Battery grid casting mold

A mold for casting metal alloy battery grids comprising a pair of complementary mold sections adapted to be moved relative to one another to and from closed position, each of said mold sections being of generally rectangular shape in vertical section and having a front face and a back face, the front face of the mold sections having juxtaposed shallow recesses therein which, when the mold sections are closed, define a battery grid casting cavity, each recess extending across the major portion of said front face in both lateral and vertical directions, there being a pouring gate for molten metal along the upper edge thereof, each mold section having at least three generally parallel, coolant circulating passageways extending tranversely across and behind the grid cavity area of the mold sections, one adjacent each of the upper and lower edges of the grid cavity and at least one intermediate said upper and lower edges of the grid cavity, each of said coolant passageways lying in its entirety in a vertical zone extending forwardly from the central vertical mid plane of the mold section to a vertical plane closely adjacent, but spaced rearwardly of, the cavity defining recess, whereby to concentrate the coolant effect of the coolant circulated through said passageways to said relatively narrow vertical zone directly behind and adjacent the mold cavity in each section, the thickness of said zone being many times greater than the depth of said recesses, and a plurality of at least two generally parallel heating devices on each mold section, each of said heating devices being located in its entirety in a second vertical zone extending rearwardly of said vertical mid plane, said heating devices being located generally in opposed relation with at least the coolant passageways adjacent the upper and lower edges of the grid cavity to concentrate heating of the mold section to said second zone at the rear of each mold section and thereby balance the cooling of the front portion of the mold section to minimize warpage of the mold sections.