WEBVTT

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I'm with the Defense Logistics Agency ,

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which is the nation's logistics combat

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support agency . I manage the battery

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network program , which is part of

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DLA's R&D manufacturing technology

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portfolio . The purpose of my program

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is to centralize on the battery supply

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chain and look for manufacturing

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capability gaps . That we can improve

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requirements for emerging requirements

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that are coming out of the Department

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of War . This was a 2 year proposal

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for over a million dollars to improve

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the production of the electrode

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components of these nickel zinc

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batteries . We are at the Naval Surface

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Warfare Center Crane at one of our

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battery . Test facilities . Our job is

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to basically provide support for

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research , testing , evaluation , and

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eventually qualifying next generation

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batteries and battery systems . We're

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here today at Acer Technologies in

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Joplin , Missouri . And we're a nickel

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zinc battery manufacturer . Nickel zinc

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batteries , they have longer cycle life .

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They use less hazardous materials , and

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it's an inherently very safe technology

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to use . It will help increase the

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operation . Capability of the

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submarines . There's been a lot of

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efforts to really get that energy

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capacity , the longer life , the better

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sustainment , a more secure domestic

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supply chain in many cases as well for

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our weapons system capabilities , and

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our goal is to improve the

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production capabilities which are at

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this point are manual , and we're

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trying to help the company

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semi-automate them . So that we get

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better yield , better throughput ,

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better quality . My role for the

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project was basically a technical point

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of contact between the vendor , Acer

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Technologies and the MSTP team . Um , I

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also worked with DLA R&D on the funding

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side to keep things rolling smoothly ,

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and DLA has been very good to work with ,

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very easy to get things basically

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through roadblocks or or any challenges .

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So an anode is one of the essential

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parts of a cell or a battery . Um , you

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have an anode and a cathode , and

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that's the source of the

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electrochemical reaction . That drives

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the battery and powers the electronics .

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Behind us , we have a neater extruder

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machine . Basically how this machine

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specifically relates is it's going to

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automate a manual process . So right

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now all of this , this dough making and

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mixing is done by hand . This is going

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to do it faster and more consistently .

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We're currently developing all our

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batteries in a prototype phase , and

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our goal is to get to production . The

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nickel zinc batteries that we produce

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have about twice the capacity , twice

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the power , and twice the cycle life of

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a typical lead acid battery , and

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this can be critical to the war fighter

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for longer missions . It allows them to

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have more electronics , and it also

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allows them to . Not have to replace

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their batteries as often . I think what

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excites me about this project is that

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nickel zinc isn't a very well known

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battery technology yet , but because of

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its higher energy density , higher

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energy capability over lead acid , it

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has a huge potential to disrupt the

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lead acid industry and could replace a

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lot of lead acid applications . can be

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a major part . Partner with the defense

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industrial base to bring some of these

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new technologies to the war fighter to

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increase the readiness and address

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supply chain concerns and then also

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this is an excellent example of where

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we have strong partnership with the

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military services and to make sure that

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their needs are being met by the

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manufacturing capability .