Masonry Magazine March 2006 Page. 36
TECHNOLOGY
Lithium-ion has enabled manufacturers to develop higher amp draw tools, but also more compact and surprisingly powerful tools.
A comparison can be made with car engines. A larger, more powerful engine does not need to work as hard to drive up a steep hill, because it can produce more than enough power to accomplish its task, but an engine half the size needs to work twice as hard, likely pushing itself to the extremes and causing internal damage, to accomplish the same task. The same is true for batteries. A 36-volt battery simply does not need to work as hard as an 18-volt battery would in the same heavy-duty application. As a result, higher voltage lithium-ion batteries not only offer the extra power required to accomplish heavy-duty applications, but extend the life of the battery.
Many manufacturers incorporate a special electronics package within their lithium-ion tools and/or batteries designed not only to measure temperature, but also to monitor the number of times a trigger is pulled or a battery is used. Temperature measurement is important, but it is not the full story. The electronics package should also offer Electronic Cell Protection (ECP), the ability to manage the battery's power output to eliminate potentially damaging conditions, such as overheating, and extend the battery's cycle-life. Not all manufacturers' electronics packages offer ECP, which is vital to assuring the survival of a battery in professional applications. Additionally, some manufacturers design their electronics within the actual battery pack instead of within the tool. Unfortunately, this generates extra heat inside the battery and defeats the goal of minimizing heat in and around the battery cells. An electronics package designed to provide ECP and a smart design are essential to ensuring the extended cycle-life of a lithium-ion battery.
Finally, manufacturers need to take extra steps toward engineering their batteries to stay cooler at all voltage levels, especially with more heavy-duty, high-powered application tools. Battery housings should conduct heat away from the cells and battery core. Chargers should incorporate fans to feed air through battery vents to cool the individual cells. And for higher voltage batteries, features such as cooling fins or other cooling designs should be incorporated into the shell to also help dissipate heat.
By incorporating these types of design features, manufacturers can extend the cycle-life of a battery, reduce the number of replacements needed, and make lithium-ion a truly valuable investment.
Customizable and Task-specific Tools
LITHIUM-ION has enabled manufacturers to develop higher amp draw tools, but also more compact and surprising.
The New Improved Quikpoint Drill-Mate Mortar Gun.
★ Tuckpointing
★ Paving
★ Stonework
★Tile
★Thin Brick
★ Cultured Stone
★Steel Casements
★All types of
masonry joints
Melvin Mancia (Mason Forman)
Job: The John Winthrop School, Dorchester, Ma.
Just scoop mortar into the three quart capacity hopper, pull the trigger on the drill and a continuous controlled bead of mortar can be applied, up to five times faster than conventional pointing methods, to any masonry application.
Quikpoint, Inc. 23 B Bradford St, Concord, Ma. 01742 USA
Phone: 978-371-3267 Fax: 978-371-2292 Toll Free USA: 800-368-2292
Web: www.quikpoint.com E-Mail: sales@quikpoint.com
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