Electric vehicles (EVs) are gaining momentum as the world shifts to a greener future. To support the growing number of EV owners,EV charging wall boxes have become an important part of the infrastructure. In this article, we take a professional and engaging look at EVcharging wall box fabrication methods, material selection, and explain the charging wall box installation process at our customer BMW.
How Slectric Vehicle Charging Wall Boxes are Processed
The machining process of electric vehicle charging wall box involves a number of links, the following is a generalized description:
I. Material Selection and Preparation
- Shell material: The shell of the charging wall box is usually made of materials with high strength, cold resistance, chemical corrosion resistance, impact resistance, high temperature resistance, flame retardant and other characteristics, such as flame retardant PC material (polycarbonate). This material has good mechanical properties and chemical stability, and is suitable for manufacturing automotive components, including charging boxes.
- Internal components: Internal components such as circuit boards, relays, fuses, etc. need to be selected to meet safety standards and electrical performance requirements.
II. Processing
- Stamping and forming: If the shell of the charging wall box is made of metal, it may need to go through a stamping and forming process. This process includes the drawing of blanks, machining of bumps, chamfering and shaping to form the desired shell shape.
- Injection molding: For plastic housings, the injection molding process is usually used. The molten plastic is injected into the mold and cooled to form the shell. This process requires precise control of injection temperature, pressure and time to ensure the quality and dimensional accuracy of the housing.
- Assembly: The housing is assembled with the internal components. This includes steps such as mounting circuit boards, soldering relays, and inserting fuses. The assembly process requires strict adherence to electrical safety codes to ensure reliable connections and good insulation between components.
- Testing and Inspection: After assembly, the charging wall box needs to be tested and inspected. This includes electrical performance tests (such as voltage, current, power, etc.), safety performance tests (such as over-current protection, short-circuit protection, etc.) and appearance inspection. Ensure that the charging wall box meets the relevant standards and requirements.
III. Quality Control
In the processing process, the quality of each link needs to be strictly controlled. This includes the quality inspection of raw materials, quality control during processing and quality inspection of finished products. Through strict quality control, ensure that the quality of the charging wall box is stable and reliable.
IV. Packaging and Delivery
The finished charging wall box needs to be packaged to protect it from damage during transportation and storage. Packaging materials should meet environmental requirements and ensure that the charging wall box can be easily transported and stored after packaging. Finally, the charging wall box is delivered to the customer or for the next step of installation and use.
To summarize, the processing of electric vehicle charging wall box is a complex and delicate process, which requires strict control of the quality and process parameters of each link. Through the scientific processing process and strict quality control, the electric vehicle charging wall box can be produced to meet the standards and requirements.
What Materials are Available for Charging Wall Boxes
Charging wall boxes are available in a variety of material options, mainly based on their usage environment and performance requirements. The following are some common materials for charging wall boxes and their characteristics:
I. Plastic Material
- Flame retardant PC material (polycarbonate)
- Features: high strength, cold resistance, chemical corrosion resistance, impact resistance, high temperature resistance, flame retardant.
- Application: Commonly used in the manufacture of charging wall box shell, especially the need for high mechanical properties and chemical stability of the occasion.
- PC/ABS
- Characteristics: excellent mechanical properties, easy to process, high success rate in making parts, and controllable cost of mass production.
- Application: Suitable for charging wall box shells with high requirements for strength and toughness.
- PC/ASA
- Characteristics: Higher weather resistance compared to PC/ABS.
- Application: Suitable for outdoor environments, able to resist harsh conditions such as UV rays, high temperatures and humidity.
- ABS
- Characteristics: Good absorption and plasticity properties, suitable for the production of complex shapes of the shell.
- Application: Commonly used in outdoor charging pile shell, especially the need for their own lighting function of the occasion.
II. Metal Material
- Features: high strength, corrosion resistance, good conductivity.
- Application: commonly used in charging wall box internal structural parts and connectors, such as bracket, fixed plate and so on. At the same time, metal material is also commonly used in charging pile column and base and other parts to provide stronger support and stability.
III. Composite Materials
- Characteristics: combining the advantages of various materials, such as high strength, light weight, corrosion resistance, etc..
- Application: Suitable for charging wall boxes with high requirements for weight and strength, such as those that need to be moved frequently or installed in complex environments.
IV. Other Materials
- Fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP): characterized by high strength, corrosion resistance, wear resistance, etc., suitable for charging wall boxes in special environments.
- Ceramic: high thermal stability and insulation properties, but the cost is high, suitable for the temperature and environmental requirements of the occasion.
In summary, the material selection of charging wall box should be determined according to its usage environment and performance requirements. When selecting the material, it is necessary to comprehensively consider the strength, toughness, corrosion resistance, high temperature resistance, flame retardancy and cost of the material. At the same time, it is also necessary to pay attention to the safety and environmental protection of the material to ensure that the charging wall box will not cause harm to the environment and human body in the process of use.
BMW Home Charging Wall Box Installation Process
Here is a case study of our customer BMW and introduce the installation process for a BMW home charging wall box typically includes the following steps:
I. Appointment and Preparation
- Appointment of installation time: the owner needs to make an appointment for installation time through BMW’s official channels
- Establishment of communication group: BMW will establish a corporate WeChat communication group to which the owner, survey engineers and installation masters and other relevant personnel will be added in order to communicate at any time.
- Door-to-door survey: The survey engineer will come to your home to conduct a survey to confirm the installation location, cable routing, and whether additional power declaration is required.
II. Installation Preparation
- Confirmation of the installation program: communication to confirm the installation program, including the installation location, cable direction, electric box selection.
- Prepare installation materials: Prepare corresponding installation materials, such as charging pile, cable, electric box, installation bracket and so on.
- Site preparation: put the charging pile and all the tools to be used on the mat to count and check, and open the box on site to show the charging pile and all the accessories.
III. Formal Installation
- Wiring and eyeleting: the installer will wire according to the installation program and use the electric drill to make an eyelet on the wall.
- Mounting bracket and electric box: fix the mounting bracket on the wall and mount the electric box on the bracket.
- Alignment and fixing: Pass the cables through the cable sealing head or double film sealing, and align them according to the specified bending radius.
- Power test: after the installation is completed, the installer will conduct power test.
IV. Finishing and Acceptance
- Clean up the site
- Installation date marking
- Safety Warning
- Acceptance and signature
V. Follow-up Service
- Warranty service
- Guidance for use