Battery plate strip dividing apparatus

Apparatus for cutting a strip of battery plate material into a plurality of battery plates, the strip of battery plate material having a width and a thickness, which strip of battery plate material includes a series of longitudinally evenly spaced apertures, which apparatus comprises a frame, a plurality of support rollers rotatably mounted on said frame, an endless belt trained around said support rollers on an endless path, said belt including an inner surface and an outer surface having thereon a plurality of longitudinally evenly spaced lugs adapted, when the strip is overlayed on said belt, to engage the strip apertures for advancing the strip in common with advancement of said belt, said belt being sufficiently wide that substantially all of said strip is supported by said belt, drive means on at least one of said support rollers and said endless belt for advancing said belt along said endless path, a cutter roller mounted on said frame for rotation and for translation toward and away from said belt, said cutter roller having, on the periphery thereof, cutting means for cutting the strip into battery plates in response to passage of the strip between said cutter roller and said belt and in response to rotation of said cutter roller, said cutting means including knives supported by said roller, said knives extending radially from said roller to said belt such that said knives cut through said strip but wherein said knives do not cut said belt, means for rotatably driving said cutter roller such that the rate of peripheral travel of said cutting means is substantially equal to the rate of advancement of said belt, and means for yieldably urging said cutter roller toward said belt such that the distance between said periphery of said roller and said belt is substantially the thickness of the strip of battery plate material.