Powdertech Surface Science to attend Battery Cells and Systems Expo, NEC 15 & 16 May

Powdertech Surface Science is increasingly being called upon to provide surface treatment expertise on projects related to electric vehicle battery enclosures.

Having recently enjoyed a successful day at Battery Tech Expo at Silverstone, Director James Grant is looking forward to discussing upcoming projects at the two-day Battery Cells and Systems Expo at the NEC in May.

He said: “We are finding that EV production in the UK is starting to ramp up, and as surface treatment and powder coating specialists with significant automotive and EV experience, our expertise is increasingly in demand.

“In this industry our clients need suppliers who understand their requirements and can deliver a solution that works, in the time agreed. When it comes to TiZr passivation and dielectric powder coating – we know the work, the common pitfalls and how to avoid them.”

At the Silverstone show, our stand was busy with a steady stream of engineers looking to expand their knowledge on surface treatment for battery enclosures. We are anticipating the same at stand 1427 on May 15 and 16.

Our team has also been providing surface treatment expertise to the Advanced Propulsion Centre’s (APC) ALIVE project, which is aimed at building a world class battery enclosure manufacturing supply chain in the UK. The other companies in the research consortium are Constellium, BMW, Mini, Rolls Royce, Brunel University, Expert Tooling & Automation, Innoval Technology, Volvo, and Warwick Manufacturing Group.

We have significant experience on commercial EV projects. Bob Mustard CTO of Watt Electric Vehicles said: “Having worked with Powdertech over many years I am continually impressed by the team’s expertise at the forefront of emerging technologies and exemplary level of service.”

You can meet Powdertech’s expert team at stand 1427 at the Battery Cells and Systems Expo at the NEC on May 15 and 16, or find more information on the EV pages of our website.

The importance of clean aluminium for surface treatments

How clean is clean ? And how do we know if we have cleaned your aluminium to the best possible level?

Surface contaminants, many that can’t even be seen, will impair the performance of any adhesive or coating applied to the metal. Bond strengths will be unacceptably low, especially in wet environments when surface corrosion can initiate. For Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) in particular, high levels of cleanliness in the component structure are vitally important to ensuring the integrity and safety of the battery system. We use XRF equipment Dyne inks and UV-Fluorescence to measure the level of aluminium surface contaminants and to demonstrate compliance to specifications detailing RFU limits.

This short video explains just how we know that your metal is as clean as it can be before we apply any surface treatment.