Battery Cushion Pads | Custom Soft Pads

PORON pads for battery cushions

At NEDC, we manufacture a lot of products. Battery Cushion Pads are a common product we make. Customers who are making a modular electronic such as a tablet/phone/lithium ion battery pack, oftentimes have a battery that also requires cushioning, or perhaps thermal cooling.

What are Battery Cushion Pads Used for?

Battery Cushion Pads have two different functions that I wanted to point out. The first is- simply cushioning the pad with a soft pad that helps to isolate it from impacts, and drops that are common in modular electronics. The second is a pad that not only isolates the battery from drops, and impacts but also helps cool the battery. In other words, these battery cushioning pads help ruggedize electronics.

Note: Both of these pads/cushions can take up space between the cover to the electronic, and the battery. The good compression that is available from the materials below allows for this space to be taken up.

Materials Die-Cut for Battery Pack Cushions/Pads

1st- Foams such Rogers Foam products including PORON and BISCO are good materials that keep good compression against the batteries while also maintaining good resilience against drops/impacts/vibration for the battery. There are two different types of foam here, PORON Urethane Foam, and BISCO Silicone Foam. The good thing about

HT-870 – Soft Silicone Foam Rubber, 4 psi @ 25% compression, UL 94V0

HT-800 – Medium Silicone Foam Rubber, 9 psi @ 25% compression, UL 94 V0

BF-1000 – Extra Soft Silicone Foam Rubber, 2.4 psi @ 25% compression, UL 94 V0

PORON 4701-30, Very Soft Urethane Foam, (20 lb density, 5 psi @ 25% compression \ 25 lb density, 8.4 psi @ 25% compression)

PORON EVExtend 43HBF, Medium Urethane Foam, 6 psi @ 25% compression

2nd- Thermally Conductive Sponge/Foams Thermacool R-10404 Silicone Sponge which is thermally conductive. This foam serves two purposes.

It protects the battery, and other components against impact, and shocks that can be prevalent in modular electronics.
It helps cool the battery through its great thermal performance. (R10404 is the ONLY thermally conductive silicone sponge that I know of)

Thermacool R-10404 Silicone Sponge –Medium, 18 psi @ 25% compression

battery pack compartment pad sponge

Specifications that Matter for Battery Foam Cushioning Pad Components

Some of the specifications/requirements for battery cushioning pads, or pressure pads that matter are:
-Flame Retardant/Resistance such as UL 94 V0, or UL 94 HBF, or FMVSS 302. Electronics get hot, and ensuring that are flame retardant/resistant is an important consideration.

-Low Compression Set Properties as in silicone foam, or silicone sponge products. In addition, Urethane Foam products have less compression set that others. We have a blog on low compression set materials here.

Why does the Batterys Life Matter?

It’s important to realize that in electronics, the batteries life could be argued to be the most important component in the entire electronic. Batteries will operate more efficiently, and will have a longer life when they have a carefully controlled temperature range. Years can be taken off a batteries life by just a few degrees changed consistently. At NEDC, we make a huge effort to help preserve batteries, and maintain integrity in electronics, especially through the pad, and battery. It is important for batteries to have consistent pressure on them. Many people call these pads pressure pads. When batteries expand and contract, its important to have materials that are resilent to compression set. Its important these pressure pads often even good modulus without being harmed by heat, and cooling in addition to the natural swelling, and contracting of the battery.

Adhesive Backing for Battery Cushion Pads

Having an adhesive backing for your battery cushioning pad may be a good idea to help in assembly, and make it stick to the top of casings, or covers.

3M 467MP- this lower tack adhesive from 3M company can add up to high adhesive strength over time is a good choice. Thin adhesive tape is thin, so it minimzies the amount fo thermal impedence that may occur.

3M 9472LE/9471LE- the lower surface energy plastic backings, and surfaces that are ubiquitious in commercial electronics can be difficult to stick to. In cases such as those, having a low surface energy tape to match may be a good idea.

Note: These pads are different, and should not be confused with thermal gap fillers that are commonly used to cool electronics. Although, R10404 is a good choice for all around around solution, it does not suffer from compression set how many gap filler pads may.

More Information on Battery Cushioning Pads

NEDC die-cuts, and waterjet cuts battery cushion pads. If you feel you have an application that could utilize a battery cushion pad made out of silicone, or urethane foam – or any other polymer let us know. For more information on soft cushion pads for battery packs, please contact sales@nedc.com.

Battery Cushion Pads | Soft Custom Pads | Foam, Sponge | Custom-Cut