Improved Thermal Battery Assembly Techniques

Current production of thermal batteries relies heavily on touch labor practices. The assembly of the battery stack relies exclusively on touch labor, which has been shown to be the major insertion point for battery defects that are discovered during post-production evaluations of batteries. In Phase I, Creare successfully demonstrated the critical subsystems of an innovative approach to battery stack assembly automation. Our subsystems handled the most fragile pellets gently, placed the pellets accurately, manipulated both porous and non-flat pellets easily, and ultimately provided flexibility in the design of a complete, integrated automated assembly station. In Phase II, we will design, build, and test a prototype integrated battery stacking station that will be tested both at Creare and at the largest thermal battery manufacturer in the United States. This prototype system will be suitable for extensive testing and demonstrations with typical thermal battery pellets and operation in a typical thermal battery dry room production environment.