Archive for the ‘Automotive Battery Assembly Equipment’ Category
Top Lead Three
Monday, August 9th, 2010By Hugh Abner
[44 Years and Counting Manufacturing Batteries and Battery Machinery]
Well you have waited patiently on this version of Top Lead so I thank you. There is so much going on the world it is hard to resist taking advantage of this Blog format for commentary rather than historical review of the evolution of battery components. But Lead Acid Batteries are our thing. We at FMMW have been almost totally involved in the top lead of batteries for the past 40 years. Before that it was mostly grid casting machines and molds so that explains why we have been around for nearly 80 years now. (more…)
BP
Thursday, June 10th, 2010By Hugh Abner
[44 Years and Counting Manufacturing Batteries and Battery Machinery]
Sorry! At this time in our country and especially for those of us on the Gulf Coast, as well as the Atlantic Coast I simply cannot bring myself to return right now to Top Lead.
The challenge is going to be to relate things in our industry, (SLI Lead Acid Batteries), to the (Oil or Petroleum Industry). A couple of things easily come to mind though. (more…)
Lardberg
Monday, March 1st, 2010By Hugh Abner
[44 Years and Counting Manufacturing Batteries and Battery Machinery]
No! I have not lost it. I actually have seen lardbergs and I saw them in a battery factory. At the time they were a big part of my early on life as a factory manager.
Before I can tell the story though I have to explain that I have not forgotten that I promised a continuation of discussing Top Lead. In fact Top Lead III is going to exist. We, though, are going to take a break from it right now. Top lead is heavy and we - I - need the rest. It is important though and we will return.
The lardberg story took place back in a factory that was described somewhat in an earlier Blog. Yes, the same one where I learned through a revelation why I was sent to the battery world. Actually this story is just a bit more of the description of the self flagellation of the time. (more…)
Top Lead Two - a continuation of What Top Lead (Pb) Means to All of Us
Wednesday, February 17th, 2010By Hugh Abner
[44 Years and Counting Manufacturing Batteries and Battery Machinery]
Okay, if you are a hard core battery man then you truly did read Top Lead One and you have been reminded of the many changes to our industry that came when the plastic polypropylene battery cases were introduced for automotive SLIG batteries. Out went the individual rubber cell covers,the small round cell post and the bow tie shaped cell connectors. In came the one piece cover, half round (sometimes square) cell post and the up and over the partition cell connecting technology. Along with these changes in construction materials came the beginning of many reductions in the number of people required to man our battery assembly lines. (more…)
Top Lead One - What Top Lead (Pb) Means To All of Us
Monday, November 9th, 2009By Hugh Abner
[44 Years and Counting Manufacturing Batteries and Battery Machinery]
When we get together at the various battery conventions we listen to several discussions about grid Pb or active material Pb but seldom are we entertained with a paper on top Pb. Yet Top Pb is one of those “Must” items.
Just in case you are not quite sure what I mean about top Pb then here is one explanation. Top Pb is all the Pb at the top of the battery. It is the Pb that connects the plates of a cell. The Pos. plates on one side and the Neg. plates on the other. Each cell has 2 cell posts. Again, one will be Pos. and the other Neg. The cells are connected together in series to form a battery of cells by using a Pb connector. Each connector connects the Pos. post of one cell to the Neg. post of the adjacent. Three Pb cells gave us the 6-volt batteries and 6 cells gave us out 12 volt batteries. The two end cells have a special post added to them and these are main terminal Pos. and Neg. post. These posts are used to connect the battery of cells to the electrical system’s terminal cables. In short the Top Pb is the internal electrical conductor of a battery. (more…)
The Tale of Two Machines
Monday, August 31st, 2009By Hugh Abner
[44 Years and Counting Manufacturing Batteries and Battery Machinery]
Machines have many tales but I am prompted to write here from something I overheard years ago from a man that was at the time a leader in our Industry. Mr. Charles Graves.
I do not know the entire story about Mr. Graves and how he climbed to the top position that he had when I came along. All I know is that he owned the corporation that had hired me. The organization was C. Graves Inc. It was composed of a company that sold batteries and a company that manufactured batteries. (more…)
Cap (with a filter) and Prosper
Tuesday, August 25th, 2009By Hugh Abner
[44 Years and Counting Manufacturing Batteries and Battery Machinery]
Of course my Topic Title is a play with words which we will be hearing much about in the next few weeks. So, if you are expecting to glean from the following any needed information about today’s Cap and Trade problems you will be disappointed. (more…)
It is time to be truthful
Friday, August 14th, 2009By Hugh Abner
[44 Years and Counting Manufacturing Batteries and Battery Machinery]
It is beginning to look as if I might be asked to do a few more of these little discussions that will touch on the minor sides of battery and machinery manufacturing so it is time I quit lying about why I have had been involved for these many years. (more…)
Electric Cars Pb-Acid Wise
Wednesday, August 5th, 2009By Hugh Abner
[44 Years and Counting Manufacturing Batteries and Battery Machinery]
After over 40 years, actually 44 plus a month, of knocking around in the Pb-acid battery industry a person should be able to find a topic or two that will fit beneath the title given here. If you are looking for formulae, data or other hard science stuff it will not be here but you could get pointed in the right direction.
