This invention relates to machines, and methods, for use in the manufacture of batteries and in particular, but not exclusively, to the manufacture of re-combination batteries. There is a considerable new market in the battery industry for standby batteries for providing back up power for vital electronic services such as railway signaling, telephone exchanges, computers and other sensitive electronic eguipment. Clearly these batteries have to heve quite different qualiti from ones used on continuous or periodical load and a new style of battery, . called a re-combination battery, has been developed. Many features of the re-combination battery technology do not fit readily with the apparatus currently available for making traditional batteries, with the result that manual labour has increased and/or new machinery dedicated to such batteries has had to be developed.

One particular problem relates to the castin of the battery terminals, which are required to have metal inserts of many differing designs. At present this is achieved either by using an additional Operator, whose sole function is to position the inserts or to have the single Operator on the castin machine, who is responsible for loading the accumul¬ ator plates, walk round to the mould once every

cycle. Proposals have therefore been made to replace the manual labour with- a robot arm, but quite apart from the considerable expense, the room available is limited and it is likely to be extremel difficult, to.produce suitable apparatus.

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved machine for use in the manufacture of batteries.

Thus from one aspect the invention consists in a machine for use in the manufacture of batteries, including a loading station, a casting station havin a mould, a carrier having support means for receivin groups of accumulator plates and locating means for receiving inserts at the loading station and subsequently locating them in the mould at the casting station, and means for moving the carrier such that the support means and locating means are moved cyclically between the loading and casting stations» Preferably there are a plurality of each of the support and locating means and they are disposed alternately on the carrier. The machine may furth include control means for operating the machine such that the locating means locate the inserts for the casting operation performed on the plates received in the following support means.

For example, the machine may be generally of

the form shown in our copending Application 8615630, but with two of the support means replaced by locating means. In that case the descent of the carrier will generally dispose the locating means at the mould.

In an alternative arrangement the machine may have its full quota of support means and the locating means may be disposed on the support means. In that case the support means would need to be rotated at. each of the loading and casting stations so that the inserts could be loaded and so that they can be placed into the mould after the casting operating on the plates of their associated support means. In any of these cases the locating means may include a collet mechanism for gripping and releasin the inserts and this may be pneumatically operated. There may be a. umber of such mechanisms.

The machine may include means for preheatin the inserts, for example, a hot-air blowing device. For example in the machine of our copending Application No. 8615360, preheating means may be located. at the brushing and flux station.

A control system will be provided for inhibiting the operation of operational stations

(e.g. casting flux etc.) when the locating means are at these stations. The control means should also

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reduce the dwell time when the locating means are at the casting station.

From another aspect the invention consists in apparatus for use in the manufacture of batteries, comprising means for pressing together alternative ^• layers of accumulator plates and a microporous separator medium when mounted on a carrier and means for locking the compressed assembly to the carrier. From a further aspect the invention consists • in apparatus for use in the manufacture of re-combination style batteries, comprising means for locating a cell assembly, with accumulator plates an .microporous.separator layers, mounted on a carrier.with a portion of the assembly projecting in .a battery box, means for releasing the carrier and a ram for pushing the assembly into the box as soon as ^• the carrier is released.

The invention may also include apparatus for use in the manufacture of re-combination style batteries including any of the machines or apparatus described above.or in combination thereof. It also . includes batteries manufactured by such machines or apparatus.

From a further aspect the invention consists in a method for forming a battery sub-assembly

■comprising the steps of assembling alternate layers

of accumulator plates and a microporous medium, compressing the layers together and locking them in the compressed- position, casting straps and terminal on the accumulator plates to form an.assembly, locating a portion of the assembly in a battery box, releasing the lock and pushing the assembly into the box as soon as the lock is released.

The method may also include the step of inserting inserts into the mould for -use in casting terminals on the plates and may include preheating such inserts.

Although the invention has been defined above it is to be understood that it includes any inventive combination of the features set out above or in the following description.

The invention may be performed in various ways and one embodiment will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of apparatus for use in the manufacture of batteries; and

Figure 2a to c are part sectional side views of part of a locating mechanism, of the apparatus of Figure 1, showing different operational position. Figure 1 illustrates machinery for use in making a re-combination battery comprising a stacking

station 10, a transfer stage 11, a strap and termina casting machine 12, a boxing station 13 and a return transfer stage 14.

