KR20180107886A - Mold apparatus for resin transfer molding of electric vehicle battery case and manufacturing method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a resin transfer molding (RTM) composite molding device for molding a battery case of electric cares, and a method for molding the battery case of electric cars using the same. To this end, the RTM composite molding device for molding the battery case of the electric cars comprises: a lower mold in which a carbon fiber composite material for molding the battery case of the electric car is stacked; and an upper mold coupled to or separated from the lower mold to mold the battery case between the lower molds.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to an RTM composite mold apparatus for molding a battery case of an electric vehicle,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to an RTM compound mold apparatus for molding a battery case of an electric vehicle and a battery case forming method using the same, and more particularly, to a compact and efficient structure, The present invention relates to an RTM compound mold apparatus for molding a battery case of an electric vehicle and a method of molding a battery case of an electric vehicle using the same.

A composite material refers to a material having two or more materials having different compositions or shapes and having an effective function.

Composite materials include fibers, particles, lamina, and matrix. Composite materials composed of these elements are generally layered composites, particle reinforced composites, fibers Reinforced composite materials, and the like.

Traditionally, composite materials are polymer composite materials, which are used in the same sense as fiber-reinforced plastics and fiber reinforced composite materials.

On the other hand, it is recognized that composite materials have a somewhat improved meaning than fiber reinforced plastics (FRP). In particular, composite materials using high-performance reinforcing fibers such as carbon fiber are classified into high-performance composite materials.

For reference, raw materials for fiber-reinforced plastics and composites can be divided into reinforcing fibers and matrix materials. The reinforcing material of the composite material mainly uses continuous fibers.

Historically, fiberglass is the oldest reinforced fiber, but the frequency and importance of its use can be attributed to carbon fiber (graphite fiber or carbon fiber). In addition, aramid fibers typified by Kevlar are widely used, and boron fibers and ceramic fibers such as silicon carbide, which are less frequently used, are also used.

If the reinforcing fiber is a load-bearing element, the necessity of the base material is absolutely necessary in order to achieve a structural shape by fixing each of these fibers in place. Also, when the shear load is applied, the mechanical property of the base material is very important because it supports the load, and it has a decisive influence on the progress of fracture. Also, because most of the fibers are stable to external elements (heat, chemicals, etc.), resistance of the matrix to these external elements is often important.

Epoxy resins are used in the latest composite materials as base materials, and unsaturated polyester resins are still a large part of general composites. Phenol, polyimide resin and aluminum Etc., and in recent years, thermoplastic resins have also been widely used.

Due to the efficient combination of materials, composites which can have high weight-ratio strength and stiffness as well as various excellent material properties can be used as substitutes for existing materials by effectively utilizing their characteristics, and furthermore play a synergistic role in technological innovation It is especially noteworthy that it is.

The use of composites has important advantages that lead to performance and productivity. For example, the flexibility of design allows composites to control the properties of composites, making them the only material that can realize new design concepts. Therefore, it is possible to make a wide variety of plastic resin composite materials, metal composite materials, ceramic composite materials and carbon / carbon composite materials, which have been developed so far, in aerospace, automobile, sports, industrial machinery, medical equipment, military supplies, Has been applied.

Meanwhile, there are various methods of molding a composite material. Examples of a molding method of a composite material based on a polymer material include an autoclave molding method, a vacuum bag molding method, a compression molding method, Filament winding, SMC molding method or BMC molding method, RTM molding method (Resin transfer molding), Pultrusion molding method, hot press molding method, Vacuum infiltration casting, liquid metal pressing and so on are available.

The utilization of the carbon fiber composite material as described above is gradually increasing. For example, in recent years, as the weight of an electric vehicle battery gradually increases, a battery case is transformed from a conventional steel to a carbon fiber composite material.

As described above, the carbon fiber composite material is widely used as a substitute material of steel because it can provide light weight and high strength (stability) of a product, that is, a battery case, as well as electromagnetic wave and heat resistance have.

In order to manufacture a battery case using such a carbon fiber composite material, for example, RTM (resin transfer molding) molding, that is, resin injection molding, which is one of the molding methods described above, may be used. In this case, Can be used exclusively for RTM molding.

RTM molding is a resin injection method using a closed type, making a shape, and then injecting resin to harden it.

It is known that such RTM molding is suitable for mass production of a product, for example, a battery case, and can provide a clean finish and high dimensional accuracy.

However, in the case of a known conventional RTM molding compound mold, it is considered that it is not suitable for forming the battery case of an electric vehicle because it is difficult to flow the resin due to the structural limitations thereof and thus the molding time is long. There is a need for an RTM composite mold apparatus to solve these problems as a whole.

