Potting akku packs for e-bikes
Reliable metering and mixing systems for the production of e-bike battery packs
"Life is like riding a bicycle - to keep your balance, you must always keep moving," said Albert Einstein.
The bicycle is booming! The industry is enjoying dynamic growth and new record figures every year. In Germany, sales (in units) of bicycles and e-bikes in 2020 were 5.04 million units, up +16.9% from the previous year. In 2020, 43.4% more e-bikes were sold than in 2019 and the share of motorized bikes was 38.7%, with an upward trend.
Rechargeable batteries are responsible for the surge in demand for this type of bicycle and in Germany, a leading manufacturer produces such battery packs for electric bicycles every day.
Until recently, only lead-acid or nickel-cadmium type batteries were available as the power supply for electrically driven bicycles. However, with the advent of rechargeable batteries that incorporate printed circuit boards, encapsulation is required in order to protect the battery from the ingress of moisture and other external influences.
The copmany have been using dispensing systems from DOPAG since their foundation in 1994, so it was natural that they should again turn to DOPAG for their encapsulating requirements. Two-component polyurethane is used to encapsulate the printed circuit boards, mixed at a ratio of 100:20.
For this application DOPAG specified a eldomix gear pump type metering, mixing and dispensing system which was fitted with especially high capacity pressure feed vessels (90 litres for the “A” component and 45 litres for the ”B” component) to ensure uninterrupted production.
The result has been less downtime and smoother workflow together with a system that is easy to use and operator friendly, all benefits that have contributed to a more profitable production process.
The customer is very satisfied with the cooperation: “We have now been in full production with the DOPAG eldomix system for more than six months and we are delighted with the quality of the results that we have obtained with this system,” adding “My compliments go to the DOPAG team who worked with us on this project.”
For automated production of the battery packs, the eldomix metering and mixing system can also be integrated into production cells or stand-alone systems that also can take over the handling of the components and can be integrated into automated production lines.
