Composite battery plate grid and method of manufacturing

A method of forming a composite battery grid having an electrically conductive member and a plastic support, said conductive member comprising a terminal lug having a plurality of divergent conductive runners extending therefrom and said plastic support comprising a generally rectangular boundary within which is a plurality of interconnected spaced runners forming a grid-like structure, comprising the steps of:

• providing a first mold half having a pattern formed therein and including movable means which are movable between a first position and a second position and which are in communication with at least one portion of said pattern when in said first position, said pattern being in the shape of a first structure, said first structure being one of said conductive member and said plastic support;
• providing a second mold half;
• placing said first and second mold halves together with said movable means in said first position;
• introducing a first material in a liquid state into said first mold half pattern and allowing said first material to at least partially solidify and form said first structure, said first material being metal if said first structure is said conductive member and being plastic if said first structure is said plastic support;
• removing said second mold half while retaining said first material in said first mold half pattern;
• placing a third mold half adjacent said first mold half, said third mold half having a pattern which overlies portions of said first mold half pattern including said movable means, said third mold half pattern being in the shape of a second structure, said second structure being the other of said conductive member and said plastic support;
• moving said movable means to said second position to form at least one vacated portion in communication with said first and third mold half patterns;
• injecting a second flowable material into said third mold half pattern to cause said second material to liquify and flow into at least one said vacated portion, where, upon solidifying, said second material engages said first material, said second material being plastic if said second structure is said plastic support and being metal if said second structure is said conductive member;
• allowing said second material to solidify and form said second structure;
• and
• removing the resulting molded battery grid from said first and third mold halves.

A method of forming a composite article comprising the steps of:

• providing two mold halves having first and second patterns formed therein, with at least one of said first and second patterns being in one of said mold halves, and said mold halves including at least one type of movable means, with each said type of movable means being movable between a first position and a second position and at least one said type of movable means being in one of said mold halves;
• placing said two mold halves together so that one of said patterns overlies at least one portion of the other of said patterns, with each said type of movable means being in its first position and being in communication with said first pattern, and with at least one said type of movable means separating said first pattern from said second pattern everywhere one of said patterns overlies the other of said patterns;
• introducing a first material in a liquid state into said first pattern, with said type of said movable means which separate said first and second patterns preventing entry of said first material into said second pattern and allowing said first material to at least partially solidify;
• moving each said type of movable means to its second position to form at least one vacated portion in communication with said first and second patterns and to remove the separation between said first and second patterns where one of said patterns overlies the other of said patterns;
• injecting a second flowable material into said second pattern to cause said second material to liquify and flow into at least one said vacated portion, where, upon solidifying, said second material engages said first material;
• allowing said second material to solidify;
• and
• removing the resulting molded article from said mold halves.

A method of forming a composite article comprising the steps of:

• providing a first mold half having a portion of a first pattern formed therein;
• providing a second mold half having the remaining portion of said first pattern formed therein;
• placing said first and second mold halves together in such a manner that said portions of said first pattern in said first and second mold halves are in communication with each other;
• introducing a first material in a liquid state into said first pattern and allowing said first material to at least partially solidify therein;
• removing said second mold half while retaining said first material in said portion of said first pattern in said first mold half;
• placing a third mold half adjacent said first mold half, said third mold half having a second pattern formed therein into which extends a portion of said first material which at least partially solidified in said portion of said first pattern in said second mold half;
• injecting a second flowable material into said second pattern to cause said second material to flow around said portion of said first material extending thereinto, where, upon solidifying, said second material engages said first material;
• allowing said second material to solidify;
• and
• removing the resulting molded article from said first and third mold halves.