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Manufacturing Technology Insights | Friday, September 23, 2022
Emerging development projects show that vehicle manufacturers and suppliers of technical systems and interiors are interested in the new possibilities provided by stacked electroactive polymers.
FREMONT, CA:The constant developments in electric vehicles (EVs) continue to drive technology advancements among machinery markers, materials suppliers, and processors within the rubber industry. Tier suppliers are scrambling to maintain their business by supporting ICE-powered vehicles while setting themselves up for the electric future. The rapid transformation phase puts pressure on automotive-systems suppliers to find materials meeting new CTQs for EVs, ICEs, and electrically powered vehicles.
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Today, the battery is the solution to switch between petrol and electric power. However, this will be transitioned to fuel cells powered by hydrogen. Rubber has an important role to play to insulate the devices, where battery boxes are insulated by a gasket while fuel cells need high-precision gaskets to insulate the bipolar plates in the stack devices.
Few machines produce the gasket for technologies offering adaptability to provide solutions to insert rubber material on metal support to insulate the battery box for small to huge-sized applications, such as truck cells. For smaller applications, these electric machines reduce the overall energy consumption to produce the stacks minimised by 40 per cent compared to other machines.
For fuel cells, the switch from a laboratory to a mass factory presents a significant challenge. Companies are working to develop solutions to produce injected gaskets on the bipolar plates on one or two faces simultaneously. The efficiency and stability of the fuel cell are ensured by several components, and the bipolar plates represent a major share of the fuel cell market. Therefore, the gasket between each cell is important, especially in terms of safety.
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The adaptability of the design helps machines inject all the compounds and gasket material on the bipolar plates on a single or double face within fully automated systems, offering a springboard for increased productivity, repeatability, and production capacity. The injection moulding machines, cold runner blocks and moulds are delivered as essential solutions for the gasket moulding on the bipolar plates with precise thickness to ensure the final stack dimensions without deviation of the total height.
The further step in the development of fuel cells will be centred on power efficiency and cost reduction to produce the complete stack. Together with increased durability from better cooling and new materials for gaskets, these technologies will considerably increase production efficiency in this important domain.
Electroactive polymers convert electrical energy into sensitive and versatile mechanical motion via elastic deformation. They can be used in actuators and sensors to control switches, locks, valves, and pumps. Within electric vehicles, they are useful for the thermal management of batteries and the actuation of mechanical components, such as dashboard vents or valves for pneumatic massage seats for drivers and passengers.
Advantages of new technologies include lower energy consumption, fewer mechanical parts, low weight and volume, a robust and durable design, and noise-free operation with sensor and haptic feedback functionality. New development projects show that vehicle manufacturers and suppliers of technical systems and interiors are interested in the possibilities offered by stacked electroactive polymers.
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