Korea Patent Office Application No. 20-2005-0036184 Korea Patent Office Application No. 20-2010-0000137 Korea Patent Office Application No. 20-2011-0011630 Korea Patent Office Application No. 20-2013-0004775

An object of the present invention is to provide a battery case molding method for an electric vehicle which is suitable for forming a battery case of an electric vehicle because it has a compact and efficient structure and can smoothly flow the resin smoothly, And a method of molding a battery case of an electric vehicle using the same.

The object of the present invention is achieved by a method of manufacturing a battery case, comprising: a lower mold in which a carbon fiber composite material for forming a battery case of an electric vehicle is stacked; And an upper mold coupled to or detachable from the lower mold and allowing the battery case to be formed between the upper mold and the lower mold. The present invention also provides an RTM multiple mold apparatus for molding a battery case of an electric vehicle.

The lower mold includes a lower mold body in which a tunnel is formed; A protrusion protruding from the lower mold body to form a step between the lower mold body and the carbon fiber composite material; And a triangular protrusion protruding in a triangular shape from one side of the composite material lamination ridge portion, wherein a heating unit mounting portion to which a heating unit for heating the resin is mounted is disposed at an end of the lower mold body in a circumferential direction of the tunnel Can be arranged in U-shape.

The upper mold includes an upper mold body; A protruding portion formed in the upper mold body, the protruding portion forming a protrusion of the lower mold; A protruding portion formed on a wall surface of the protruding portion, the protruding portion being formed with the protruding portion; A double rubber packing line for vacuum which is formed on the upper mold body in contact with the lower mold body and which is double hermetically sealed so that the vacuum is not released; A pressure sensor mounting unit mounted on a side surface of the upper mold body and equipped with a pressure sensor for sensing a pressure of the molding space between the lower mold and the upper mold; A resin injection unit formed at one end of the upper mold body; And a resin injection line through which the resin supplied from the resin injection unit is injected into the upper mold body, the resin injection line being injected into both side injection units formed on both sides of the upper mold body, A path can be formed which is discharged to the central discharge portion.

And a controller for controlling the degree of vacuum of the molding space between the lower mold and the upper mold based on the sensing signal of the pressure sensor and controlling the injection amount and speed of the resin and the operation of the heating unit .

The object of the present invention is achieved by a method of manufacturing a battery case, comprising: a lower mold in which a carbon fiber composite material for forming a battery case of an electric vehicle is stacked; And an upper mold coupled to or detachable from the lower mold to allow the battery case to be formed between the lower mold and the lower mold, wherein the lower mold includes a lower mold body in which a tunnel is formed; A protrusion protruding from the lower mold body to form a step between the lower mold body and the carbon fiber composite material; And a triangular protrusion protruding in a triangular shape from one side of the composite material lamination ridge portion, wherein a heating unit mounting portion to which a heating unit for heating the resin is mounted is disposed at an end of the lower mold body in a circumferential direction of the tunnel Wherein the upper mold comprises: an upper mold body; A protruding portion formed in the upper mold body, the protruding portion forming a protrusion of the lower mold; A protruding portion formed on a wall surface of the protruding portion, the protruding portion being formed with the protruding portion; A double rubber packing line for vacuum which is formed on the upper mold body in contact with the lower mold body and which is double hermetically sealed so that the vacuum is not released; A pressure sensor mounting unit mounted on a side surface of the upper mold body and equipped with a pressure sensor for sensing a pressure of the molding space between the lower mold and the upper mold; And a resin injection line which is formed in the upper mold body and into which resin supplied from the outside is injected. The resin injection line is injected into both side injection parts formed on both sides of the upper mold body, And controls the degree of vacuum of the molding space between the lower mold and the upper mold based on the sensing signal of the pressure sensor and controls the injection amount and speed of the resin and the operation of the heating unit The present invention also provides an RTM multiple mold apparatus for molding a battery case of an electric vehicle.

The object of the present invention is achieved by a method of manufacturing a battery case, comprising the steps of: stacking a carbon fiber composite material for forming a battery case of an electric vehicle on a lower mold; An upper mold coupling step of closing and coupling the upper mold to the lower mold; A vacuum holding step of holding a molding space between the lower mold and the upper mold in a vacuum; A resin injection step of injecting resin into a molding space between the lower mold and the upper mold; A resin heating step of heating the resin injected through the heating unit coupled to the lower mold; A resin curing step of curing the heated resin; An upper mold removal step of removing the upper mold after curing; A step of taking out a molded product formed between the lower mold and the upper mold; And completing the manufacture of the battery case by trimming the molded product taken out according to the drawing to complete the manufacture of the battery case.

