Wirtz Manufacturing Company, one of the leading suppliers of lead-acid battery manufacturing equipment, has had a U.S. patent granted that looks to make a considerable difference in the life of batteries using continuously manufactured positive grids and plates.
The patent, No 8,875,361, is for the method of improving the shape of the grid wires and the surface finish of the grid wires on all grids made by continuous processes including punched grids, expanded grids and continuously cast grids. A patent application has been filed with the European Patent Organization, which will apply for all of the E.P.O. countries.
Grids produced by punching or expanding typically can have square or rectangular shaped wires and both processes have very smooth surfaces on the grid wires. These poorly shaped wires and smooth surfaces both make it very difficult to get paste adhesion to these grids. The result of the Wirtz patent is that grids have improved shapes and improved surface finishes similar to gravity cast grids, and therefore have much better paste adhesion providing longer life positive plates and longer life batteries.
Wirtz offers their ConPunch positive grid making system with the Patented Reforming and Texturizing Technology, and their Continuous Pasting Systems which can be used with either the ConPunch, or the Concast negative grid making equipment.
You can read a longer account of how Wirtz plans to offer this to battery makers in the winter issue of BEST magazine. Make sure you’re opted in…
