Apparatus and method of forming battery parts

A system for pressure casting of a battery terminal to inhibit the formation of cracks and tears in the pressure casting of battery terminals comprising:

• a source of pressurized molten lead;
• a mold, said mold having a battery terminal cavity of a volume therein, said mold including a runner of a volume for supplying the molten lead to said battery terminal cavity;
• a vacuum source, said vacuum source connected to said battery terminal cavity to enable said vacuum source to evacuate the air form said battery terminal cavity prior to supplying molten lead to said battery terminal cavity;
• a pressure sensor, said pressure sensor mounted in said mold to monitor a pressure of the lead as the molten lead is supplied to said battery terminal cavity to determine when the molten lead enters a liquid-to-solid transformation stage;
• a driver, said driver including a piston for driving into the runner of said mold;
• and
• a control unit, said control unit responsive to a condition when the molten lead in said battery terminal cavity enters the liquid-to-solid transformation stage wherein the molten lead is no longer molten but not yet solid, said control unit activates said driver to drive the piston into said runner at sufficient velocity to thereby simultaneously shut off the supply of molten lead to said battery terminal cavity and to compress the molten lead in the battery terminal cavity by reducing an occupied volume of lead in the cavity and runner available to the lead therein, before the molten lead has solidified, said control unit allowing the molten lead to solidify to thereby produce a pressure cast battery terminal substantially free of cracks and tears.

A system for pressure casting of a battery terminal to inhibit formation of cracks and tears in the pressure cast battery terminal comprising:

• a source of pressurized molten lead;
• a mold, said mold having a battery terminal cavity with a volume therein, said mold including a runner of selected volume for supplying the molten lead to said battery terminal cavity;
• a vacuum source, said vacuum source connected to said battery terminal cavity to enable said vacuum source to evacuate the air from said battery terminal cavity and runner prior to supplying molten lead to said battery terminal cavity and runner;
• and
• a piston located in a hot spot of the mold, said piston movable into said mold to decrease the battery terminal cavity and runner volume available to the lead therein. when the molten lead reaches a liquid-to-solid transformation stage to thereby allow the lead to solidify to produce a pressure cast battery terminal substantially free of cracks and tears.