Battery Power - Spring 2016 - (Page 24)

Feature Designing and Managing Custom Battery Pack Plastic Enclosures Anton Beck, Battery Product Manager * Epec Engineered Technologies Customers are often unfamiliar with battery regulatory requirements, which can lead to complications during the design of plastic enclosures. Understanding some of the design and management elements will help avoid production process complications. With any enclosure, the most important aspect is that the enclosure must be able to support the battery itself. It must also pass rigorous tests, especially when associated with transportation safety certifications. One of the first steps once a customer has approached a manufacturer is to determine the level of design the customer intends and if it is a full design or partial. A full design would allow the manufacturer to be in full working knowledge of the project from the start. The creation of CAD files, progressive meeting schedules, approval stages and the production volume will be established based on the need and depth of a full or partial design. The production volume will determine the level of tooling required. Tooling can raise costs and/or extend the time of a project's completion. The intention is to always get the design completed first time through because of time involved, cost and tooling. Most importantly is meeting the transportation certification requirements and the customer's look and feel of the design. Complete Battery Pack Enclosure Customization The complete customization of a battery pack plastic enclosures is available right down to the plastic grade itself. It is important to understand what type of environment the application will be primarily used in and whether it will be used in extreme or mild conditions. The plastic grade will have to be selected to accommodate the appropriate environment. ABS plastic, for an example, is less expensive however it becomes very brittle when exposed to certain cold temperatures. There are a lot of plastic grades available and in some cases it is possible to create a hybrid grade. Figure 1. Custom battery pack enclosure with custom plastic connector components. The focus on determining the best plastic grade for any given application starts with the environmental conditions but drop tests and of course transportation certification requirements should be kept in consideration. Branding Your Enclosure Not as complex, but just as important, is branding. Any customer looking to add their company's branding to the application can do so. Product branding is available by means of labels, digital printing or etching specific to the application requirements. Sealing the Plastic Enclosure After the internal components have been secured, the enclosure has to be sealed. Take note that sealing the enclosure is part of the final assembly. Ultrasonic wielding is a method that uses high-frequency acoustic vibrations to generate heat. The heat melts the material voiding any need for screws or bolts. 24 Battery Power * Spring 2016 Figure 2. Custom branded enclosure with company logo. www.BatteryPowerOnline.com http://www.BatteryPowerOnline.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Battery Power - Spring 2016

Editor's Choice
Reducing TCO with the Right UPS Architecture and Operating Mode
Decades of Data: Using Analytics to Predict the Future
Top Four Considerations for Battery Management in a Connected World
Conference Preview
Designing and Managing Custom Battery Pack Plastic Enclosures
Assessment of Performance and Safety on Lithium Ion Pouch Battery Under Various Test Conditions
Batteries
ICs & Semiconductors
Charging & Testing
Industry News
Calendar of Events

Battery Power - Spring 2016