Adhesives Play a Big Role in EV’s Electric Motor Assembly, Protection and Function

Adhesives and their manufacturers’ main focus may be on EVs and their requirements at present, but it’s not interfering with the big and very important roles adhesives have had in recent years in the assembly, protection and function of various types of electric motors, as well as on the magnets, stators, shafts, rotors, and other metal components involved in e-motor function.

Over the years adhesives have brought a number of benefits to electric motor assembly and function that go beyond their main functions of bonding and assembly. They have also been used to cast sensitive components in electric motors so as to protect them from mechanical stress and humidity as well as aggressive media, and even to bond the parts that move the wheels, transmission, differential, driveshaft, axles, CV joints, and wheels which form the drive-train.

Because of their flexibility adhesives can be adapted to meet the various concepts followed in different electric motors, the types of magnets used in different vehicles, and the e-motors used in different vehicles whether they operate on combustion engines or are electric powered; are mild or full hybrids or plug-ins; or are heavy-duty trucks which use electric traction motors. They are also suitable for use in many electric motors which, hidden from vision, power functions such as ABS pumps; closing and opening car windows; adjusting exterior mirrors; operating windshield wipers; adjusting seats; and powering central locking systems.

Other benefits of adhesives include gap-filling properties which prevent slippage; reduction of the combined weight of the many electric motors now used in modern vehicles; increased impact resistance; provision of vibration-damping characteristics which lower road noise and improve acoustics; homogeneous stress distribution which can be generated should different thermal expansion coefficients develop between the housing and the stator, and they can be used for coating magnets which are susceptible to corrosion in order to protect them from exposure to the environment.

As adhesives differ considerably in their formulations, properties, strength, heat resistance, and curing times, careful selection has to be made to ensure their reliability with regard to different applications. In most cases, one-component and two-component epoxy resins are chosen.

Source: Assembly Magazine