As cordless power tools have taken over, the competition for longer-lasting, more powerful batteries, and faster charging times have become the obsession of all the big players in this highly competitive market. As one of the leading power tool brands, Milwaukee obviously invests massively in R&D to improve their batteries.
This has led to their latest innovation; the M18 and XF Forge batteries.
Essentially, the Milwaukee engineers have reinvented the lithium-ion battery cell to make it more efficient, run cooler, and charge much faster.
Pouch cell and tabless cylindrical cell technology have enabled this transformation to the new Forge battery system. This greatly reduces resistance in the connectors. Less resistance means improved power delivery and heat reduction. In the world of lithium-ion batteries, these are the most critical factors.
When a battery runs cooler, you get more power for longer before the battery overheats. I’m sure many professionals, and even some harder-working DIYers, have experienced the frustration of waiting for the battery to cool down before continuing with your work.
Heat is more than just an inconvenience when using cordless tools. Batteries that run hot for prolonged periods don’t last as long and replacing them is costly. High temperature also affects charge times.
Battery management systems (BMS) are constantly monitoring the temperature as the battery charges. This is because batteries can easily overheat if they charge too quickly. This is probably one of the most significant advantages of using the new Forge batteries.
According to Milwaukee, charge times are reduced by 80% when using the Forge batteries. The Milwaukee Super Charger can charge 5AH in only 15 minutes. Yup, that’s not a typo… 15 minutes!
To charge the Milwaukee M18 6.0 Forge battery from 0% to full takes an astounding 25 minutes. The 8.0 battery takes only 45 minutes. This, to my mind, is a real game changer. It will be interesting to see what DeWalt, Bosch, and Makita come up with to compete.
To sum up, the Milwaukee Forge battery system is set to revolutionize the cordless tool industry, which is constantly evolving. Pouch cells and tabless cylindrical cells have resulted in less resistance between cells, thereby drastically reducing the heat produced and allowing current to move more effectively, increasing battery efficiency and charging times.
This is a giant step forward from their existing High-Output batteries which had us all so impressed a few years ago. Pretty exciting to think what will be next as innovation never stands still.
