Dimensional Stability Challenges in Thin-Wall Multi-Cavity EV Battery Tray Profiles Highlight the Role of Advanced Alumi

Dimensional Stability Challenges in Thin-Wall Multi-Cavity EV Battery Tray Profiles Highlight the Role of Advanced Aluminum Extrusion Press Solutions

The latest study Research on High-Strength and Corrosion-Resistant Aluminum Profiles for Automotive Battery Trays distinctly demonstrates the vital role of aluminum material processing technology in battery applications of automobiles.

As the core load-bearing structural part of new energy vehicle battery packs, battery trays are responsible for cell supporting, structural protection, crash energy absorption, sealing and heat insulation, thermal conduction and heat dissipation, as well as corrosion resistance. Their performance directly affects battery pack safety, service life and overall vehicle lightweighting effect.

Traditional materials have inherent drawbacks:Steel trays are heavy with weak corrosion resistance and poor thermal conductivity, which add extra vehicle weight and consequently impair driving range.Ordinary 6-series aluminum alloys (6061/6063) have insufficient mechanical strength. They are susceptible to intergranular corrosion, pitting corrosion and exfoliation corrosion under long-term humid, hot and salt spray conditions, accompanied by performance deterioration in the weld heat-affected zone.

Although 7-series high-strength aluminum alloy has outstanding strength, it is characterized by poor extrudability, extremely low weldability, high cost and inferior corrosion resistance, thus failing to achieve mass extrusion production for battery tray components.

Accordingly, the automotive industry is in urgent need of aluminum materials integrated with comprehensive properties: high strength, excellent corrosion resistance, great extrudability, desirable weldability, efficient thermal conductivity, lightweight property and cost-effectiveness to adapt to battery tray working conditions.

By optimizing alloy composition, ingot homogenization, extrusion parameters and the whole heat treatment process of 6-series aluminum alloy, the research overcomes problems including insufficient strength, poor corrosion resistance, coarse second-phase particles and extrusion defects. Special high-strength corrosion-resistant extruded aluminum profiles for automotive battery trays have been developed and realized industrial mass production.

The complete technological route proposed in the paper imposes strict control over every production procedure:Semi-continuous casting → Ingot homogenization heat treatment → Hot extrusion forming → Online quenching → Artificial aging

High-quality extrusion presses are indispensable for the hot extrusion process of thin-wall multi-cavity hollow profiles. Aluminum extrusion press machine produced by Enping city Huanan Heavy Industry Technology Co., Ltd. completely meet the production technical requirements for battery tray profiles, with technical parameters as below:

1. Extrusion temperature range: 420~460℃This temperature interval optimizes metal fluidity, inhibits grain coarsening, and avoids alloy overheating and overburning.

2. Extrusion speed: Stable low-speed extrusionIt is suitable for thin-wall multi-cavity hollow battery tray profiles, ensures dimensional precision and uniform wall thickness, and minimizes defects including extrusion ripples, cracking and eccentric wall thickness.

3. Mould optimization: Optimized multi-cavity porthole diesThe die design reduces metal flow resistance, enhances profile structural compactness, and decreases internal residual stress which induces subsequent stress corrosion.