EV battery trays have evolved from simple supporting components into integrated structural platforms responsible for multiple engineering functions:
· Battery cell mounting and fixation
· Structural protection and crash energy absorption
· Sealing and environmental isolation
· Thermal conduction and heat dissipation
· Long-term corrosion resistance
In real automotive applications, battery trays are exposed to:
· High humidity environments
· Salt spray conditions (coastal or de-icing regions)
· Thermal cycling stresses
Therefore, material systems must balance mechanical strength, corrosion resistance, weldability, and long-term stability.
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Steel trays provide rigidity but face limitations:
· High density increases vehicle weight
· Low thermal conductivity affects thermal management
· Corrosion resistance relies heavily on coatings
This limits their suitability under lightweight vehicle design trends.
These alloys are widely used due to good extrudability and cost efficiency, but still show challenges in battery tray applications:
· Susceptibility to pitting and intergranular corrosion in harsh environments
· Reduced performance in heat-affected welding zones
· Difficulty balancing strength and corrosion resistance
Although offering higher strength levels, they are limited by:
· Poor extrusion formability
· Limited weldability
· Higher cost
· Insufficient corrosion resistance in certain environments
As a result, large-scale production of complex hollow battery tray profiles remains challenging.
The industry is shifting from material-centric decisions to integrated extrusion system capability development, including:
· Alloy composition optimization for 6xxx systems
· Extrusion temperature window control
· Online quenching and aging coordination
· Die flow channel optimization
· Stable forming of thin-wall multi-cavity structures
This shift highlights that the aluminum extrusion press is no longer only equipment, but a core process control system.
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Typically maintained around 420–460°C depending on alloy systems, ensuring:
· Stable metal flow behavior
· Reduced grain coarsening risk
· Improved microstructure uniformity
For thin-wall multi-cavity profiles:
· Improves dimensional consistency
· Reduces surface defects such as extrusion ripples
· Enhances wall thickness uniformity
Porthole die structures help to:
· Improve metal flow distribution
· Reduce internal stress concentration
· Increase structural density
· Lower stress corrosion risk in later stages
In the EV battery tray industry, the focus is shifting from “material selection” to:
· Extrusion press stability
· Process window control capability
· Complex hollow profile forming reliability
· Corrosion-resistant structural consistency