ITL specializes in evaluations of materials including plastics,
equipment and related components for lead-acid batteries.
Testing is the most accurate way for manufacturers and end users to verify battery performance, quality, and safety. It is an integral part of developing improved cell components and battery powered products. It is also a powerful tool for evaluating battery and battery powered equipment failures. Whether you are investigating a battery-related product or occurrence, developing a new battery-related product, supplying materials for the battery industry, manufacturing batteries, or an end user of batteries, we can help you by providing accurate, timely, and cost efficient test services, data and/or prototypes that are meaningful to your needs.
With over 150 years of combined technical experience, our team of technicians and engineers at the Independent Testing Laboratory are well versed in investigating numerous aspects of cell and battery components and assemblies. The majority of our technical expertise is related to the testing and development of lead acid cells and batteries. However, we continue to investigate other chemistries for energy storage devices.
In addition to our chemical, and material testing capabilities, the Independent Testing Laboratory has the technology to properly evaluate physical, electrical, and electrochemical properties of energy storage cells and batteries including:
- Discharge up to 5000A depending on battery voltage at constant voltage, current and power
- Charge at constant voltage, current, or power
- Charge Acceptance
- Over Discharge
- Float Life
- Stand Loss
(a.k.a., shelf life, charge retention) - Thermal Runaway
(i.e. heat generation) - Gas Emission
- Pressure Relief Valve (PRV) Testing
- Reference Electrode (1/2-cell) Voltage Monitoring
- Coup De Fouet Analysis
(mercury porosimetry, sulfate analysis, ICP, XRD, etc.) - Metallography
- Internal Resistance
- Fire Resistance
- Electrostatic Discharge
- Teardown Analysis
- Environmental Testing
(-40°C to +80°C; 10% to 100% relative humidity; 0.5 to 32 inch Hg pressure)
- Recharge Efficiency
- Over Charge
- Cycle Life Endurance
- Accelerated Float Life
- Water Loss
- Thermal Cycling
- Recombination Efficiency
- Vibration
- Shock Impact
- Corrosion
- Short Circuit
- Altitude / Pressure
- Cross-Section Analysis
- Internal Impedance
- Leakage
- Competitive Analysis
- Post Mortem Failure Analysis
- Reverse Engineering
- Tafel Curve Analysis
- Battery Charger Testing
Our Cell Development Capabilities:
The Independent Testing Laboratory is able to fabricate various materials, components, and assemblies. We also work with other contractors (machine shops, etc.) for added services and flexibility as needed to meet schedules and control costs. These capabilities, along with our ability to test and monitor various battery characteristics, allow us to create prototype lead acid cells and batteries for evaluating potential improvements in technology. Our in-house fabrication and assembly capabilities include:
- Simple Machining
- Simple Mold Making
- Lead Oxide Mixing
- Lead Oxide Paste Mixing
- Tank Formation (plates)
- Separator Selection
- Modification of finished or development cells/batteries w/acid bridges, thermocouples, or other hardware
- Valve regulated lead acid (VRLA) cell assemblies
- Low melting point alloy mixing
- Low melting point metal casting
- Assembly & dry filling tubular plates
- Wet pasting of flat plates
- Sulfuric acid selection and preparation
- Cell assembly & formation
- Reverse engineering of lead acid cells or batteries
- Flooded lead acid cell assemblies
Independent Testing Laboratory
2366 Bernville Road
Reading, PA 19605
testing@independentlab.net
Frank Chiacchio 610-208-1602 | Jason Zerbe 610-208-1675 | fax 610-208-1767