Freudenberg offers foldable gasket for electric vehicle batteries | Rubber News

LANGRES, France—The EV market is driving innovation across an array of industries, and battery sealing technology is no different.

Enter Freudenberg Sealing Technologies, a division of Freudenberg-NOK, which now offers a foldable gasket for the EV market.

The gasket adds "reliability and longevity" to batteries, according to Freudenberg, and protects the battery from both contamination as well as thermal runaway.

Freudenberg Sealing's facility in Northeastern France recently pumped out more than 1 million of these gaskets, the company said Dec. 6.

"This number is a great success and an outstanding achievement by the entire local team," said Marc Nicolas, director of gaskets at Freudenberg Sealing Technologies in Langres. "It was also a huge challenge, as the plant in Langres had to be completely redesigned to produce the foldable gaskets and the processes had to be adapted accordingly."

Nicolas said all operations progressed smoothly, even as order quantities, timing and design changed during the process.

"The fact that we were able to deliver impeccable quality despite all this is thanks to a well-functioning, highly motivated team," he said.

More than 100 million electric vehicles are predicted to be on the world's roads by 2030, and a well-protected battery system will be paramount to increasing EV confidence and usage by consumers.

For anti-contamination purposes, splash water must be prevented from entering through the gap between the battery cover and housing.

This means the battery housing gasket must be up to eight meters long, depending on the size of the enclosure.

But it's not just what gets in that is of concern in EV battery systems—it's what can get out during a battery fire, or "thermal event."

And Freudenberg Sealing's foldable gaskets can help minimize these critical events.

The gaskets from the Langres plant are installed by EV manufacturers throughout Europe, according to Freudenberg. The gaskets also are made in the U.S. and Asia, installed by OEMs there.

An initial pilot line of the foldable gaskets was subsidized by the Public Interest Group Haute Marne, the European Regional Development Fund and the Grand Est Region.

Expectations for seals and gaskets within EV batteries are high—those that are set by the consumer and those that are set by OEMs.

An aluminum carrier provides strength while also integrating plastic retention fixtures for the gasket within the battery enclosure.

"This way it can compensate for small manufacturing tolerances in the housing," Freudenberg said.

The gaskets also boast an easy disassembly process, allowing the battery to be serviced. If a battery can be serviced, it can be reused rather than replaced.

The gasket—comprising silicones and EPDM—comes as a single, complete unit. It can be installed by manufacturers automatically, using fully robotic means.

High electrical conductivity is ensured between the battery housing and cover, as well, according to Freudenberg. Foldable versions are suitable for aluminum, steel and composite materials.

"This is important for efficient shielding of the electromagnetic fields generated by the current flow in the battery," Freudenberg said. "Otherwise, these fields could interfere with other electronic components in the car."

Freudenberg added it is able to produce the larger gaskets using a small press in Langres, keeping the amount of energy required for production fairly low—and reducing the overall CO2 manufacturing footprint.

"With the foldable gasket technology and the ability of Freudenberg Sealing Technologies to scale the production quickly and robustly, we are showing that this innovative solution plays a key role in ensuring safety and reliability in the fast-growing electromobility market," said Frederic Boyer, head of marketing for gaskets at FST. "It's important that every gasket is developed in close cooperation with our customers.

"This is the only way for us to meet changing expectations with optimal solutions and be a reliable partner for the industry in the field of modern mobility applications."

Freudenberg Sealing Technologies generated sales of about $2.66 billion in 2022 and employed approximately 13,500 people.

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