Abstract: This invention relates to apparatus for placing battery plates in a line. This includes a pick up and release unit generally indicated at 16. The unit includes a central metal hollow body 17, which is divided into a number of side-by-side vacuum chambers, some of which have a perforate floor 19. A vacuum course 21 can be selectively connected to those, which have a perforate floor, while it is perpendicularly connected to a second set of chambers. Plates can be picked up from elevators 11 and 12 by use of the intermittent vacuum and then held against an endless belt 25 by the constant vacuum until they arrive at a release chamber, having a perforate floor, where upon interruption of the vacuum allows for release of the battery plate.

Abstract: This invention relates to apparatus for placing battery plates in a line. This includes a pick up and release unit generally indicated at 16. The unit includes a central metal hollow body 17, which is divided into a number of side-by-side vacuum chambers, some of which have a perforate floor 19. A vacuum course 21 can be selectively connected to those, which have a perforate floor, whilst it is perpendicularly connected to a second set of chambers. Plates can be picked up from elevators 11 and 12 by use of the intermittent vacuum and then held against an endless belt 25 by the constant vacuum until they arrive at a release chamber, having a perforate floor, where upon interruption of the vacuum allows for release of the battery plate.

Abstract: This invention relates to apparatus for placing battery plates in a line from a stack of plates including an elevator for receiving a stack of plates and sequentially elevating the stack to maintain, in use, the uppermost plate in the stack in a datum region lying between two parallel generally horizontal planes and a plurality of vacuum heads arranged in a closed loop for sequentially passing over the elevator with a fixed gap from the upper plane of the datum range for picking up the uppermost plate and for subsequently releasing the plate at a release position.

Abstract: This invention relates to apparatus and methods for molding battery group straps. Molding apparatus, generally indicated at (10), includes a centrally cooled mold block (11) which defines two laterally displaced sets (12, 13) of longitudinal spaced mold cavity (14) and respective lead feed block (15) and (16) having appropriate feed channels. A sensor, in the form of an electrically conducting rod (25), is disposed so that its tip forms one part of the bottom of the mold cavity (14). This can detect as soon as lead enters into the cavity and that detection is used to control the pour time for the lead to a predetermined period, so that the lead entering the cavities is of a constant quantity on each cycle.

Abstract: Apparatus for forming groups of stacked battery plates is generally indicated at 10 and includes input stations 11, 11?, respective envelopers 12, further input conveyors 13, 13? for inputting plates onto respective conveyor 15, 15? downstream of the envelopers. Transfer conveyors 22, 22? are disposed at respective ends of the main conveyor 15, 15? to feed an intermittently driven pocket conveyor 16, 16 via interrupt conveyors 23, 23?. The interrupt conveyors 23 include respective releaseable stops 32, which enable stacks to be formed on the interrupt conveyors 23, 23? and for them to be released at the appropriate moment to be fed into a respective pocket on the pocket conveyor 16, 16?.

Abstract: This invention relates to apparatus for connecting a battery plate to a metal strap or post or to moulds therefore. In contrast to existing arrangements lead is fed to the feed passage (17) via an opening (20) which is positioned immediate the ends of the aligned cavities in the set (14) of the mould. This arrangement enables the cavities to be fed with lead at approximately the same time and hence the dip of the lugs into the cavities can be optimised without any significant difficulties. In itself this substantially increases productivity. It has also been found that up to three batteries can be cast simultaneously, particularly if bypasses (16c) are used for fine tuning the lead supply.

Abstract: An apparatus for forming groups of battery plates includes at least first and second plate supply lines each including a separation station and a downstream plate supply. The apparatus further includes a first common plate feed line for the envelopers and a second common plate feed line for the downstream plate supplys.

Abstract: A moulding apparatus (10) for moulding a strap on to a group of battery plates including a mould block (14) with moulds (24), each of which has an inlet weir (28) and an outlet weir (29). The ridge (30) of these weirs is effectively a knife edge but includes a thermal break. This construction allows rapid processing whilst avoiding the formation of solid tails.

Abstract: The invention relates to apparatus and methods for forming a terminal on a battery. Terminal forming apparatus (11) has a mould (12) with a cavity (26) which is intended to encircle the post and bush assembly (22, 25) of a battery box (10). The mould cavity (26) is formed with an open upper mouth (27) and a lateral inlet/outlet (28) which connects with the feed channel (13). Inlet (28) is defined by a weir (29) which acts as a constant height device to define the final filling height of the mould cavity (26). This arrangement allows over filling of the mould above the height of the weir (29) and subsequent dropping of that level to the height of the weir (29). This enables the terminal to be formed at precisely the correct height without the need for any metering of the lead.

