirrored throughout the design.”
Provide: Engel