Press working device and press working method

Abstract

To maintain the high precision of formation when a second portion of a separator that needs to be formed with higher precision than a first portion is formed.SOLUTION: A press processing device forms a separator for a fuel cell from a material 27 by press processing on the basis of repeated die closing and opening. The device includes a first punching unit 32 that forms a first portion of the separator by punching a first portion of the material 27 when the die is closed. The device further includes a second punching unit 33 that forms a second portion of the separator that needs to be formed with higher accuracy than the first portion by punching a second portion different from the first portion of the material 27 when the die is closed. The device is configured such that the first punching unit 32 punches the first portion of the material 27 when the die is closed, and the second punching unit 33 punches the second portion of the material 27 when the die is subsequently closed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a press working apparatus and a press working method.

Background Art

[0002] A cell stack of a fuel cell is formed by stacking fuel cells in the thickness direction. A fuel cell is formed by sandwiching a membrane electrode gas diffusion layer laminate with separators. The separators are manufactured by, for example, a press working apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1. This press working apparatus includes a fixed die and a movable die that repeat clamping and opening. A material used for forming the separators is sent between the fixed die and the movable die of the press working apparatus. Then, by clamping the die of the press working apparatus, shape processing is performed on a part of the separator forming region in the above material, punching is performed on a part of the above forming region, or the separators are cut from the above material.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, among the portions formed by punching the material during clamping of the separator, there are portions that need to be formed with high precision and portions that do not. For example, a first portion of the separator is formed by punching a first portion of the material, and a second portion of the separator that needs to be formed with higher precision than the first portion of the separator may be formed by punching a second portion of the material.

[0005] In this case, when the first part and the second part are each punched out during one clamping operation, the following occurs. That is, after punching out the first part and the second part in the material, the material undergoes shrinkage due to the press strain caused by the punching. Then, the influence of the shrinkage reaches the periphery of the second part in the material, in other words, the second location in the separator, making it difficult to maintain high precision when forming the second location.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0006] Hereinafter, the means for solving the above problems and their effects will be described. The press working apparatus for solving the above problems includes a punching portion provided at a location where a fixed die and a movable die, which repeat clamping and die opening, face each other. When forming a separator for a fuel cell from a material by press working based on the repetition of clamping and die opening, the punching portion punches out a part of the material during clamping. The punching portion is composed of a first punching portion and a second punching portion. The first punching portion forms the first location of the separator by punching out the first part of the material. The second punching portion forms a second location in the separator that needs to be formed with higher precision than the first location by punching out a second part different from the first part of the material. The press working apparatus is configured such that the first punching portion punches out the first part of the material during clamping, and then the second punching portion punches out the second part of the material during the subsequent clamping.

[0007] According to the above configuration, during mold clamping, the first punching portion punches the first portion of the material, and during subsequent mold clamping, the second punching portion punches the second portion of the material. As a result, after the press strain and the accompanying shrinkage due to the punching of the first portion in the material occur, the punching of the second portion in the material is performed. For this reason, when the second portion of the separator is formed by punching the second portion in the material, the influence of the shrinkage accompanying the punching of the first portion in the material does not reach. Since the shrinkage accompanying the punching of the first portion in the material does not affect the formation of the second portion in the separator in this way, high accuracy can be maintained when forming the second portion in the separator.

[0008] In the press working method for solving the above problems, when forming a separator for a fuel cell from a material by press working based on the repetition of mold clamping and mold opening of a fixed mold and a movable mold, a part of the material is punched by a punching portion provided at a location where the fixed mold and the movable mold face each other during mold clamping. The punching portion includes a first punching portion and a second punching portion. The first punching portion forms the first location of the separator by punching the first portion of the material. The second punching portion forms a second location that needs to be formed with higher accuracy than the first location in the separator by punching a second portion different from the first portion of the material. Then, during mold clamping, the first punching portion punches the first portion of the material, and during subsequent mold clamping, the second punching portion punches the second portion of the material.

