Fraunhofer institutes to produce bipolar plates for hydrogen mass-production research

“In order to achieve widespread use of fuel cells, mature production technologies for series production are required,” say the researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute, explaining their joint initiative. According to the experts, there is already a lot of basic research into the technology – “but the components are still not available in the required quantities and at reasonable costs.” In H2GO, the participants are, therefore, focussing on the development of efficient processes and production systems as well as the associated mechanical and plant engineering.

Take sheet metal processing, for example: as part of H2GO, researchers at the Fraunhofer IPT are working on two different moulding processes for so-called bipolar half-shells (‘discrete production in a progressive die and continuous production in a roll-to-roll process’). While the high-quality individual production of bipolar plate halves is possible on a laboratory scale, according to the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, no forming process suitable for series production has yet been able to establish itself on the market “with which a fast cycle rate above 60 strokes per minute can be achieved with consistently high forming quality.” The scientists involved in H2GO are now investigating, among other things, forming and punching tools and the associated press systems with the aim of increasing the productivity and quality of the machining process.

As one starting point, the project participants are integrating a heating module in addition to the existing punching and forming units, for example, which makes the thin sheet material easier to form. The team is also developing an inline quality test and is optimising not only the machine design and production processes but also various bipolar plate designs. The researchers are also using additional labelling and scanner modules to track the path of the bipolar plate half through the process chain.

The research project is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport Affairs (BMVD) and will also be presented in more detail at the Hannover Messe from 31 March to 4 April. The Fraunhofer IPT will have a stand (C47) in Hall 13 for this purpose.

ipt.fraunhofer.de (in German)