Teijin Automotive Technology wins SPE ACCE People's Choice Award for composite/metal multi-material battery housing

Teijin Automotive Technology wins SPE ACCE People's Choice Award 

for composite/metal multi-material battery housing

Teijin Automotive Technologies (formerly Continental Structural Plastics, CSP), a subsidiary of Teijin Corporation, announced on September 12 that its innovative multi-material battery housing has been awarded the People's Choice Award at the Automotive Composites Conference and Exhibition (ACCE) sponsored by the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE). Award. The winner of this award was selected by all attendees of the annual Automotive Composites Expo from the SPE ACCE Innovation Award entries.

The full-size, multi-material battery enclosure features a one-piece composite lid and a one-piece composite tray with aluminum and steel reinforcements. By molding the lid and tray into a single unit, Teijin Automotive has created a system that is easier to seal and can be certified prior to shipment. The company has two patents pending for its innovative box assembly and fastening system.

The company has also developed a mounting frame that uses structural foam to absorb energy. This reduces the thickness and weight of the frame while improving crash performance. Because the trays and covers are made of composite materials, they can be formed into complex shapes while reducing tooling complexity and cost.

Steve Rooney, CEO of Teijin Automotive Technology and General Manager of the Teijin Composites Business Unit, said: "As the automotive industry moves towards electrification, Teijin Automotive Technology's R&D team is constantly looking for composite solutions that make sense for our customers and end users. From a maintenance perspective, this full battery enclosure is an example of how composites can make electric vehicles lighter, safer and simpler."

Teijin Automotive's multi-material battery housing is 15 percent lighter than a steel battery box. Although it weighs the same as an aluminum housing, the housing offers better temperature resistance than aluminum, especially when using a phenolic resin system. In addition, the tray's one-piece design has no through-holes, so no seals or sealants are required. This not only eliminates the possibility of leakage, but also reduces overall production costs and complexity.

Teijin Automotive Technologies, formerly Continental Structural Plastics (abbreviated CSP), and its parent company Teijin, introduced the multi-material electric vehicle battery enclosure that was developed at the company's new Advanced Technology Center on Harmon Road in Auburn Hills, Michigan.

The Advanced Technology Center is CSP's second research and development facility in the city. The Advanced Technology Center encompasses 47,500 square feet, including 24,000 square feet for the development of next-generation materials and processes that will move CSP and Teijin from sheet molding compound SMC to new markets and technologies. The Advanced Technology Center team currently includes five engineers and designers. csp's Advanced Technology Department is integrated with R&D and product development and consists of more than 80 engineers, designers and scientists. Prior to Teijin's acquisition of CSP, the facility was Teijin's R&D center and the site of the development of the Sereebo manufacturing process - it is currently used to manufacture the PACE award-winning GMC Sierra Denali CarbonPro pickup cartridge process, which was the industry's first carbon fiber pickup cartridge.

With the acquisition of CSP by Teijin, the Advanced Technology Center began to transition to a broader R&D capability. CSP is currently developing and manufacturing over 34 different electric vehicle battery box covers in the U.S. and China. However, to expand its product offering and provide customers with a superior battery enclosure, CSP and Teijin developed a full-size, multi-material battery enclosure featuring a one-piece composite cover and a one-piece composite tray with aluminum and steel reinforcement.

Automotive manufacturers face many challenges in using current multi-piece steel and aluminum EV battery enclosures, including the total weight of the enclosure (often over 1,000 pounds) and the need for multiple welds, fasteners and bolts, which can ultimately lead to leaks. By molding the lid and tray into a single unit, CSP created a system that is easier to seal and can be certified prior to shipment. The company has also developed a mounting frame that uses structural foam to absorb energy. This reduces frame thickness and weight while improving crash performance.