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Power Bank Assembly

Power Bank Assembly Application of DeepMaterial Adhesive Products

As vehicle electrification continues to evolve, powerful lithium-ion (li-ion) battery architectures are at the center of discussions around electric vehicles. While battery system designs vary by manufacturer, common performance goals for all automotive battery technologies are longer life, operational safety, cost efficiency, and reliability. In their recent collaboration, Deepmaterial and Covestro have developed a solution that enables the efficient retention of cylindrical lithium-ion batteries within a plastic battery holder. The solution is based on a UV-curable adhesive from Deepmaterial and a UV-transparent polycarbonate blend from Covestro.

Large-scale and cost-effective lithium-ion battery assembly is a prerequisite for every automotive OEM as consumers strongly push to lower EV prices. Therefore, Deepmaterial’s Loctite AA 3963 battery assembly adhesive and Covestro’s UV-transparent polycarbonate blend Bayblend® were developed to be compatible with high-volume automated dispensing technology and offer a flexible and fast curing mechanism. The acrylic adhesive is formulated for use with battery holders, which are made of a special flame retardant plastic. It provides strong adhesion to substrate materials and provides production flexibility through long open times and short cure cycles.

Efficient and flexible production

“High-volume manufacturing operations with short cycle times and process flexibility are critical,” explains Frank Kerstan, Head of Electric Vehicles Europe at Deepmaterial. “The Loctite OEM-approved adhesive is designed to hold cylindrical lithium-ion batteries into a carrier and is a one-time, cure-on-demand formulation. After high-speed dispensing, the long open time of the material allows for any unexpected production Interruption, the adaptability of the process is inherently built. Once all the cells are placed in the adhesive and secured in the holder, curing is activated with ultraviolet (UV) light and is completed in less than five seconds.” This is a major advantage over traditional manufacturing, which has cure times ranging from minutes to hours and therefore requires additional parts storage capacity.

The battery holder is made of Bayblend® FR3040 EV, Covestro’s PC+ABS blend. Only 1mm thick, the plastic meets Underwriters Laboratories’ UL94 flammability rating Class V-0, but has good permeability to UV radiation in the wavelength range above 380nm.

“This material allows us to build dimensionally stable parts that are necessary for automated large-scale assembly,” said Steven Daelemans, market development manager for electric vehicles at Covestro’s polycarbonate division. Curing capability, this material combination provides an innovative approach to large-scale cylindrical lithium-ion battery module production.”