[0009] According to the above method, at the time of mold clamping, the first punching portion punches the first portion of the material, and at the time of subsequent mold clamping, the second punching portion punches the second portion of the material. As a result, after the press strain and the accompanying shrinkage due to the punching of the first portion in the material occur, the punching of the second portion in the material is performed. For this reason, when the second portion of the separator is formed by punching the second portion in the material, the influence of the shrinkage accompanying the punching of the first portion in the material does not reach. Since the shrinkage accompanying the punching of the first portion in the material does not affect the formation of the second portion in the separator in this way, high accuracy can be maintained when forming the second portion in the separator.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] [First Embodiment] Hereinafter, a first embodiment of a press working apparatus and a press working method will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6.

[0012] FIG. 1 shows a fuel cell 11 for forming a cell stack of a fuel cell. The fuel cell 11 includes a resin plate 12, a membrane electrode gas diffusion layer laminate 13, and a separator 14. The resin plate 12 is formed in a rectangular frame shape. The outer edge of the membrane electrode gas diffusion layer laminate 13 is joined to the resin plate 12. Then, the resin plate 12 and the membrane electrode gas diffusion layer laminate 13 are sandwiched by the separator 14 from both sides in their thickness directions.

[0013] By stacking such fuel cells 11 in the thickness direction, a cell stack of the fuel cell is formed. Holes 16 to 21 are formed in the resin plate 12 and the pair of separators 14 of the fuel cell 11. The holes 16 to 21 are located at both ends in the long side direction of the fuel cell 11. The holes 16 to 21 are for forming passages for fluids such as fuel gas (hydrogen, etc.), oxidizing gas (air, etc.), and refrigerant (cooling water, etc.) to flow into and out of the cell stack.

[0014] Then, the fuel gas and the oxidizing gas that flow into the cell stack of the fuel cell 11 are supplied to the anode side and the cathode side of the membrane electrode gas diffusion layer laminate 13, and power generation is performed based on the reaction of the fuel gas and the oxidizing gas in the membrane electrode gas diffusion layer laminate 13. The fuel gas and the oxidizing gas that have passed through the membrane electrode gas diffusion layer laminate 13 flow out of the cell stack as described above. Also, the refrigerant that flows into the cell stack flows between the separators 14 of adjacent fuel cells 11. As a result, the cell stack is cooled.

[0015] <Details of the separator 14> As shown in FIG. 2, the separator 14 is formed in a rectangular plate shape. The holes 16 to 21 are formed at both ends of the separator 14 in the long side direction. A plurality of grooves 22 are formed at the central portion of the separator 14 in the long side direction so as to extend in the long side direction of the separator 14. The grooves 22 are for supplying fuel gas to the anode side of the membrane electrode gas diffusion layer assembly 13 or supplying oxidizing gas to the cathode side of the membrane electrode gas diffusion layer assembly 13.

[0016] The four corners 14a of the separator 14 are in an R shape and are connected to the outer peripheral surface of the separator 14. At both ends of the separator 14 in the long side direction, recessed portions 23 are formed which are recessed inward from the short side 14b of the outer peripheral surface of the separator 14. The opening 23a of the recessed portion 23 with respect to the short side 14b is in an R shape and is connected to the short side 14b. The short side 14b of the outer peripheral surface of the separator 14 serves as a first portion, and the recessed portion 23 serves as a second portion that needs to be formed with higher accuracy than the first portion.

[0017] Reference holes 24 are formed at both ends of the separator 14 in the long side direction. Further, a terminal portion 26 that is recessed inward from the long side 14c of the outer peripheral surface is formed in the separator 14. The opening 26a of the terminal portion 26 with respect to the long side 14c is in an R shape and is connected to the long side 14c. As shown in FIG. 1, in the resin plate 12, recessed portions 23, reference holes 24, and terminal portions 26 are also formed at positions corresponding to the recessed portion 23, reference hole 24, and terminal portion 26 of the separator 14, respectively.

[0018] In the separator 14, the holes 16 to 21 are also included in the above-described first portion. Further, in the separator 14, the reference holes 24 and the terminal portion 26 are also included in the above-described second portion.

