Henkel has expanded its global network of facilities dedicated to battery system development with the opening of a new North America Battery Application Centre in Madison Heights, Michigan. The site strengthens the company’s technical support for OEMs and battery manufacturers by providing advanced application engineering and testing capabilities for electric vehicle components. It follows the success of Henkel’s Battery Engineering Centre in Düsseldorf, Germany, which opened in 2023 and houses both an Application Centre and a Test Centre.

The Michigan facility is equipped with a six-axis, high-capacity robot designed to replicate real-world industrial production. This enables Henkel’s application engineering teams to closely collaborate with customers during the pre-production phase, allowing parameters such as application speed, dispense volume, temperature and path accuracy to be precisely optimised. Validating application performance at this stage reduces the risk of downstream delays and costly re-work once manufacturing begins.

Testing services are available across a complete portfolio of adhesive and functional material solutions, including thermal interface materials, gasketing, structural adhesives, sealants and debonding-on-demand systems. These are formulated to meet application-specific performance targets in areas such as thermal management, mechanical reinforcement, chemical resistance, processability and recycling compatibility. The ability to evaluate and adapt these materials under production-like conditions supports safe, durable and sustainable battery pack development.

The facility’s commissioning aligns with Henkel’s broader strategy to provide end-to-end material development support, from initial design and digital validation through to automated dispensing, curing and integration on the production floor. During the Battery Show North America, which takes place from 6 to 9 October 2025, Henkel will demonstrate this approach at booth 2200. An ABB robot will be in continuous operation at the stand to simulate large-scale production processes, with engineering teams available to discuss best practices for cycle time optimisation, throughput and process validation.

Henkel is also highlighting the role of modelling and simulation in reducing development time through a collaboration with AVL. The interactive demonstration will provide engineers with the opportunity to assess adhesive and material behaviour under simulated real-world conditions at the design stage. This digital validation workflow supports faster iterations, lowers prototyping costs and enables earlier decision-making on material selection. The topic will be further explored during a panel session featuring representatives from Henkel, AVL, General Motors and the Argonne Collaborative Centre for Energy Storage Science.

Improving recyclability remains a central theme for Henkel’s materials research, with debonding-on-demand technologies demonstrated live at the show. The company will showcase its Electrical Delamination tapes, which use low-voltage current to cleanly separate bonded components, enabling reuse of parts and recovery of valuable materials. Demonstrations will take place every hour to underline how precision separation techniques can reduce waste and extend the economic lifecycle of battery materials.

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