Battery packs represent the heart of every vehicle that is powered electrically. Previously, many individual companies/contacts were necessary for bonding and assembling these battery systems. Now, with an adhesive tape producer, a material manufacturer, and a general contractor working closely together, customers can get everything from a single source. Battery production is thus simplified by implementing an automated and tape-based solution.
Thanks to its suppleness and flexibility, the adhesive tape solution from tesa can be attached to battery packs with lids as well as to battery packs that are directly connected to the underbody of a vehicle. tesa ACXplus 76730 Box Seal does not require any curing times and can be applied easily and automatically without high demands on ambient temperature or humidity. Moreover, health and safety risks for users are minimised.
This is where the two partners Liebherr and Vulkan Technic come into play. They take advantage of their expertise to ensure that the various technical requirements of the customers are met and all the necessary steps within the cooperation – from design, programming, production to commissioning – can take place.
At the beginning of 2022, tesa – which is responsible for the adhesive application – presented customers with a first demo version together with Vulkan Technic.
"With the market launch of the new tesa ACXplus 76730 Box Seal, we not only wanted to bring an acrylic adhesive tape to the market that is characterized by strong performance and high flexibility, but also to offer a proper application concept. We then talked to our partner Vulkan Technic to set up first tests for such a concept," says Boris Kawa, corporate marketing director, automotive, at tesa.
Sven Neumann, technical sales manager at Vulkan Technic, adds: "Together with tesa, we implemented the application of tesa ACXplus Box Seal. The high flexibility of the adhesive tape, which is necessary to achieve 100% sealing with different gap dimensions, posed a particular challenge during the development process. However, we found an optimal solution and then implemented it technically."
The interaction of an innovative adhesive solution and a fitting application also convinced Liebherr. "tesa ACXplus Box Seal promises a secure and automatable sealing of the battery pack, but at the same time also allows the battery pack cover to be dismantled for rework in the factory. This streamlines the production process, because individual intermediate inspection testing can be replaced by a later end-of-line-testing, where the cover can be opened non-destructively. This is also interesting for the remanufacturing and recycling process of battery systems," says Viktor Bayrhof, sales channels and product management, Liebherr Gear Technology and Automation Systems.
