Abstract: A programmable control mechanism for positioning a tool head relative to a battery. The programmable mechanism includes a conveyor means for moving the battery along a first dimensional axis into a work station of the mechanism, a sensing means detects the leading and trailing edges of the battery and means responsive to the sensing means and the conveyor means generates a signal representing the dimensional length of the battery. The signal is utilized by a minicomputer to select a work program suited for that length of battery from a memory bank containing a plurality of such programs. The minicomputer utilizes a selected program to position the tool head relative to the battery so that various successive operations may be performed on the battery by any one of a variety of tools.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is apparatus for cutting a strip of battery plate material into a plurality of battery plates, which strip of battery plate material includes a series of longitudinally evenly spaced apertures, and which apparatus comprises a plurality of support rollers rotatably mounted on a frame, an endless belt trained around the support rollers on an endless path, which belt includes an inner surface and an outer surface having thereon a plurality of longitudinally evenly spaced lugs adapted, when the strip is overlayed on the belt, to engage the strip apertures for advancing the strip in common with advancement of the belt, sprocket teeth on at least one of the support rollers and a plurality of apertures on the endless belt engaged by the sprocket teeth for advancing the belt along the endless path, a cutter roller mounted on the frame for rotation and for translation toward and away from the belt, which cutter roller has, on the periphery thereof, cutting knives for severing the strip into plates in

Abstract: The invention relates to improvements in machines employed for enclosing battery plates within a pouch of sheet material. The sheet is positioned so that the center of its length is disposed between the side of a fixture adapted to receive adjacent thereto the bottom edge of a battery plate and a slot and the sheet is enfolded around the battery plate by moving the fixture plate combination horizontally into and through the slot. As the wrapped bottom edge of the plate emerges from the slot, grasping means are engaged with the wrapped end of the battery plate and hold the plastic sheet tightly so as to prevent any displacement relative to the enclosed battery plate. The fixture is then withdrawn from the enfolding sheet. The overlapping lateral edges of the sheet are then sealed and the battery plate is dropped into an inclined position on an intermittently moving horizontal conveyor to produce a horizontal stack of wrapped plates.