The champagne flowed in Reims, France last week as Ateliers Roche launched two new machines aimed at ‘tier two’ manufactures in the lead-acid battery market.
The first machine is a significant upgrade to Meshmaker, Roche’s well-proven expanded grid line, while the second is a dedicated punch system capable of 500 grids per minute for those making automotive AGM batteries.
The Meshmaker line centres around a lubricant-free reciprocating expander running at 550 strokes per minute and is capable of producing up to 32 metres/m of expanded grid.
No lubricant means the grid can be fed directly to a pasting process without cleaning by way of a vertical double coiler at the end of the expander line.
At the start of the line is either a vertical or horizontal decoiler for feeding in lead strip, together with a strip welder, so that the strip can be fed continuously.
Core to governing the accuracy of the mesh creation is the pre puncher, which governs strip throughput electro mechanically, obviating the need for complicated optical systems.
Ateliers Roche’s punching machine, a first for the company, can handle lead strip up to 1mm thick and features a scrap conveyor to feed directly to recycling. An important development is that Roche will also design the punching tool to practically any grid pattern a battery maker desires.
With stop-start systems being incorporated in more than half of European car sales, this machine could well be popular with replacement battery makers.
A fuller description of Roche’s new introductions will appear in the Spring issue of BEST magazine. Make sure you’re subscribed to receive your copy.
