Gremlin Green shining a light on the environment

For several decades, Water Gremlin has been manufacturing battery terminals for a wide range of applications such as automobiles, motorboats, military, recreational vehicles, and many more. Battery terminals are an essential component of lead acid batteries, and lead acid batteries play a critical, often assumed role in our everyday lives.

The coating on a terminal is critical in preventing leakage and corrosion between the terminal and the plastic cover of the battery. The adhesion of the plastic to the lead allows the battery to last longer, perform more efficiently, and function safely.

The traditional coating on a terminal is a solid polymer which requires a significant amount of solvent to reduce the viscosity of the polymer so that it can be easily and smoothly applied to the terminals.

Water Gremlin’s long term goal is to significantly reduce the use of organic solvents in its manufacturing process.

Initially, Water Gremlin has been able to reduce solvent usage by 25% moving to a water-based process. However, the water-based process proved to be unsuccessful in all applications thus requiring the continued use of organic solvents. Water Gremlin then looked for an alternative that would allow further reduction of the use of organic solvents with the goal to eventually eliminate the usage of solvents in their facility.

After three years of research and development, Water Gremlin has been able to successfully develop and patent a proprietary ultraviolet light curable coating that is completely solvent-free.

This new process is far more ecofriendly for the environment as compared to the previous formula. It eliminates the need for solvents and is proving to be more durable and reliable.

As a trial, Water Gremlin converted one of its coating machines to the new ultraviolet light cured coating process. To date approximately 10% of their coating capacity has been converted to a UV curable coating, known as Gremlin Green.

By doing so, it has impressively been able to reduce solvent usage by nearly 20%. Water Gremlin intends to continue to implement UV cure technology to eventually end all usage of organic solvents for coating in their facility. Water Gremlin’s commitment is to reduce solvent usage by more than 50% by the end of 2023 and by more than 80% in 2024 and beyond.

Water Gremlin intends to continue to implement UV cure technology to eventually end all usage of organic solvents for coating in its facility

WATER GREMLIN — PROFILE

Founded in 1949 on farmland in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, Water Gremlin has been a well-known supplier of innovative products to the recreational fishing market. These initial products included fishing lures and lead sinkers. However, its manufacturing scope broadened in the 1970s to include industry leading terminals for lead-acid batteries.

The company has over 160,000 square feet of combined manufacturing and warehousing space in Minnesota.