According to the present invention, since it has a compact and efficient structure, it is suitable for forming a battery case of an electric vehicle, and in particular, it is possible to flow the resin smoothly unlike the conventional case, thereby shortening the molding time.

1 is a perspective view of an RTM multiple mold apparatus for molding a battery case of an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is an exploded perspective view of FIG.
Figure 3 is an opposite perspective view of Figure 2;
4 is a perspective view of the lower mold.
5 is a perspective view of the upper mold.
Figure 6 is a perspective view of another angle to Figure 5;
7 is a control block diagram of an RTM multiple mold apparatus for molding a battery case of an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a flow chart of a method of forming a battery case of an electric vehicle using an RTM multiple mold apparatus for molding a battery case of an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.
9 is an exploded perspective view of an RTM multiple mold apparatus for molding a battery case of an electric vehicle according to another embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 10 is a control block diagram of Fig. 9. Fig.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The advantages and features of the present invention, and how to accomplish them, will become apparent by reference to the embodiments described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

In the present specification, the present embodiment is provided to complete the disclosure of the present invention and to fully disclose the scope of the invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. And the present invention is only defined by the scope of the claims.

Thus, in some embodiments, well known components, well known operations, and well-known techniques are not specifically described to avoid an undesirable interpretation of the present invention.

Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification. And (used) terms used herein are for the purpose of illustrating embodiments and are not intended to limit the invention.

In the present specification, the singular form includes plural forms unless otherwise specified. Also, components and acts referred to as " comprising (or comprising) " do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other components and operations.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein may be used in a sense commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs.

Also, commonly used predefined terms are not ideally or excessively interpreted unless they are defined.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an RTM multiple mold apparatus for molding a battery case of an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is an opposite perspective view of Fig. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of an upper mold, Fig. 6 is a perspective view of another angle with respect to Fig. 5, Fig. 7 is a control block diagram of an RTM compound mold apparatus for molding a battery case of an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention, 8 is a flowchart of a method of forming a battery case of an electric vehicle using an RTM multiple mold apparatus for molding a battery case of an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to these figures, the present invention has a compact and efficient structure, which is suitable for molding a battery case (C) of an electric vehicle, and can smoothly flow the resin, unlike the prior art, .

The RTM multiple mold apparatus according to the present invention which can provide such an effect is provided with a lower mold 110 in which a carbon fiber composite material for forming a battery case C of an electric vehicle is stacked, And an upper mold 130 for forming a battery case C with the lower mold 110.

The lower mold 110 protrudes from the lower mold body 111 so as to form a step between the lower mold body 111 and the lower mold body 111 where the tunnel 112 is formed, And a triangular protrusion 114 protruding in a triangular shape from one side of the composite material lamination protrusion 113. The triangular protrusion 114 may be formed of a metal material.

A heating unit mounting portion 115 is provided at an end of the lower mold body 111 to mount a heating unit 150 for heating the resin. At this time, the heating unit mounting portion 115 may be arranged in an inverted U-shape along the circumferential direction of the tunnel 112. Therefore, a heating effect of a smooth resin can be obtained.

The upper mold 130 includes an upper mold body 131 and a protrusion 132 formed in the upper mold body 131 and formed with the composite material stacking protrusion 113 of the lower mold 110, A protruding portion 133 formed on a wall surface of the protruding portion 132 and formed with a triangular protrusion 114 and a double rubber packing line 134 for vacuum formed on the upper mold body 131, A pressure sensor mounting portion 135 formed on a side surface of the mold body 131 and mounted with a pressure sensor 160 for sensing a pressure of the molding space between the lower mold 110 and the upper mold 130, A resin injection unit 136 formed at one end of the mold 131 and a resin injection line 137 formed in the upper mold body 131 and into which a resin supplied from the resin injection unit 136 is injected . The resin injection line 137 is continuously arranged in the upper mold body 131.

The vacuum double rubber packing line 134 is formed in the upper mold body 131 which is in contact with the lower mold body 111 and serves to double seal the vacuum mold so that the vacuum is not released.

By applying the double rubber packing line for vacuum (134) as in the present embodiment, resin injection is progressed while being kept air-tight, heated and cured, so that a battery case (C) of good quality can be formed.

