Hiyet launches new EV cooling-plate production cell for European OEM
Hiyet Metal has commissioned a dedicated production cell for cast aluminum EV battery cooling plates, beginning SOP for a European tier-1 EV supplier this month. Initial run rate is 12,000 units per month.
The new cell houses a 1,650-ton Toyo HPDC machine, an in-line CNC station for sealing-surface finishing, and a leak-test station that screens every part to 200 kPa with helium trace. The cell was commissioned in eight weeks from final machine acceptance.
The technical challenge
Modern EV cooling plates must combine three properties that are individually easy but collectively hard: pressure-tightness (no internal porosity through-paths between coolant channels and atmosphere), high surface flatness (≤ 0.2 mm/m for good cell contact), and tight cooling-channel geometry for thermal uniformity.
Working with the customer's thermal team, Hiyet's process engineers ran 24 cycles of CFD simulation in MAGMASoft to optimise gate position and runner length, eliminating predicted shrinkage porosity in the cooler corners of the cavity. Wall thickness on the channel ribs was tuned from 3.5 mm to 4.2 mm to balance heat-transfer area against casting fillability.
Materials and process
- Alloy: AlSi10MnMg, optimised for HPDC of structural EV parts
- Heat treatment: stress relief only — full T6 would compromise sealing flatness
- Surface: light CNC of all sealing surfaces; remainder as-cast
- Inspection: 100% helium leak test, 100% dimensional on critical-to-quality features by GO/NO-GO gauge; sampling CMM every 200 pcs
Run rate and expansion
Initial run rate is 12,000 units/month, ramping to 25,000 units/month by Q4 2026 as the customer's vehicle program scales. A second machine of the same size is reserved on the floor to support volume growth and future programs.
"Hiyet's willingness to invest in the leak-test station before SOP — instead of after the first warranty claim — is exactly the kind of supplier behaviour we need." — Customer purchasing director (name withheld under NDA)
The cooling-plate cell joins our growing EV portfolio that already includes battery trays, BMS housings and PDU enclosures. If you have similar programs in the pipeline, our engineering team is available to discuss feasibility — contact sales@nbhiyet.com.
