US 4,080,727 A · Battery plate envelope machine and method of making battery plate envelopes

Abstract

A method and machine for assembling sheets of battery plate separator material over the battery plates in envelope fashion and sealing the side edges together is disclosed. The machine feeds battery separator material from a storage roll into a folding station, scores a folding line across the sheet and severs the sheet from the roll, in a length double the height of a battery plate. A battery plate is fed bottom end first against the fold line of the separator sheet, and guides in a folding station cause the sheet to fold over and cover both sides of the plate. The plate and separator envelope are engaged between upper and lower conveyors adjacent to the folding station and carried away. Downstream, a pair of lifting devices positioned on either side of the path of travel of the plate and separator lift the upper edge of the overlapping separator envelope on each side, and a switch is tripped to cause a hot melt adhesive to be applied by nozzles to the lower overlapping separator edges. The plate and envelope are then conveyed through pairs of upper and lower rollers on each side of the conveyor to press together and seal the side edges of the envelope together. The sealed edges may then undergo a trimming operation, so that initial positioning and alignment of the separator plate in the fold of the envelope is made less critical.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A method for assembling a battery plate separator envelope onto a battery plate, comprising:

feeding a sheet of separator material of a width greater than that of a battery plate, from a supply roll toward a folding station;
scoring a folding line across the sheet, perpendicular to the length of the sheet;
punching out a notch in each edge of the sheet at the ends of the folding line;
positioning the sheet in the folding station;
cutting the sheet from the roll such that the folding line is at the approximate center of the sheet;
pushing a battery plate with its bottom edge forward into the sheet against the folding line until the plate and the sheet are engaged between opposed conveyors supported on rollers adjacent to the folding station, thereby folding the sheet into an envelope about the plate with edges overlapping the plate on both sides;
continuing to convey the plate and envelope away from the folding station with the fold and the notched edges forward;
spreading one edge at each side of the envelope away from the adjacent edge using stationary lifters positioned at each side of the path of travel of the plate and envelope, so that notches and envelope edges pass the lifters;
while the envelope edges are spread, applying a hot melt adhesive to the inside surface of one edge at each side of the envelope;
and
compressing the adjacent edges together at each side of the envelope before the adhesive has set, thereby sealing the envelope at both sides.

8 more elements

A battery envelope assembly machine for covering a battery plate with a separator envelope closed on three sides and open at the top, comprising:

a frame;
a roll of separator material mounted on the frame and having a width somewhat greater than the width of a battery plate;
a folding station on the frame, having means for retaining a sheet of separator material;
means for feeding a ribbon of separator material from the roll into the folding station;
means for scoring a folding line across the ribbon, perpendicular to the length of the ribbon,
means for cutting a sheet of separator material from the ribbon such that the folding line lies at the approximate center of the sheet;
a battery plate feed table mounted on the frame on one side of the plane of the separator sheet;
a pair of opposed endless conveyors connected to the frame on the opposite side of the separator sheet, having reaches closely adjacent one another and supported by rollers adjacent to the folding station, and means for driving the conveyors so that said adjacent reaches travel away from the folding station, whereby a battery plate may be fed bottom first into the folding line of the separator sheet and advanced between the conveyor rollers, so that the plate and folded separator envelope are then advanced with the adjacent reaches of the conveyors;
means along the path of travel of the plate and envelope for spreading one of the adjacent separator edges away from the other at each side of the envelope;
means along the path of travel for applying an adhesive to the inside surface of one of said adjacent edges at each side of the envelope while said edges are spread apart;
and
means along the path for pressing together and sealing said adjacent edges before the adhesive has set.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Battery plate envelope machine and method of making battery plate envelopes

Life of this patent

Battery plate envelope machine and method of making battery plate envelopes

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims18