Elastomerics Blog

The future of transportation is taking off, quite literally. Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) and electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft will transform how people travel short distances, offering faster and more sustainable options.

However, designing these vehicles presents complex challenges, from safety to performance demands.

That is where the partnership between Rogers Corporation and Stockwell Elastomerics comes in. With decades of expertise in the aerospace and battery industries, our partnership represents trusted track records of delivering solutions that meet stringent requirements and innovation targets. By combining high-performance elastomeric materials with expert fabrication capabilities, Rogers and Stockwell Elastomerics help engineers meet the toughest challenges of AAM applications with confidence.

Elastomers for Interior, Exterior, and Battery Applications in eVTOLs

Our solutions that address critical challenges across all areas of eVTOL design include:

1. Materials for Interior Applications

Interior systems in eVTOLs need materials that promote safety, comfort, and reliability. Some interior challenges that Rogers materials help solve are:

• Sealing: BISCO® silicones meet stringent standards for applications like floor panel and bellow sealing.
• Noise and Vibration Management: BISCO A2 reduces noise and manages vibration for a quieter armrests. BISCO MF-1 acts as sound absorption.
• Gap Filling and Padding: BISCO BF-1000 provides reliable solutions for cargo bin gap filling and floor carpet padding.
• Wire and Cable Management: DeWAL® unsintered and skived PTFE films deliver excellent dielectric insulation for wire and cable management.

Adhesive Backed Products for Aerospace Interiors

Slit-to-width gasket tapes made of silicone foam or sponge and acrylic or silicone adhesives can allow for ease of installation for items like compartment door gaskets, where sealing is required but measurements or organic forms make gasket design and installation less practical.

Materials like DeWAL PTFE may also be bonded to dissimilar materials to provide qualities of both the PTFE and a silicone foam, sponge, or solid.

2. Exterior Applications

The exteriors of eVTOLs endure a variety of environmental and mechanical challenges. Some exterior challenges Rogers materials help address are:

• Fire Blocking: Silicone and BISCO FPC provide reliable thermal management for engine heat reflectors. ProCell™ EV Firewall material works to delay thermal propagation while FPC is designed to protect sensitive components from fire damage. FPC is used as a barrier in fire suits as well as curtains and blankets for commercial air.
• Vibration Damping: Materials like the BISCO HT 800 Series and PORON® polyurethane reduce vibration impact on the exterior of the eVTOL.
• Hoses and Ducts: ARLON® Silicone Substrates offer lightweight, flame-resistant solutions for hose and ducting.
• EMI Shielding: BISCO EC-2130 protects sensitive electronics.
• Avionics: ARLON Thermabond® helps with thermal management in avionics/PCIM.

Adhesive Backed Products for Aerospace Exteriors
Exterior or bays between interior exterior applications of these materials may present installation challenges in narrow vertical spaces. Lamination of unsupported acrylic or silicone adhesives to materials can allow the material to conform around structural components, without causing silicones to buckle.

Adhesives can be applied to gaskets masked for partial coverage of the silicone material. These applications are rare, but can help to accommodate a difference in flexibility requirements throughout the gasket or pad.

3. Lithium-Ion Battery Applications
Lithium-ion battery systems are critical to eVTOL safety and performance. Rogers materials address multiple aspects in these battery systems:

• Environmental Seals: BISCO silicones provide reliable sealing for cell-to-chassis, power distribution, and battery pack seals. Currently, environmental seals and port plugs are being used in the eVTOL market for test chambers in the design and development phase.
• Cell Seals: Prismatic Cell Venting Seals made from BISCO Silicones ensure effective venting and protection.
• Cushioning: Cooling Plate Spring Pads made from PORON polyurethane absorb shocks and enhance cooling system performance.
• Battery Cell Pads: ProCell EV Firewall pads deliver fire resistance and thermal protection between cells.
• Pressure Equalization: DeWAL Venting Films balance pressure while keeping contaminants out.

Expanded Diagram of Battery Pack Showing Rogers Material Applications (image courtesy of Rogers Corporation)

Elastomeric Pads for Battery Design

Stockwell Elastomerics is a Rogers Corporation Preferred Converter with a breadth of inventory of various specialty grade silicone materials. We are experts in part fabrication through custom cut and adhesive application. While leveraging Rogers product knowledge, our dedicated Applications Engineers can assist in material selection for a specific use and deliver materials quickly.

For example, silicones are most often present in battery packs and in manufacturing and testing of batteries, rather than within the cell itself. Applications include pads for shock resistance, thermal or expansion pads, and dust sealing for the enclosure. Ultimately, silicone can protect valuable battery packs. BISCO BF-1000 and BF-2000, on the other hand, offer the compression and rebound to act as expansion pads due to their open cell structure. A BISCO FPC or ProCell EV Firewall material can help to address Thermal Runaway in the event of a cell failure.

For any of the above applications, Stockwell Elastomerics can offer custom cutting as well as rapid prototyping for iterative design from testing to implementation.

For more detailed information about these Rogers materials, please view this video: Rogers Corporation: Leading the Charge in EV Battery Material Development.

The Rogers Corporation-Stockwell Elastomerics Partnership

Our collaboration brings together decades of aerospace expertise, high performance materials, and unique fabrication capabilities like precision cutting, lamination, and prototyping. Together, we help manufacturers streamline production and meet high quality standards in advanced air mobility.

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Customers can elevate their eVTOL and AAM designs to new heights by relying on Rogers and Stockwell Elastomerics.

For assistance with manufacturing and fabrication of eVTOL and AAM components or to request a quote, contact the Stockwell Elastomerics Applications Engineering Team.

The following are registered trademarks of Rogers Corporation:
BISCO®
PORON®
DeWAL®
ProCell™
ARLON®