Wow! Today was a real education in battery production.? I only use Optima
batteries.Mike MacLean
Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android
On Sat, Jan 13, 2018 at 6:59 PM, Robert Begani<rfbegani at gmail.com> wrote:
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OK Guys I will give you my 2 cents on making batteries, since I have actually
been inside battery manufacturing operations world-wide ?and was a supplier of
a key ingredient in the automated battery making process.
?
50 years ago a key step in the battery making process was the hand soldering of
the straps between the cells with a very strong chloride acid soldering flux.?
The acid flux had to be cleaned off the straps by hand because, ?if the residue
was left on the straps, eventually, it would destroy the straps thereby
reducing the life of the battery.
?
Along came an inventor who created an automated procedure to solder the straps
which could have revolutionized the industry.? However, they could not figure
out how to clean the straps automatically until they replaced the acid flux
with a non-acid flux which allowed the automated production to become
successful. The maker of the machinery sold the flux under their name, so as a
young international sales rep looking for more business in the lines he
carried, I searched for battery makers who bought the machinery outside the USA
and convinced them to buy the flux from the maker.? Over the next 50 years, the
worldwide industry converted the battery making to use this process, and other
makers of the machinery were created.? Some were not interested in buying our
flux and created their own with questionable results.? Most of the time, I was
successful in convincing the actual users of the equipment to use our non-acid
flux as the cost was a minor part of the production process, until a bean
counter would disrupt the production by buying a local product on the cheap.
?
The Johnson Controls battery making operation has been operating in Monterrey,
Mexico for over 30 years in cooperation with local firms. ?As the American
automotive manufacturers produced more and more cars in Mexico the battery
makers in northern Mexico became larger and larger. So I set up a distributor
in Monterrey to supply many of the battery makers (Accumuladores) in Northern
Mexico including Johnson Controls.? It has been over 10 years since I retired
and my client, the maker of the Non Acid Battery making flux, took over the
business.? Who knows what flux Johnson and other Accumulators are now using!
?
At any rate, almost all makers of batteries or the makers of other products use
the same or similar equipment and anywhere along the production line, changes
can create problems which they do not know about until the rate of battery
failure increases which may be 5 years later. If Johnson Controls is not
supplying batteries to GM, Ford, Chrysler and so on of high quality and
reliability in Mexico and the cars are being sold in the USA and Canada, they
would be in deep you know what.? I do not know if Interstate Batteries are
still being made by JC or some other Accumuladores in Monterrey as I have no
longer any contacts in the business.?
?
I do know that I do not have to buy a new battery every September as my father
did for our 1953 Chevrolet Belair so the car would start in the winter.? In
addition, my 5 year old Duracell Battery bought at Sams Club is still turning
over my Healey, not because I drive it every day!? It is because I charge it
every 30-60 days to make certain that sulfides on the plates do not reduce the
life of the battery, and the batteries on my 2 sailboats are lasting 5-10 years
because of using a particular battery charger which has automated that
process.? I tend to think that much of the returns on batteries is the result
of limited use of the vehicle, and all those energy sapping sensors in the new
cars reducing the life of the battery.? Again, since I no longer go to the IBMA
(Independent Battery Manufactures Association) yearly meeting, I impart to you
what is going on in the industry today.
?
Best regards to all,
?
Bob Begani
?
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