Boyd has opened a new battery material safety testing laboratory in San Jose, California. The lab supports validation and simulation of materials used in EV battery systems, with a focus on thermal runaway prevention and containment.
The facility, equipped with advanced instrumentation, simulation tools, and prototyping capabilities, is designed to help customers accelerate development cycles and reduce time to market.
The lab consolidates all essential EV battery material testing processes into a single location, eliminating delays associated with coordination across multiple test houses. Boyd performs both individual material assessments and integrated material stackup evaluations to determine how materials behave together under thermal, electrical, and mechanical stress. The testing process is structured to simulate extreme real-world environmental and safety conditions found in EV battery applications.
Key tests include:
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Thermal conductivity testing from 50°C to 800°C to ensure adequate heat dissipation.
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Abusive flame testing, exposing one material side to 900–1100°C while maintaining the opposite side below 300°C to assess containment performance.
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Hot side/cold side thermal cycling for rapid temperature change endurance.
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Dielectric breakdown strength testing to evaluate resistance to electrical failure and blast energy containment.
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Moisture resistance testing to evaluate integrity in humid or wet operating environments.
Boyd also offers predictive modeling through finite element analysis (FEA) to evaluate material combinations against customer-defined safety, performance, and cost targets. Customers receive simulation data in as little as 2 to 14 days, enabling faster, data-driven design decisions. Boyd’s team evaluates multiple candidate materials and presents “good, better, best” options based on application-specific safety and durability requirements.
The lab’s prototyping capabilities allow seamless transition from material validation to manufacturing. This vertically integrated approach enables OEMs to move efficiently from design to production while meeting strict safety standards for EV battery systems.
“We are excited to unveil our new state-of-the-art Battery Material Safety Lab,” said Michael Sutsko, Engineered Materials Division President at Boyd. “Battery material validation is critical to EV safety and has traditionally been difficult to complete. We are helping our customers accelerate battery design and time-to-market cycles as a one-stop shop to design, validate, and manufacture integrated thermal runaway prevention technologies.”
About Boyd Corp.
Boyd is a global provider of engineered materials and thermal management solutions. The company develops sealing, protection, cooling, and interface technologies for mission-critical applications across mobility, electronics, energy, and industrial markets. Boyd integrates material science, testing, simulation, and high-volume manufacturing to support accelerated development cycles and system reliability. Founded over 90 years ago, Boyd operates globally with vertically integrated design and production capabilities.
To learn more about the new lab, please click here.
Source/Photo Credit: Boyd Corp.Â
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