STANDISH, Maine — A company in Maine is leading the way in creating products that address safety concerns posed by lithium-ion batteries. Those batteries have been known to cause fires when not handled properly.
"It's in your electronic toothbrush. It's in your Apple Watch. It's in your earbuds. It could simply be in your electric shaver," Dawn New-Echlin of CellBlock FCS said.
CellBlock Fire Containment Systems is based in Standish and is making a big impact globally thanks to its fire suppression products.
"When a battery goes wrong, it's damaged, it's dropped, it's part of a recall, that's when products like what CellBlock provides is so important because it helps to safely contain those batteries so that there will not be a thermal event. And a thermal event will burn at 2000 degrees because lithium burns hot," New-Echlin said.
A major component of CellBlock's products is its patented fire suppression tool CellBlockEX, a mineral-based extinguishing agent used for fire fighting and prevention of problematic fires including metal, lithium-ion battery cells, and combustible liquids.
"It's a physical process. There's no chemical reaction. So, it's actually a very safe material to have around," CellBlock CTO Dylan Vandemark said.
"When a thermal event happens, the CellBlock beads will actually melt around and contain the battery in the process," New-Echlin said.
In addition to CellBlockEX, the company is also creating products that allow for the safe transportation, storage, and charging of lithium-ion batteries, including its Charge Safe Battery Rack, which recently received approval from the New York City Fire Department.
"Next, I think we're moving into the household. We've been very busy in the commercial space, the industrial space dealing with people who produce batteries, move batteries. But there's a crisis inside of residences, especially in high-population dense areas," Vandemark said.
You can learn more about CellBlock FCS and its products by visiting the company's website.