In the present invention, the resin injection line 137 is injected into both side injection parts 138 formed on both sides of the upper mold body 131, and then formed into a path to be discharged to the central discharge part 139 formed at the center do. That is, the resin injected from the resin injecting part 136 is injected into the both-side injecting part 138 and spreads to the central discharging part 139 formed at the center. Therefore, the resin injection can proceed smoothly.

Meanwhile, the controller 180 is further disposed in the RTM multiple mold apparatus according to the present invention. The controller 180 controls the degree of vacuum of the molding space between the lower mold 110 and the upper mold 130 based on the sensing signal of the pressure sensor 160 and controls the injection amount and the speed of the resin, ).

The controller 180 performing such a role may include a central processing unit 181 (CPU), a memory 182 (MEMORY), and a support circuit 183 (SUPPORT CIRCUIT).

The central processing unit 181 controls the degree of vacuum for the molding space between the lower mold 110 and the upper mold 130 based on the sensing signal of the pressure sensor 160 in the present embodiment, And the heating unit 150. In this case, the temperature of the heating unit 150 may vary depending on the type of the computer.

The memory 182 (MEMORY) is connected to the central processing unit 181. The memory 182 may be a computer readable recording medium and may be located locally or remotely and may be any of various types of storage devices, including, for example, random access memory (RAM), ROM, floppy disk, hard disk, May be at least one or more memories.

The support circuit 183 (SUPPORT CIRCUIT) is coupled with the central processing unit 181 to support the typical operation of the processor. The support circuit 183 may include a cache, a power supply, a clock circuit, an input / output circuit, a subsystem, and the like.

The controller 180 controls the degree of vacuum of the molding space between the lower mold 110 and the upper mold 130 on the basis of the sensing signal of the pressure sensor 160, And controls the operation of the heating unit 150, and this series of processes and the like can be stored in the memory 182. [ Typically, a software routine may be stored in the memory 182. The software routines may also be stored or executed by other central processing units (not shown).

Although processes according to the present invention are described as being performed by software routines, it is also possible that at least some of the processes of the present invention may be performed by hardware. As such, the processes of the present invention may be implemented in software executed on a computer system, or in hardware such as an integrated circuit, or in combination of software and hardware.

Hereinafter, a battery case forming method of an electric vehicle will be described.

First, a carbon fiber composite material for forming a battery case (C) of an electric vehicle is laminated on a lower mold 110 (S11). Thereafter, the upper mold 130 is closed and joined to the lower mold 110 (S12).

After the upper mold 130 is closed, the molding space between the lower mold 110 and the upper mold 130 is vacuum-maintained (S13). Then, resin is injected into the molding space between the lower mold 110 and the upper mold 130 (S14).

Next, the resin injected through the heating unit 150 coupled to the lower mold 110 is heated (S15). Then, the heated resin is cured (S16). When curing of the resin is completed, the upper mold 130 is demolded (S17).

Next, the molded product formed between the lower mold 110 and the upper mold 130 is taken out (S18). Then, the molded product taken out is trimmed according to the drawing to complete the manufacture of the battery case C (S19), so that the process can be simply finished.

According to the present invention having the structure and function as described above, since it has a compact and efficient structure, it is suitable for forming a battery case of an electric vehicle. In particular, it is possible to smoothly flow resin, do.

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of an RTM multiple mold apparatus for molding a battery case of an electric vehicle according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 10 is a control block diagram of FIG.

Referring to these figures, the RTM compound mold apparatus according to the present embodiment also includes a lower mold 210 in which a carbon fiber composite material for forming a battery case C of an electric vehicle is stacked, An upper mold 130 and a controller 280 for separating the battery case C from the lower mold 210 and forming a battery case C therebetween.

In this structure, the lower mold 210 is provided with a mold protrusion 217 along the circumferential direction for molding with the upper mold 130. At this time, the mold-gathering protrusion 217 has a frusto-conical shape, so that the molding with the upper mold 130 can be smoothly performed.

The vacuum degree detecting unit 265 is provided in the RTM combined metal mold apparatus according to the present embodiment. The vacuum degree sensing unit 265 detects the degree of vacuum formed between the lower mold 210 and the upper mold 130. When the vacuum degree sensing unit 265 senses a vacuum level lower than a reference value, the controller 280 controls the notification unit 290 to operate After adjustment, the work can be made to proceed.

