Housing Design For Ev Charging Pile: Sheet Metal Manufacturing Vs. Plastic Injection Molding

Indoor Charging piles

Designing any manufacturing product entails generating virtual products that meet all of the product’s requirements, leading the production process to optimize features and ultimately provide an excellent user experience. And there is no difference in charging pile design for EVs.

The primary goal of the charging pile housing design is to ensure a high-quality enclosure for its components in all possible working and environmental conditions so that they can perform for a long time with minimal periodic maintenance. The chin’s charging pile manufacturing industry has entered a period of rapid growth and Advanced technology. Shenzhen Prolean Technology is one of the fined service providers in this sector, which consistently contributes to optimizing the industry standard in the market. 

Content

I Approaches to design 

II Sheet metal manufacturing

II characteristics of design from sheet metal 

IV Injection molding 

V Characteristics of design from Injection molding

VI How to select the appropriate method

VII Conclusion 

Approaches for design

There are two standard methods for designing an EV charging Pile in the manufacturing industry: sheet metal and injection molding.

Both techniques are applicable and can provide suitable housing while reducing emissions and increasing protection for the charging pile components. However, the mechanical and electrical properties are different and may impact functionality. As a result, to design and manufacture the final product, a thorough understanding of these two methods is required.

Sheet metal manufacturing

Sheet metal manufacturing is the process of creating the product from sheet metal through various metalworking processes, including cutting, bending, welding, surface treatment, and others required operations. The housing design for charging Pile through this approach has several steps, fixing the design requirements to surface treatment.

Step 1: Evaluating the design requirements

Fix the design parameters such as dimensions, working temperature, Insulation capacity, strength, durability, mounting, requirements, connector positions, and other essential requirements of charging pile components that need to be enclosed.

Step 2: Material selection

After fixing the design Parameters, choose the material that can fulfill your design requirements. For example, aluminum and stainless steel are the most common material for housing of charging Pile.

Comparative scenario for material selection

Step 3: Fix the shape and clearance

To eliminate the pitfalls during manufacturing, fix all shapes needed to create charging pile housing (L-shape, U-shape, folding locations). It will eliminate any potential risk of cracking and failure. Also, fix the clearance for the components, like where you will mount the switches?

Step 4: Fix the sheet metal thickness

As you fix the design parameters of charging pile housing like required strength, working temperature, and machining process in step 1, select the thickness of the sheet metal that can satisfy all of the parameters. You can use the gauge system of sheet metal to find out the appropriate thickness. 

Also, fix the bend radius for all the bending places needed for manufacturing the charging pile housing according to the width of sheet metal while fixing the thickness. While executing the bending operation, the uneven bending radiuses can cause the material to fracture. 

Step 5: Surface finishing solution

Surface finishing operation is essential to save the charging pile housing from corrosion and aesthetic purpose. Analyze the cost-effective approaches such as powder coating and painting. If you had chosen aluminum as the sheet metal, you could also consider the electrochemical plating which will cost higher.

Characteristics of charging pile housing -manufactured from sheet-Metal

• Housing deformation is unlikely because sheet metal can withstand various adverse environmental conditions (extreme sunlight and extreme cold).
• Charging pile housing will be a good emission reducer with minimal production cost and time.
• This approach gives the charging pile housing excellent mechanical properties such as weight, weld-ability, machinability, and thermal resistance.
• Metal and alloys have a higher risk of rust formation, so the surface finishing process might cost more to prevent this issue.

Injection molding

Injection molding machine 

Injection molding, which involves injecting molten plastic material into a mold, is another efficient method of producing hosing for charging piles.

In this technique, the Raw Material (thermoplastic) is chopped into small pieces and then passed through a hot revolving and reciprocating screw, which melts the plastic and injects it into the mold of housing components.

The central and vital step for Designing charging pile housing is the mold design for the injection. The mold has to be designed as per design requirements and parameters such as dimensions and mounting position of components. Moreover, you must ensure that the part comes out of the mold without damage. Endure all of the walls during drafting are at the same angle as the housing components to avoid these problems.

Characteristics of charging pile housing made from injection molding

• Injection molding is a High-precision manufacturing approach till the mold is precisely developed, ensuring that the housing components produced by this technique have a very high surface quality and are easy for further finishing.
• Distinct parts manufactured from injection molding are easy for assembling the housing for the charging Pile.
• Although the technology is expensive, the cost of raw materials (polymer chains) is lower. Therefore, it is particularly cost-effective in high-volume manufacturing.
• Various colors can be applied while melting the plastic, making it very easy to create aesthetic beauty in the charging Pile housing.
• The injection molding method produces items that can tolerate temperature, physical force, and vibration without cracking or shattering.
• Because plastics are low chemically reactive to any form of contamination, parts from this technique do not alter their qualities due to contamination invasion.

How to select the appropriate method?

If the selection is made based on the installation circumstances, both production methods produce the optimal components and final housing for the EV charging pile. The location is the most crucial consideration in determining which way to choose. Injection molding, for example, may be appropriate if the charging Pile is located indoors in a garage, parking lot, hotel, apartment, or mall. At the same time, Sheet metal could be the best approach for outdoor locations.

Conclusion

Housing from injection molding can perform for a more extended amount of time at a lesser cost without fatigue damage or surface degradation in indoor areas. There is minimum sunlight exposure and minor temperature variation in the indoor location.

The sheet-metal manufacturing method is well suited to outdoor sites such as highways and city centers, where many vehicles are expected to charge. Metal can withstand temperature variation, vibration, and high impact force. If you’re looking for EV charging pile housing, you can contact our engineer for more in-depth information. It’s the finest manufacturing service provider, Pioneer in on-demand manufacturing services such as CNC-machining, sheet metal, injection molding, Aluminum Extrusion, and surface finishing.

FAQ’s 

Which is the best approach for the manufacturing of Charging pile housing?

It depends upon location. If you are going to install outdoor, Sheet metal is the best, whereas Injection molding is appropriate for indoor installation.

Which one is a cost-effective approach?

Injection molding is cost lesser than sheet-metal manufacturing. Although if you are not going to manufacture in high amounts, injection molding can cost the same as the sheet metal method.

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