Method and apparatus for attaching terminal post straps to a battery plate group

A method of making a lead acid storage battery comprising the steps of assembling a plate group consisting of a plurality of positive and negative plates each having a respective plate lug with the plate lugs of the positive plates disposed in one row and the plate lugs of the negative plates disposed in a second row, positioning the plate group in an open top container, positioning a mold made of non-inductive material over said plate group with the lugs of said plates extending through said mold positioning a pair of pre-formed terminal posts on said mold with a strap portion of each post adjacent plate lugs of a respective one of said rows, providing an induction heating coil having a substantially rectangular configuration, locating the container and the plate group positioned therein with said rows of plate lugs in closely spaced underlying relation to respective sides of said induction heating coil, and energizing said induction heating coil to simultaneously cause heating, melting and fusion of plate lugs of both said rows with the strap portions of said terminal posts.

A method of making a lead acid storage battery comprising the steps of assembling a plate group consisting of a plurality of positive and negative plates each having a respective plate lug with the plate lugs of the positive plates disposed in one row and the plate lugs of the negative plates disposed in a second row, positioning the plate group in an open top container, positioning a mold made of non-inductive material over said plate group with the lugs of said plates extending through said mold positioning a pair of pre-formed terminal posts on said mold with a strap portion of each post adjacent plate lugs of a respective one of said rows, providing an induction heating coil having a pair of straight sides which are shorter in length than the length of said rows of battery plate lugs, locating said container with the rows of battery plate lugs of said plate group positioned therein in closely spaced underlying relation to the straight sides of said induction heating coil, energizing said induction heating coil to cause heating, melting and fusion of plate lugs of both rows with the strap portions of said terminal posts, and causing relative horizontal movement between said induction heating coil and said rows of plate lugs to cause melting and fusion of the entire length of the rows of plate lugs during energization of said induction heating coil.

A method of making a lead acid storage battery comprising the steps of assembling a plate group consisting of a plurality of positive and negative plates each having a respective plate lug with the plate lugs of the positive plates disposed in one row and the plate lugs of the negative plates disposed in a second row, positioning the plate group in an open top container, providing a mold made of non-inductive material and having a pair of mold cavities each having a bottom formed with a row of apertures, positioning said mold into said container with the plate lugs of each row positioned through the apertures of a respective one of said rows of mold cavity apertures, positioning a pair of pre-formed terminal posts on said mold with a strap portion of each post adjacent plate lugs of a respective one of said rows, and melting and fusing portions of said plate lugs extending upwardly through said mold cavity apertures and said terminal post strap portions to form interconnections between the positive plates and one of said terminal posts and between the negative plates and the other of said terminal posts.

A method of making a lead acid storage battery comprising the steps of assembling a plate group consisting of a plurality of positive and negative plates each having a respective plate lug with the plate lugs of the positive plates being spaced apart from each other in one row and the plate lugs of the negative plates spaced apart from each other in another row;

• positioning a mold made of a non-inductive material into a container with the lugs of said plates extending through said mold;
• positioning on said mold a pair of pre-formed terminal members which each have a post, a strap portion, and a plurality of fingers extending from the strap portion with the fingers of the strap portion of one of said terminal members being between some of the plate lugs of one of said rows and with the fingers of the strap portion of the other terminal member being between some of the plate lugs of the other row;
• supplying additional lead into spaces between other of said lugs of said first and second rows, and heating and melting said plate lugs, fingers, and added lead to form interconnections between said positive plates and the strap portion of one of said terminal members and between the negative plates and the strap portion of the other of said terminal members.