TOX® PRESSOTECHNIK supports students at Esslingen University in the construction of an all-terrain vehicle. The team will enter it into the Formula Student Electric construction competition. In order to join the twelve individual cells of the vehicle battery, the specialist for sheet metal joining procedures made the eClinch-Technology available free of charge.
In the Formula Student competition, students develop, design and manufacture a race car independently and use it to compete against each other at international competitions. The Formula Student Electric Team of Esslingen University was established in 2011 under the name E.Stall. Currently, the 30-strong team is building its third all-terrain vehicle. A component crucial for a successful outcome is the drive battery. It decides whether the driver has sufficient power to win against the competition. The high-voltage battery installed in the car has a maximum voltage of 600 volt and capacity of 7.6 kilowatt hours. It is divided into twelve modules for proper and safe handling. The individual cells are connected in series using so-called busbars, through which currents of more than 150 ampere flow.
In order to join the cells by means of clinch points, the students used a clinching tool provided by TOX® PRESSOTECHNIK. Clinching is an easy to realize joining technology without additional elements or auxiliary part: A push-button-like joint is created in a cold forming process made of several sheet layers – in this case, four layers had to be joined together. The E.Stall Team was able to significantly reduce the construction time using this technology, and increase the process safety. The specialists of TOX® PRESSOTECHNIK supported the students with their know-how, and optimally designed the electrical eClinch-Connection.
Raphael Raff of E.Stall is delighted with the result: “We joined 300 cells within two days. We were able to make the battery smaller by one centimeter using a punch with small diameter.”
