Thermal conductive pastes as an essential component of batteries
The battery modules generate heat during the energy output for the drive which needs to be dissipated as best as possible. That's why so-called gap fillers (also known as thermal interface material, or TIM for short) are used in the manufcaturing of electric batteries. These gap fillers posses heat-conducting properties in order to dissipate the heat which is generated during the operation in the most beneficial way and thus to ensure increased safety and service life.
Characteristics of the thermal conductive pastes (gap filler)
Temperature management plays a major role in the production of battery packs. Batteries may only be operated within a certain temperature range to protect them from overheating during the charging and discharging process.
Thermal conductive pastes and gap fillers have high thermal conductive properties. Different surface conditions and tolerances of installed components cause air gaps. Since air has a very low thermal conductivity, it is very challenging to dissipate the generated heat. The application of gap fillers is aimed at eliminating the air gaps and improving the dissipation of the heat generated.
The service life span and safety of certain products in the electric battery production and consumer electronics increases significantly through the optimization of heat management and heat dissipation.
Application technology for the application of thermal conductive pastes
Application of gapfillers
The exact composition of gapfillers matches with thermal conductivity of the thermal contact in the application. Most gapfillers consist of silicones and are applied as liquid into cavities or paste form as a 1C oder 2C application to the corresponding component. A precise application without air inclusions is essential to ensure the full thermal conductivity of the thermally conduct pastes.
Applying thermally conductive pastes is a challenging aspect because they must be applied in a high volume and are usally highly abrasive which causes the technology to wear out quickly. However, ATN has developed stable application technology for the application of gap fillers.
Low costs through efficient processing
The high-class components in ATN's application technology are used when applying gap fillers. Thermally conductive pastes are high in weight and are very cost-intensive. ATN's products have a high precision, durability and efficiency. Therefeore, they are suited optimally for application of thermally conductive pastes. ATN's in house application control system IFC adjusts and monitors quantities of the material seamlessly even during the application process of the gap fillers. ATN provides you with application technology specially adapted to the chemical properties of the heat conductive pastes:
Reliable application technology for battery manufacturing
As an end-to-end solution provider for battery production, our wide range of application systems can be implemented in high-quality filling and sealing applications that meet your materials requirements.
A new and efficient way of transporting heat to to external surfaces is to fill the finished cavity of an electrical component or battery module with a liquid 2-component gap filler. The mixed material is introduced into the component in this process. The cavities are completely filled due to the good flow properties of the gap filler. Pressure monitoring ensures the maximum filling of the component.
Die speziellen Herausforderungen der Wärmeleitpasten stellen hohe Anforderungen an die Materialversorgung. Die Fassentleerungssysteme der ATN ermöglichen es, Gapfiller aus 20- 1.000L Gebinden zu fördern. Durch eine restmengenoptimierte Folgeplatte kann das kostenintensive Material nahezu vollständig aus den Fässern gefördert werden, um so die Effizienz zu steigern und Materialkosten zu senken.
Es kann auch ein Doppelfasssystem eingesetzt werden, um die nahtlose Förderung des Materials während eines Fasswechsels zu gewährleisten.
Einen wichtigen Bestandteil in der Kette der Materialförderung bilden die Materialschläuche. Die Materialschläuche der ATN zeichnen ihre besondere Flexibilität, die hohe Qualität und chemische Beständigkeit gegenüber den Wärmeleitpasten aus. Eine zusätzliche Beheizung für die Verarbeitung von Gapfillern ist mit den Materialschläuchen möglich.
Herzstück für den Materialauftrag bilden die Elektrovolumendosierer, die es für unterschiedliche Dosier- und Auftragsmengen gibt. Durch die Elektrovolumendosierer wird eine punktgenaue Applikation mit einer Wiederholgenauigkeit von über 99 % gewährleistet und sichergestellt. So lassen sich auch mit Dosierern der ATN Effizienz- und Kosteneinsparungspotentiale in der Materialverarbeitung realisieren.
Die Bandbreite der Applikatoren der ATN als letzten Bestandteil in der Kette der Applikation von Wärmeleitpasten ist groß. Durch den Einsatz von 2K-Applikationssystemen kann nahezu jede mögliche Materialzusammensetzung appliziert werden. So kann auch der Raupendurchmesser auf den spezifischen Einsatz der Wärmeleitpasten angepasst werden.
Dazu werden die Applikatoren VN8 und VN14 der ATN genutzt.
