Industrial
September 23, 2019
Technical Materials For Automotive & EV Applications
Automotive applications range from Engine management systems to motor drive controllers and they often need custom-made gaskets and pads in a wide range of technical materials.
Technical Materials used in the automotive and EV industry include Thermal interface pads, environmental Gaskets, RFI shielding pads, Electrical isolation, adhesives, optical films, and vibration damping to name just a few.
Materials Direct work with some of the industry’s renowned brands to bring you the highest quality materials and made exactly the design of pad or gasket to suit your application.
Commonly Sourced Materials in Electric Vehicle Applications
Electric Vehicle (EV) applications include nearly everything that is not the battery cell itself in a Battery Pack. Materials include the Lithium-Ion cell carriers called UniFoam – an extremely lightweight stiff foam material giving mechanical stiffness and support to the cells themselves.
UniFoam has the advantage of Vibration damping, fire retardancy, and accurate complex shapes can be achieved. A range of dedicated fire retardant materials called Fire protection films are available which snuff out any potential thermal run-aways.
The Importance of Thermal Interface Materials
Thermal Interface Materials such as Thermal Pad T-Pad and UniGap from Universal Science are supplied to the battery manufacturers as rapid charging and discharging heats the battery sometimes to unacceptable levels.
The TIM will remove the unwanted heat build-up by conduction cooling to cold walls or heat-sinks often utilizing liquid cooling.
The supply of high breakdown voltage and very high thermal conductivity TIM materials from DuPont called Kapton MT+ is a new addition to their Kapton material range. A full PPAP and IMDS can be supplied to support the Automotive industries.
EMI-RFI shielding materials are also required in the casing or housing of the batteries as often a large amount of electrical energy is being handled which can cause unwanted emissions of EMI.
Explore Our Product Range
Thermal Interface Materials
As batteries for electric vehicles become smaller and more performant, they also produce more heat which must be dissipated safely.
Thermal Interface materials allow design engineers to create better designs with more complete thermal management, starting at the device level.
Tapes & Adhesives
We supply a wide range of Tapes and Adhesives to the Automotive industry.
They can be used for a wide variety of applications including installation, repair, insulating, reinforcement, bonding, chemical and paint masking, and erosion protection.
Sealing Gaskets
We offer a wide range of sealing gasket materials, custom cut to meet a wide range of applications.
Seals and sealing gaskets play an essential role in both motor and electric vehicles.
LED Optical Materials
With automotive and electric vehicle requirements for reliability being exacting, LEDs and components need to meet stringent demands.
We offer a range of materials that help you to enhance the performance and durability of your LED lighting assemblies.
EMI / RFI Shielding
As technology advances, more devices emit Electromagnetic interference. Automotive, EV, and other transportation electronics can be affected by harsh external EMI environments.
A wide range of our technical materials deliver high-quality EMI / RFI shielding to your applications or can be specially coated to do so.
Electrical Insulators
The energy used in electric vehicles is stored in high-voltage batteries that must have perfect electrical insulation to ensure the energy source is not compromised.
Materials Direct offers an extensive range of electrical insulation materials suitable for automotive and EV applications.
Top Selling Materials
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Select options
Universal Science UniPhase 4000 COB – 0.125mm
£0.00 SKU: 93495- Silicon Free with Low thermal resistance
- Highly reliable and consistent thermal interface for demanding applications such as LED COB
- Non-reinforced film
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Universal Science UniPhase 4000 COB – 0.25mm
£0.00 SKU: 93448- Silicon Free with Low thermal resistance
- Highly reliable and consistent thermal interface for demanding applications such as LED COB
- Non-reinforced film
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Select options
Universal Science T-Pad 1500 – A0 – 0.23mm
£0.00 SKU: 93449- Electrically insulating and moderate thermal performance properties
- Thermal conductivity = 1.5 W/mK
- Requires mounting pressure via spring, metal clip or clamp
Custom Cut Materials
Materials Direct is approaching this market in a way that is easy to order and specify in Electronics across all industries. Customers who need a certain brand of material that does not appear on the site can apply for us to add this stock to the site’s portfolio based on potential usage.
