Week 5

The rust issue was finally fixed, production was back to normal. There are now two hydration tanks which facilitated the production. Nikhil and I are back to the regular auditing and quality measuring. This time the parts we had to deal with were medical equipment (part of a catheter), some of the parts were found to have distortions and flashes which made them unusable.

Week 4

During the previous week, the cutting and welding of metal during the construction of a new hydration tank caused rust particles to spread into the air and contaminated the entire hydration room. I had to help with auditing boxes of the battery seals to check for rust particles, we had to check individual seals until we found one with rust or we hit 100. Every box that we audited had rust contamination. The facility had to halt the hydration of seals and they had to clean the hydration room with a power washer and clean the air ducts. The hydration tank was brought to the car wash to be thoroughly cleaned. The production was slowed and a lot of work was need, all resulting from one small mistake.

Week 3

Last week I was given the task of the measuring parts again. This time I used the laser micrometer for the outer dimensions of the seal, the micrometer was programmed to scan specific portion of the seal and determine whether the seal had the acceptable measurements. We measured and recorded the data through blind testing to avoid operator bias and inserted the measurements of each seal into Minitab to examine patterns and find the mean of the data. I was taught to use gauge pins to measure the diameter of the hole in the center of the seal, different pins with different diameter in thickness are inserted into the hole to find the pin with the best fit.

Week 2

During the second second week I helped collect data to run D.O.E analysis. I was assigned the task of collecting samples of five to ten shots of a smaller model of seals (each consisting of 64 numbered plastic battery seals) by sorting them out from a box of 75,000 seals. The shots were then taken to the quality control lab where I measured the dimensions using a laser micrometer and performed burst testing and calculated the moisture level on each seal. The data collected were put into Minitab, which generated graphs and statistical analysis using the measurements and we can use that information to not only located errors in the production but also the source and solution. The data I collected ended up having no correlation, the trends were deemed completely random by the computer. It was quite disheartening.

Quality control is crucial in battery production. The seals that are produced in this facility are installed in batteries to prevent them from exploding. Each aspects of the finished products must meet specific standards and any faults (even cosmetic) leads to the rejection of the entire batch. In the quality control department, the seals are examined with detail and precision using extremely accurate equipment. Ensuring the products are on par with standards is a constant task, even machines make mistakes.

Week 1

Week 1


In the first week I was introduced to the staff members of MicroTech Southwest and the facility. My on-site adviser, Andy Clark, explained to me the operations at their facility. MicroTech manufactures battery seals for multiple corporations and plastic parts of medical equipment. My work mainly focuses on production of plastic battery seals that prevent batteries from exploding.

The seals are produced through the process of injection molding, in which melted plastic is injected into molds under specific pressures and temperatures. These seals are then soaked in hot water for five hours to hydrate plastic material.

One of the crucial processes in the production of these battery components is quality control. Using statistical analysis, technicians are able to determine errors in production and the specification in the adjustment of the machines that produces optimal results. To obtain the data for statistical analysis, samples shots are taken and the dimensions, weight, and moisture level of each of the 32 seals in the shot are measured.

Project Proposal

Engineers today are working to improve batteries by making changes in designs that will prolong the life of the battery while also ensuring the safety of the battery. I will write a 8-10 page research paper that conveys the changes and redevelopment of production and design of batteries over time I will compare the current processes and designs to the old ones. I will study the projects that are in process of testing new designs and predict the future of batteries.

Location: MicroTech Southwest

BASIS Advisor: Teva Clark

On-Site Advisor: Andy Clark

Course Goals:

The objective of this project is to examine the development of battery through the comparison of battery designs and production from the past to the present. Also, I will examine the advancement of battery production and possibilities for improvement in the future. In 10 weeks I will learn about the process of battery production and the testing performed on revised designs to gain power efficiency and improved battery life.