Abstract: The invention relates to a sleeve separator for a lead plate (2) of a lead-acid accumulator. The sleeve separator surrounds the front and rear sides and lower and bottom edges of said lead plate. The invention is characterised in that the separator material (6) on the top edge of the lead plate (2) and the sleeve is folded away from the lead plate on one side approximately at right angles, so that it projects sideways; in that the separator material (8) on the other, opposite sleeve side is also folded over the upper edge of the lead plate at right angles and also projects sideways from the side of the sleeve; and in that the two separator sections which project sideways at approximate right angles from the side of the sleeve and which are superimposed, are interconnected by a joint (7).

Abstract: An assembly 10 comprising a battery box 11 and a lid 12. The lid 12 defines a well 13 for receiving a secondary closure 14, with the well providing fining access to the battery box 11. The secondary closure is applied to a battery box lid by a secondary closure applying apparatus. This comprises essentially three units: a lid and battery box assembly locating unit 16, a heated platen unit 17 and a closure applicator 18. By engaging lid 12, rather tan box 11, any offset positioning of the lid relative to the box, is substantially removed. Orientation of platen and closure 14 is made in response to the detected position of the well 13 and/or lid 12.

Abstract: A method and apparatus of unloading a battery group from a jig box including engaging the bottom of group on a support, releasing the grip of the jig box on the group, raising the support and gripping the raised group.

Abstract: An apparatus for loading battery plate groups into a battery box. The apparatus includes a compression frame which includes a number of relative movable walls and stops for gripping and retaining battery groups. The wall carry guide shins for projecting into respective cells in a battery box and guide the groups into the cells as they are pushed by a pusher. The movable nature of the walls allow the groups to be loaded into frame, when it is in released position. The walls can then be drawn together compressing the groups and retaining them in a compressed state as they are loaded.

Abstract: An apparatus for loading battery plate groups into a battery box. The apparatus includes a compression frame which includes a number of relative movable walls and stops for gripping and retaining battery groups. The wall carry guide shins for projecting into respective cells in a battery box and guide the groups into the cells as they are pushed by a pusher. The movable nature of the walls allow the groups to be loaded into frame, when it is in released position. The walls can then be drawn together compressing the groups and retaining them in a compressed state as they are loaded.

Abstract: There is disclosed an apparatus for casting a lead formation, particularly on the lug of a battery component. The lead is streamed over a mould block (20) defining a mould cavity (21) to flood the cavity (21). The flow of lead is maintained to raise the temperature of the block (20), at least adjacent the cavity, to achieve an appropriate working temperature.

Abstract: This invention relates to apparatus for heating the lugs of battery plates. The apparatus 10 includes a hot air duct 11 which communicates with a nozzle 12 having a head 13 that defines a pair of opposite facing nozzles 14. Each nozzle 14 has an outlet 15 from which extends a generally flat and divergent plate 16. The plate 16 entrains hot air passing through the outlet 15 into a generally flat stream so that the hot air impinges on lugs 19, but not of the rest of the group 18 of plates and separators.

Abstract: This invention relates to apparatus 10 and methods for loading groups of battery plates or the like in adjacent cells 1 to 6 in a holder. The apparatus includes guide means 13 which defines, by means of walls 37, 38, spaces 40 for receiving respective battery groups 30. The walls can be collapsed around the groups 30 in the spaces 40 until the position and spacing corresponds to that of a row cells 1 to 3, in which point in the groups are pushed through the guide means 13 in to the respective cells.

Abstract: This invention relates to apparatus for aligning groups of plates and separators in a group for use in an accumulator battery and can more broadly relate to general alignment apparatus.In one construction the alignment apparatus 19 has a table 20 which is mounted on a frame, which can be lifted by a hydraulic ram 21 and vibrated by a vertically acting low frequency vibrator 22 and a cyclically horizontally acting vibrator 23. A head 24 is provided with lug aligning walls, 25, 26 which align the plates 31, while walls 17 and 18 provide lateral alignment of the separators 30. Weights 27 and 27A act on top of the plates 31 and separators 30 respectively to provide vertical alignment. The combined vibrations produced by the vibrators 22, 23 free the plates and separators to allow these alignments to occur.