Our Unique Selling Points
No Tooling Charge
There is NEVER a tooling charge for manufacturing
Fast Manufacturing
Parts made & shipped worldwide in as little as 24 hours
Technical Support
Technical expertise available from our specialists
100% Payment Secure
We ensure secure payment with a wide array of options
Instant Quotes – Purchasing Made Easy
Materials Direct not only provides an instant quote but gives the buyer the offer of uploading their custom design for it to be manufactured within 24hours if the material is in stock.
1
Get an online quote
for the part / gasket
2
Upload your design
and approve
3
Place and pay
for your order
4
Parts dispatched to you
in as little as 24 hours.
Custom Cutting To Meet Your Specification
Materials Direct Offers A Wide Range of Services
Trusted Supplier in the Automotive Sector
Supplying Technical Materials to World-Famous Brands Within the Automotive & EV Industry
Quality Assured
We Provide Technical Materials from Trusted Brands
The Aerospace industry demands high-quality, high-performing technical materials. Therefore Materials Direct only sources from trusted Brands.
'Very fast reply, very good order following and delivery in 24H. to recap a very good experience with Materials Direct for a very urgent need. I recommend a lot.'
'Having the ability to be supplied with precision cut materials for prototypes within 2 days has been excellent!’
'We have the need for small to medium batch sizes of various technical materials and Materials Direct have been highly responsive to our urgent needs'
‘We have had to change our designs in the development stages three times. Materials Direct did not charge for these changes as the sizes stayed the same. Excellent!’
‘Precision and high quality of parts received have been consistently to a high standard.’
'Buying online with Materials Direct has proven to be more efficient in time and deliveries, especially when scheduling future orders.’
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Frequently Asked Questions
What materials are commonly used in the Automotive and EV sector?
Similar to Aerospace the Automotive industry has a requirement for high reliability materials to protect electronics systems in a vehicle. The Automotive electronics include motor drive applications, the numerous systems these days for driver assist, lane keeping to engine management and telemetry. They include thermal interface materials to cool electronic enclosures which are often crammed with electronic devices needing to rid themselves of unwanted heat. Other materials such as Radio frequency interference is required so as to prevent cross-talk or radio interference between electronic systems. Gaskets and seals are needed to protect your electronics. Lightweight materials are supplied by materials direct to house Lithium Ion batteries and other supporting materials towards building batteries or energy storage. Plastics that need to be cut to size and maybe formed are also available from materials direct. Plastics that are as simple as a washer to a complex cover or chassis are supplied by materials direct with ease.
Do you provide technical materials suitable for all Electric vehicles, including mopeds etc?
Materials Direct offers solutions for battery manufacturers and energy storage mostly for the structural parts of the batteries, pretty much everything that is not the battery itself in the battery system.
What are Material Directs Environmental Values and what systems are in place to improve sustainability?
Materials supplied are checked for their environmental impact and we provide Rohs and Reach certification to assure no harmful chemicals are present.
Supplying Technical Materials
To a Range of Sectors
Each sector has its own unique requirements and specifications. Materials Direct works to ensure that each sector we supply to, receives the highest quality and best-performing products in relation to their industry and specific need.
Aerospace
The Aerospace industry demands the highest performing, most reliable technical materials to protect their electronic assemblies.
Automotive / EV
Automotive applications range from Engine management systems to motor drive controllers and custom-made gaskets and pads.
Industrial
Industrial electronics are robust, have long lifetimes, are cost-sensitive, and suitable for use within difficult environments.
LED Lighting
Sufficient thermal management in LED lighting can preserve longevity, increase reliability and optimise performance.
Military
Materials used in military applications need to be of the highest quality and performance, often very rugged to very exacting standards.
Power
Coupling discreet heat-generating semiconductors to heatsinks remains commonplace in power supply assemblies.