Even if the present embodiment is applied, it has a compact and efficient structure, which is suitable for forming a battery case of an electric vehicle. In particular, it is possible to smoothly flow the resin unlike the conventional case, thereby shortening the molding time.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. It is therefore intended that such modifications or alterations be within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

110: lower mold 111: lower mold body
112: Tunnel 113: Ridge for composite material stacking
114: triangular projection 115: heating unit mounting portion
130: upper mold 131: upper mold body
132: ridge-shaped mating portion 133:
134: double rubber packing line for vacuum 135: pressure sensor mounting part
136: resin injection part 137: resin injection line
138: Both side injection part 139: Central discharge part
150: heating unit 160: pressure sensor
180: controller

Claims (6)

A lower mold in which a carbon fiber composite material for forming a battery case of an electric vehicle is stacked; And
And an upper mold coupled to or separable from the lower mold to form the battery case between the lower mold and the lower mold.
The method according to claim 1,
The lower mold,
A lower mold body in which a tunnel is formed;
A protrusion protruding from the lower mold body to form a step between the lower mold body and the carbon fiber composite material; And
And a triangular protrusion protruding in a triangular shape from one side of the composite material lamination ridge portion,
Wherein a heating unit mounting portion to which a heating unit for heating the resin is mounted is arranged in an inverted U-shape along the circumferential direction of the tunnel, at an end of the lower mold body, .
3. The method of claim 2,
The upper mold includes:
Upper mold body;
A protruding portion formed in the upper mold body, the protruding portion forming a protrusion of the lower mold;
A protruding portion formed on a wall surface of the protruding portion, the protruding portion being formed with the protruding portion;
A double rubber packing line for vacuum which is formed on the upper mold body in contact with the lower mold body and which is double hermetically sealed so that the vacuum is not released;
A pressure sensor mounting unit mounted on a side surface of the upper mold body and equipped with a pressure sensor for sensing a pressure of the molding space between the lower mold and the upper mold;
A resin injection unit formed at one end of the upper mold body; And
And a resin injection line which is formed in the upper mold body and into which the resin supplied from the resin injection unit is injected,
Wherein the resin injection line forms a path to be injected into both side injection parts formed on both sides of the upper mold body and then discharged to the central injection part formed at the center.
The method of claim 3,
And a controller for controlling the degree of vacuum of the molding space between the lower mold and the upper mold based on the sensing signal of the pressure sensor and controlling the injection amount and speed of the resin and the operation of the heating unit The RTM composite mold apparatus for molding a battery case of an electric vehicle.
A lower mold in which a carbon fiber composite material for forming a battery case of an electric vehicle is stacked; And
And an upper mold coupled to or separable from the lower mold to form the battery case between the upper mold and the lower mold,
The lower mold,
A lower mold body in which a tunnel is formed;
A protrusion protruding from the lower mold body to form a step between the lower mold body and the carbon fiber composite material; And
And a triangular protrusion protruding in a triangular shape from one side of the composite material lamination ridge portion,
Wherein a heating unit mounting portion to which a heating unit for heating resin is mounted is arranged in an inverted U-shape along the circumferential direction of the tunnel,
The upper mold includes:
Upper mold body;
A protruding portion formed in the upper mold body, the protruding portion forming a protrusion of the lower mold;
A protruding portion formed on a wall surface of the protruding portion, the protruding portion being formed with the protruding portion;
A double rubber packing line for vacuum which is formed on the upper mold body in contact with the lower mold body and which is double hermetically sealed so that the vacuum is not released;
A pressure sensor mounting unit mounted on a side surface of the upper mold body and equipped with a pressure sensor for sensing a pressure of the molding space between the lower mold and the upper mold; And
And a resin injection line which is formed on the upper mold body and into which resin supplied from outside is injected,
Wherein the resin injection line forms a path through which the resin is injected into both side injection parts formed on both sides of the upper mold body and then discharged to a central discharge part formed at the center,
And a controller for controlling the degree of vacuum of the molding space between the lower mold and the upper mold based on the sensing signal of the pressure sensor and controlling the injection amount and speed of the resin and the operation of the heating unit RTM compound mold for molding battery case of electric vehicle.
A lower mold laminating step of a carbon fiber composite material for laminating a carbon fiber composite material for forming a battery case of an electric vehicle to a lower mold;
An upper mold coupling step of closing and coupling the upper mold to the lower mold;
A vacuum holding step of holding a molding space between the lower mold and the upper mold in a vacuum;
A resin injection step of injecting resin into a molding space between the lower mold and the upper mold;
A resin heating step of heating the resin injected through the heating unit coupled to the lower mold;
A resin curing step of curing the heated resin;
An upper mold removal step of removing the upper mold after curing;
A step of taking out a molded product formed between the lower mold and the upper mold; And
And completing the manufacture of the battery case by trimming the molded product according to the drawing to complete the manufacture by the battery case.

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