• • • BATTERIES & CHARGERS • • •
Battery packs assemble! Unveiling the steps of custom battery and charger manufacturing
By Neil Oliver, Technical Marketing Manager of industrial battery manufacturer Accutronics E
very custom battery or charger order begins with an enquiry and ends with volume production. However, there are many tasks that happen in-between to ensure that the final product meets the specific quality, performance and safety requirements of each customer. Here, Neil Oliver, technical marketing manager of industrial battery manufacturer Accutronics, shows how each stage (from understanding customer needs to obtaining regulatory certifications) contributes to the successful production of custom batteries and/or chargers. The initial step is to thoroughly understand the customer’s requirements and expectations. This involves close communication and collaboration to gather all the necessary information, including
desired battery/charger specifications, performance criteria, intended applications and any specific industry standards or regulations that need to be met. Based on this, a detailed technical specification is authored. This document serves as a comprehensive guide for all involved in the project, as it describes what is (and what is not) required from the product. It includes parameters such as electrical ratings, environmental considerations, mechanical constraints and regulatory requirements.
Once the technical specification is established, the battery goes through a detailed electrical and mechanical design phase. This step involves blocking out the internal structure, circuitry and mechanical components of the battery/charger to
12 ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING • FEBRUARY 2025
meet the customer’s requirements. The design phase may also include purchasing initial design proving components and conducting bench testing to validate that it performs as expected. As well as verifying the design of components, it is also necessary to evaluate the design of the battery’s/charger’s housing, using rapid prototyping techniques to fabricate the casing in a quick and cost-effective way. This is done using 3D printing or other similar technologies and is a useful way of showing if the components fit into the available space. After fabricating the case, a small number of batteries/chargers are assembled and tested in an internal laboratory, using limited fixturing, following a test plan that is created based on the
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