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 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: 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 moulding battery group straps. Moulding apparatus, generally indicated at (10), includes a centrally cooled mould block (11) which defines two laterally displaced sets (12, 13) of longitudinal spaced mould 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 mould 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: 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: 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: 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 for assembling battery plates and includes mould, generally indicated at 10 which defines a pair of ducts 11, 12 which supply respective sets of mould cavities 13, 14 via weirs 15. Each feed duct 11,12 has a respective pair of feed passages 16, 17 and 18, 19 extending beneath it and is interconnected to the respective feed passages by generally vertical passages 20, 21. The feed passages 16-18 are fed by a pump.

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: Casting apparatus 10 includes a lead pot 11, a pump unit 12 and a mould block 13, having feed duct 14. The feed duct 14 communicates with the pump unit 12 by means of a supply passage 17, which is also connected to an overflow outlet 18, which can be closed by a dump valve 19. In normal operation the level of the lead in the feed duct is kept to a datum level 23 defined by the overflow. During `pouring` however the dump valve 19 is closed.

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.

Abstract: This invention relates to handling apparatus and methods and in particular, but not exclusively, to the handling of groups of battery plates.Thus handling apparatus 10 includes a main upright 11 supporting a transport mechanism 12 from which depends a plurality of spaced gripping devices 13. These devices are used to remove groups of battery plates from a jig box 14 to hold the plates in their alignment while moving them to a position 17 where they can be loaded in to the cells 18 of a battery box 19. A guide 21 is provided for providing the plates in to the cells 18. The loading procedure is carried out in two stages, a first set of cells being loaded in the first operation and a second set in the second operation.