Henkel and Covestro have jointly developed a materials solution to advance high-volume electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturing operations with short cycle times and process flexibility. A UV-curing adhesive from Henkel and a UV-transparent polycarbonate blend from Covestro are applied to affix cylindrical lithium-ion Cylindrical battery cells are constructed with Covestro’s polycarbonate blend and efficiently assembled with Henkel’s adhesive. Source: Henkelbattery cells in a plastic cell solder.

The adhesive and polycarbonate materials are compatible with high-volume automated dispensing techniques and offer quick cure mechanisms. The acrylic adhesive was formulated for use with the flame-retardant plastic cell and offers production adaptability through long open times and short cure cycles.

The adhesive’s long open time allows for unexpected production interruptions after high-speed dispensing. Curing is UV-light activated and completed in five seconds — delivering significant time and production savings compared with the several minutes to hours required in conventional manufacturing operations — once cells are placed in the holder.

The plastic used to produce the cell holders is only 1 mm thick and meets category V-0 of the Underwriters Laboratories’ UL94 flammability rating and also features sufficient permeability for UV radiation in the wavelength range above 380 nanometers.