Battery Pack Coating Rack Design, Fabrication, and Process

Most metal vehicle parts need to electrocoated before assembly, a step involved in the painting process. A completely new rack and process had to be designed to accommodate the largest battery pack ever utilized in our factory.

Additional Process Photos

The primary concerns for the introduction of this new battery pack coating process were rack size, part quality, part transportation, transport weight, and safety.

Besides full vehicle chassis that get their own loading and rack mechanism, this part was the largest part to be sent through the coating system. Because of this, the frame dimensions were extremely limited vertically and laterally.

To be able to put the part on the rack, early designs used pins put through flange holes; however, the weight proved to be a significant issue, especially when paired with rough forklift transport across the factory floor.

Electrocoating quality was a unique challenge with this part and rack. Because of the tub-like design, liquid coating could easily pile up and sit during the curing process, leaving pooling and leak marks that don't meet quality standards.

To fix this, an angle was added to the loaded rack, promoting liquid to avoid pooling and draining from the least critical surfaces. By implementing 2 heavily reinforced pins on holes on both sides of the structure, the angle could be kept stable throughout the coating process while also avoiding loading stress from the weight of the part overtime.

An entirely new loading operation was created to adapt to the safety and weight challenges of this new part.

With other vehicle parts being coated, loading could be done manually by hand by 1 or 2 people. Because this specific part weighed 400lbs, however, a previously underutilized crane was moved to our area for assistance in loading.

By using a crane to support loading and unloading, 2 technicians could safely and easily take the part on and off the rack.

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