Background
The automotive industry is undergoing rapid transformation driven by electrification. High-performance and high-reliability power electronics are indispensable for the widespread adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid vehicles (HVs), and the role of encapsulants in protecting these critical components is growing. Conventional encapsulant materials are increasingly struggling to meet evolving automotive requirements, making Wacker’s latest development a crucial enabler for next-generation mobility technology. This innovation empowers manufacturers to design more powerful and safer vehicles.
Key Findings
Wacker has announced an innovative silicone encapsulant engineered specifically for automotive power modules within electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid vehicles (HVs), delivering exceptionally high protective performance. This new material robustly shields power electronics from the severe automotive operating environments, including moisture ingress, mechanical vibration, and extreme temperature fluctuations, thereby significantly extending the overall system’s long-term durability and safety.
Technical Details
- Superior Environmental Protection: Automotive power modules are routinely exposed to harsh conditions such as high temperatures, elevated humidity, and intense vibration, particularly when situated under the hood. Wacker’s new silicone encapsulant provides outstanding barrier performance against these environmental stressors, effectively protecting delicate internal electronic components from moisture ingress and physical stress.
- High Dielectric Properties: Power modules operate with high voltages and significant currents, necessitating encapsulants with robust insulating capabilities. This new material combines excellent dielectric strength with low dielectric loss, ensuring electrical stability and reducing the risk of leakage currents and short circuits.
- High Thermal Cycling Stability: Electric and hybrid vehicles undergo frequent acceleration and deceleration cycles, subjecting their power modules to rapid and extreme temperature fluctuations. Wacker’s encapsulant demonstrates exceptional stability against these demanding thermal cycles, resisting cracking and delamination, thereby extending the overall device lifespan.
- Performance Maintenance Across Wide Temperature Range: To meet the rigorous demands of automotive applications, which must operate reliably across diverse global climates from frigid to extremely hot regions, the new material maintains stable performance across an extended operating temperature range, typically from -40°C to over 150°C.
Strategic Significance & Outlook
This advanced silicone encapsulant is expected to find applications not only in automotive power modules but also in other critical electronic devices requiring similar high reliability in harsh environments, such as Battery Management Systems (BMS), on-board chargers, and industrial power supplies. Wacker plans to continuously develop and provide innovative material solutions tailored to the evolving needs of the automotive industry, thereby contributing to the realization of a sustainable mobility future.
Source: https://www.wacker.com/press/2026/silicone-automotive
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