Henkel has officially opened its new North America Battery Application Center in Madison Heights, Michigan, further strengthening the company’s regional support for OEMs and battery manufacturers with advanced material application capabilities for electric vehicle (EV) components.
The opening follows the success of Henkel’s Battery Engineering Center in Düsseldorf, Germany, which launched in 2023, and includes a Battery Application Center and a Battery Test Center.
Henkel will also be exhibiting at The Battery Show North America, taking place from October 6th to 9th, 2025, in Detroit (Booth 2200).
“The North American Battery Application Center is part of Henkel’s global, long-term investment in electric vehicle solutions and supports closer collaboration, testing, and implementation of high-performance materials,” said Marcel Fleck, senior VP, Automotive Components, Henkel Adhesive Technologies, North America.
Equipped with a six-axis, high-capacity robot that replicates an industrial-scale environment, the facility enables Henkel’s application engineering teams to work with customers to adjust parameters such as application speed, dispense volume, temperature, and path accuracy. Optimizing material application prior to manufacturing scale-up helps avoid delays and reduces the need for re-work once production begins.
Application testing capabilities are available across a wide range of solutions and chemistries, including thermal interface materials, sealants, structural adhesives, and debonding-on-demand adhesives. These materials are designed to help ensure performance, safety, and recyclability in EVs.
Battery Show highlights
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Modeling and simulation to reduce development time. Henkel is partnering with AVL, a global mobility technology company for development, simulation, and testing, for an interactive experience related to modeling and simulation. Attendees can virtually evaluate adhesive and material performance under real-world conditions early in the design process. This digital-first approach aims to reduce development time and prototyping costs while enabling faster decision-making. A related panel discussion will take place at 2 p.m. on October 7th in Room 140CD, featuring representatives from General Motors, Henkel, AVL, and Argonne Collaborative Center for Energy Storage Science.
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Material selection formulated for application-specific needs. Henkel’s material portfolio will be featured at the exhibit, including thermal interface materials, gasketing, sealants, structural adhesives, and functional coatings. The solutions are engineered to meet demanding safety and performance requirements of next-generation battery components, with chemistries tailored to application-specific needs such as thermal management, electrical insulation or conductivity, mechanical strength and durability, chemical resistance, and re-workability.
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Material application for optimal manufacturing scale-up. The North America Battery Application Center supports automated dispensing, curing, and integration of materials, simulating production scenarios to optimize cycle times and throughput. During the expo, an ABB robot will continuously simulate production dispensing, with application experts available to discuss process validation best practices.
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Debonding-on-demand to improve recyclability and circularity
Henkel will demonstrate its debonding-on-demand capabilities every hour, highlighting Electrical Delamination (EDL) Tapes. The technology enables fast, precise debonding with the application of low-voltage currents to a targeted area, supporting resource efficiency and material reuse.
Filed Under: Batteries, Technology News