Method and apparatus for making battery grids

A method for making a battery grid structure, comprising molding a lead lug with an integral lead conductor extending therefrom, and molding an integral plastics member around said lug and conductor, said member including a frame molded on a side thereof around said lug with said lug extending peripherally from said frame, and a grid of intersecting perpendicular components in a center area of said frame with said components molded around said conductor to embed said conductor therein, said battery grid structure being die cast and injection molded in a single die having channels formed therein defining said battery grid structure, wherein said molding steps include injecting molten lead into the channels in said die which define said lead lug and conductor, and thereafter injecting hardenable plastics into the channels in said die which define said integral plastics member, while said lead remains where it was cast.

A method for making a battery grid structure, molding a lead lug with an integral lead conductor extending therefrom, and molding an integral plastics member around said lug and conductor, said member including a frame molded on a side thereof around said lug with said lug extending peripherally from said frame, and a grid of intersecting perpendicular components in a center area of said frame with said components molded around said conductor to embed said conductor therein, said battery grid structure being die cast and injection molded in a single molding die having channels formed therein defining said battery grid structure, wherein said molding steps include blocking the channels in said die which define said integral plastics member from the channels which define said lead lug and conductor, injecting molten lead into the channels defining said lead lug and conductor, cooling said lead injected into said lead channels while simultaneously unblocking the previously blocked channels for plastics, and injecting hardenable plastics into the channels in the die defining the integral plastics member to form said member within said channels and around said lead lug and conductor.

A method for die casting and injection molding in a single molding die a structure comprised of at least two discrete moldable materials, the molding die having a separate set of channels therein for each discrete material, the separate sets of channels having at least one point of intersection, comprising the steps of blocking at each intersection a channel of one set from a channel of another;

• injecting into the channels of the other set a first one of the moldable materials;
• unblocking at each intersection the channel of the one set from the channel of the other, and injecting into the channels of the one set and around said first one of said moldable materials at said at least one intersection another one of the moldable materials.

An apparatus for molding a structure consisting of at least two discrete moldable and hardenable materials, comprising a molding die having a separate set of channels therein for each discrete material, said channels together defining said structure, said sets of channels having at least one point of intersection;

• means at each intersection for blocking a channel of one set from a channel of another, and means for introducing into each set of channels a separate one of the materials, said blocking means being adapted to provide, in a first position, an aperture in said intersection through which only a first one of said materials can flow, and being movable to a second position at which said blocking means partially defines a flow channel about a hardened portion of said first material in said intersection, whereby with a channel of one set blocked from a channel of the other set at each intersection one of the materials may be introduced into the channels of the other set, and thereafter with the channel of the one set unblocked from the channel of the other set at each intersection another one of the materials may be introduced into the channels of the one set and around the one material at each intersection thereof.

An injection molding die for making a battery grid having a lead lug with an integral lead conductor extending therefrom and a plastics member including a frame molded on a side thereof around the lug with the lug extending peripherally therefrom and a latticework in the center of the frame which intersects and is molded around the conductor, the molding die having a first set of channels therein defining the lead lug and conductor and a second set of channels defining the plastics member, said first and second sets of channels together defining the battery grid structure;

• means at each intersection of said channels of said first and second sets for selectively blocking the channel of said second set from the channel of said first set, and means for introducing molten lead into said first set of channels and hardenable plastics into said second set of channels, whereby with channels of said second set blocked from channels of said first set at each intersection molten lead introduced into said first set of channels is confined therein to form the lead lug and conductor, and thereafter with channels of said second set unblocked from channels of said first set at each intersection hardenable plastics introduced into said second set is molded around the lead lug and conductor and forms the plastics member.