At the stacking station a cassette or carrie 15 having an end plate 16 and arms 17. is mounted in position on a support 18.. Alternate layers of accumulator plates 19 and a microporous acid bearing medium 20 are mounted on the arms 17. When a sufficient number have been so mounted, a spacer' 17a is slid onto each arm followed by ^' end". late;21 and subsequently engaged by a ram which compresses the plates 19 and medium 20 together. The spacer 17a is of a set length to precisely set the correct amount of compression applied. On the correct compression being achieved the end plate 21 is locke to the arms 17 and the loaded cassette 15 is transferred by conveyor to a loading station 22 of the casting machine 12. The casting machine is described in detail in our copending Application 8615630 and the disclosure of that application is hereby incorporated. In that specification four plate supports are described, here numbered 23 to 26 but in Figure 1 two of these supports 24, 26 are replaced by insert locating mechanism 27. At start up the locating mechanism of, say, support 24 is placed adjacent the loading station 25

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and terminal inserts 28 (see Figure 2) are loaded therein as described in more detail below. The machine is then part rotated as described in our copending application and the loaded cassette 15 is 5 positioned into the succeeding support. At the same time the locating mechanism 27 is lowered into the brushing and fluxing station 60. The operating of the brushing and fluxing apparatus is inhibited and instead the inserts may be preheated, by a hot air 10 blower. After a further part or index rotation the locating mechamism reaches a mould station 29 whereupon the locating mechanism 27 deposits the inserts into the mould 30 of the moulding station 29 ready for the loading cassette, which will reach 15 mould station 29 on the following 90° rotation.

The casting operating is inhibited every other index rotation ^v o prevent lead flowing through the mould when the locating mechanism 27 is at the casting station. As the casting operating is the slowest, the 20 dwell time can also be cut. After casting the loaded ^" cassette 15 eventually reaches the loading station 25 where it is removed and transferred to a boxing station.

It will be appreciated that in order to 25 maintain effective contact between the acid bearing medium 20 and the plates 19 the compression must be

maintained. This is achieved.by locating the ^" cassette 15 above a box 31 with the bottom of the plate:- medium assembly 32 projecting into the box. The cassette 15 is then very rapidly undamped by 5 unit 33 and immediately afterwards a ram 34 pushes down on the assembly, through a jig 35 which has been positioned thereon, to thrust the assembly 32 down into the box 31. The empty cassette are then returned to the stacking station 10.

10 It will thus be appreciated that the above apparatus enables re-combination batteries to have their straps and terminals cast on using a machine which is. equally capable of producing traditional lead acid batteries. Indeed the only adaptations

15 which are required to the casting machine 12 is that two cassette..15 carrying the locating mechanism 27 are positioned in opposed supports 24, 26 and the control of the machine is adapted as mentioned above. Turning to Figures 2a to c the locating

20. - mechanism 27 will be described in more detail. The mechanism essentially consists of a number of collet mechanisms, one o which is shown at 36, which are mounted at spaced positions on a frame like structure 37. The collet mechanism 36 includes jaw pieces 38,

25 which are formed to hold an insert 28, an outer camming sleeve 39 holding the jaw pieces together in

their withdrawn position, a central ejector rod 40, a pneumatic ram 41, which is directly coupled to the rod 40 and via a lost motion coupling 42 to jaw pieces 38. A spring 43 acts between the ram 41 and jaw pieces 38 to urge them into their open or Figure 2a position when there is no air pressure in the ram 41.

In use, the mechanism 27 arrives at the loading station and the cassette like structure 37 is rotated so that the mouth of the jaw 38 faces upwardly. The air pressure is relieved and the jaws 38 open under the action of spring 43 allowing insert 28 to be placed by the operator in the jaws.

The ram 41 is then withdrawn so that coupling 42 pulls the jaw pieces back and they are closed by sleeve 39 to grip the insert 28 (see Figure 2 (b) ) . The structure 37 is then rotated so that the jaws 38 point downwardly.

When the mechanism reaches the mould 30 and is lowered into it by the normal operation of the machine, the insert is positioned within the mould 30 as shown in Figure 2c. The ram is then pushed out causing the jaws to be opened by coupling 42 and the rod 40 presses the insert into position. It will be appreciated that the locating mechanism 27 can be substituted in many other ways

on the collet mechanism as the advantage is that it can be simply controlled. As mentioned above in an alternative construction such mechanisms could be carried on all of the supports ^' 23 to 26 directed in the opposite direction to the assembly in the cassette 15, in which case the support would have to be rotated after the casting operation to allow the mechanism to locate the inserts 28 into the mould 30 for the following cassette 15. Although the apparatus has been described with reference to recombination style batteries, it • or parts of it can be used in the manufacture of ..other types of battery.