Wednesday, 27 March 2013

Custom batteries

At Accutronics, we have standard batteries to suit almost any new portable device, but we also recognise that many applications are unable to accommodate standard batteries and require a custom battery to be designed instead. 

To this end, Accutronics has rebranded its design and manufacturing activities as Accupro, a service which provides both custom batteries and chargers to OEMs in professional markets.

When standard off-the-shelf batteries will not suffice, most battery manufacturers will suggest modifications to a product’s design. At Accutronics however, we work with the OEM to create truly outstanding battery solutions which provide tangible end user benefits in terms of low weight, minimal volume and ease of use.

Correct cell selection is critical in achieving optimal battery and device performance and we can help customers select the right cell for each application, optimising characteristics such as capacity, rate capability, cycle life and thermal performance.

Whilst batteries come in all shapes and sizes and a range of chemistries, you may often need a solution tailored to meet a specific application need.

With the Accupro service, Accutronics offer all of the commercially available rechargeable battery chemistries, but it is Lithium ion proves most popular given its high degree of safety and high volumetric and gravimetric energy density. Depending on the requirements of the application, Accutronics engineers will select from cells with different cathode formulations to provide the best mix of performance attributes. Cathode formations such as pure cobalt (LiCoO2) for high energy, Nickel Manganese Cobalt (Li(NiMnCo)O2) for rate capability, safety and cost or Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) for outstanding cycle life and power delivery are amongst the selections available to Accutronics engineers when developing any new battery under the Accupro brand.

Accupro embedded intelligent electronic systems allow batteries to manage their own charging both efficiently and safely while on-board fuel gauges provide equipment with accurate real time runtime information to ensure the best performance from your battery.

Accupro caters for all sizes of battery, from the smallest single cell solution with simple electronic protection through to large high voltage batteries with active cell balancing, impedance tracking fuel gauging and tiered protection systems. There are no brown-outs at peaks of demand, no failure of critical components at extremes of temperature and no oversized PCBs taking up space and making the battery (and your device) larger than it needs to be.

Accupro uses the latest digital prototyping techniques to get the design to market quickly. Accutronics performs finite element analysis (FEA) of the CAD models and employs 3D printing technologies such as stereolithography (SLA) or selective laser sintering (SLS) equipment to generate physical prototypes. Mould flow simulation is used to test and validate the injection moulding design prior to tooling.

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