Battery post and connector strap mold

A mold assembly for casting elements onto storage battery plates comprising a base frame having an aperture through its thickness and having a contoured upper surface including a generally horizontal flow channel having an inlet and an outlet spaced apart along the length of said channel for guiding the flow of molten metal along essentially the entire length of said channel between said inlet and outlet, a perimeter wall contiguous to portions of said flow channel and contiguous to the outer limits of the upper surface of said frame of a first height sufficient to constrain molten metal under normal operating conditions of said assembly, a runoff surface contiguous to portions of said flow channel and said aperture having a second height less than said first height whereby the assembly is adapted to pass molten metal over said runoff surface when the level of molten metal in said channel is raised above said second height and below said first height under normal operating conditions of said assembly, said base being free of mold cavities in which elements are cast;

• an insert having at least a portion of each of a plurality of mold cavities in its upper surface and adapted to be mounted in said aperture of and adjacent said base frame and separable therefrom, said mold cavities for the elements to be cast being entirely contained upon said insert;
• means mounting said insert adjacent said base and contiguous with said runoff surface;
• said insert having a contoured upper surface in molten metal flow communication with said runoff surface and being in molten metal tight mating relationship thereto;
• a heat flow barrier means between said base and said insert;
• said base having a large thermal mass whereby molten metal flowing in said flow channel is maintained molten;
• said insert having a small thermal mass relative to that of said base in the portion thereof defining walls of the mold cavities;
• and a coolant jacket integral with said insert and extending over a preponderance of the underside of said upper surface upon which said mold cavities are contained whereby molten metal in said cavities can be solidified by admission of coolant to said insert jacket without cooling said base to a degree impeding the flow of molten metal in said flow channel.

A mold assembly for casting elements onto storage battery plates comprising a base having a generally horizontal flow channel having an inlet at one end and an outlet at another end for guiding the flow of molten metal;

• an insert having mold cavities in its upper surface and having a hollow body providing in its hollow interior coolant flow paths and including bosses extending across the thickness of said hollow interior, said bosses having said mold cavities extending from the upper surface of said insert at least partially through the portion of the bosses within said hollow region;
• said base being a frame having an aperture through its thickness adapted to mount said insert and being separable therefrom;
• said coolant flow paths in said insert being in close proximity to each of said mold cavities;
• said base having a large thermal mass whereby molten metal flowing in said flow channel is maintained molten;
• said insert having a small thermal mass relative to that of said base in the portion thereof defining the walls of the mold cavities whereby molten metal in the mold cavity can be solidified by admission of coolant without cooling said base to a degree impeding the flow of molten metal in said flow channel;
• and means mounting said insert with an upper surface thereof adjacent said mold cavity in molten metal flow communication with an upper margin of said flow channel whereby the elevation of the level of molten metal in said flow channel to overflow its upper margin will admit the molten metal to said mold cavities and the depression of the level of molten metal following the overflow will establish a level of molten metal in said mold cavity at a level of the upper face of said insert adjacent said mold cavity.