From spacecraft that travel a billion kilometres at unimaginable velocities, we shift our attention towards a billion batteries that were sold in the space of ten years. The battery in question was the first to be leak proof, and came from the stable of a company that was then called Ray-O-Vac Company.
The French Battery Co. was founded in 1906 in Wisconsin, a mid-western state in the United States of America.
Despite initial success the company soon saw a downturn and had to approach the University of Wisconsin for technical assistance – an early example of university-industry cooperation.
The leakage issue
The lightning-like cartoon character that the French Battery Co. used in its flash-lights advertisements was named “Mr. Ray-O-Lite” in 1920. The success saw the birth of Ray-O-Spark batteries for the spark-plug ignition of cars and Ray-O-Vac for radio (equipped with vacuum-tubes) batteries.
The Ray-O-Vac brand became so well known that the company renamed itself Ray-O-Vac Co. in 1934. But Ray-O-Vac, like every other company in the battery business, was confronted with the problems posed by zinc-carbon batteries, that were the standard at the time.
Sticky problem
The issue with the zinc-carbon batteries was that the zinc would often swell, bursting at its seams. This would eventually lead to leakage, rendering the flash-light, or any other device in which the battery was used, entirely inoperable.
In worst cases, the leaked battery got stuck to the cases of the devices in which they were used.
Even though this period had seen an enormous growth in the usage of batteries, there was no one who worked out a solution to the leakage problem, despite it being well established. When the solution did make its way, it seemed so simple that it almost felt obvious to anyone and everyone who worked in the field.
Smart solution
Rayovac D cell flashlight battery, mid-20th century.
Herman Anthony, an engineer with Ray-O-Vac, solved the problem by employing a better grade of manganese in the mix and using a steel jacket to encase the entire cell. The battery was now leak proof and the company showcased its wonder in 1939 and obtained the patent on April 23, 1940.
Like many other advances that came about during this time, the leak proof batteries were almost entirely used up by the United States for the war effort during World War II. Apart from radios, flash-lights and walkie-talkies, these batteries, sealed in steel, were also employed in mine detectors, bazookas and what not!
The customer demand was met once the war came to an end and the batteries soon powered up countless devices. The year 1946 alone saw 100 million of these new batteries sold and on April 26, 1950, the one billionth Ray-O-Vac leak proof battery rolled off the assembly line. The feat was celebrated with a gold-plated flash light produced by Ray-O-Vac.
A series of acquisitions followed for the company towards the end of the century in order to diversify the products it offered. Batteries too have diversified with time, but one aspect has remained a constant throughout – they have all remained free from the problem of leakage!