[0019] <Reference hole 24, recessed portion 23, terminal portion 26> The reference holes 24 in the separator 14 and the resin plate 12 are for setting the relative positions of the separator 14, the resin plate 12, and the membrane electrode gas diffusion layer assembly 13 in the fuel cell 11 to appropriate positions. That is, when manufacturing the fuel cell 11, with the positioning pins passed through the reference holes 24 in the separator 14 and the resin plate 12, the resin plate 12 and the membrane electrode gas diffusion layer assembly 13 are sandwiched by the separator 14 from both sides in the thickness direction. Further, the separators 14 on both sides in the thickness direction of the membrane electrode gas diffusion layer assembly 13 are joined to the resin plate 12 while contacting the membrane electrode gas diffusion layer assembly 13. Thereby, the fuel cell 11 is manufactured while setting the relative positions of the separator 14, the resin plate 12, and the membrane electrode gas diffusion layer assembly 13 to appropriate positions.

[0020] The recesses 23 in the separator 14 and the resin plate 12 are for suppressing displacement of the stacked fuel cells 11 when forming a cell stack by stacking the fuel cells 11 in the thickness direction. That is, by stacking the fuel cells 11 such that rails for positioning pass through the recesses 23 of each fuel cell 11, a cell stack is formed without displacement of each fuel cell 11. The opening 23a of the recess 23 in each fuel cell 11 has the above-described R shape to enable smooth insertion of the above-described rail for positioning into the recess 23.

[0021] Rail-shaped terminals for extracting power from the cell stack are passed through the terminal portions 26 of the separator 14 and the resin plate 12. These terminals are insulated from the separator 14 of the fuel cell 11 and are electrically connected to the membrane electrode gas diffusion layer assembly 13 via an electric circuit formed in the resin plate 12 of the fuel cell 11. The opening 26a of the terminal portion 26 in each fuel cell 11 has the above-described R shape to enable smooth insertion of the above-described rail-shaped terminal into the terminal portion 26.

[0022] As can be understood from the respective roles described above, the recesses 23, the reference holes 24, and the terminal portions 26 need to be formed with high precision. <Press working device> Next, a press working device for manufacturing the separator 14 will be described.

[0023] The press working device shown in FIG. 3 performs progressive press working on the material 27 used for forming the separator 14. Through such progressive press working, the separator 14 is manufactured. The press working device includes a fixed die 28 and a movable die 29 that repeat die clamping and die opening. The press working device separates the movable die 29 from the fixed die 28 during die opening, while approaching the movable die 29 to the fixed die 28 during die clamping.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 4, the material 27 is in a strip shape. In the material 27, rectangular forming regions 30 planned to form the separator 14 are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the material 27. As shown in FIG. 3, the material 27 is disposed between the fixed die 28 and the movable die 29 of the press working device. The material 27 is fed in the longitudinal direction of the material 27, which is the right side in FIGS. 3 and 4, at a pitch corresponding to the distance between adjacent forming regions 30 in the material 27 every time the die of the fixed die 28 and the movable die 29 is opened and closed.

[0025] The press working device includes a forming portion 31, a first punching portion 32, a second punching portion 33, and a separating portion 34 provided at opposing locations between the fixed die 28 and the movable die 29. Specifically, at the opposing locations between the fixed die 28 and the movable die 29 in the press working device, the forming portion 31, the first punching portion 32, the second punching portion 33, and the separating portion 34 are provided from the rear side to the front side in the feeding direction of the material 27, that is, from the left side to the right side in FIGS. 3 and 4. These forming portion 31, first punching portion 32, second punching portion 33, and separating portion 34 perform press working on the forming region 30 of the material 27 and its periphery every time the die is clamped. Through such press working, the separator 14 is formed.

[0026] Next, the details of the forming portion 31, the first punching portion 32, the second punching portion 33, and the separating portion 34 in the press working device will be individually described. <Forming portion 31> The forming part 31 has a forming surface 35 for forming the contour of the separator 14, as well as the contours of its holes 16-21, recesses 23, reference holes 24, and terminal parts 26 in the forming area 30 of the material 27 during mold clamping, and for forming the groove 22 of the separator 14. The forming part 31 performs shape processing on a part of the forming area 30 by the forming surface 35 during mold clamping, thereby forming the various contours and the groove 22 in the forming area 30 of the material 27 as shown in FIG. 4.

[0027] <First punching part 32> The first punching part 32 shown in FIG. 3 is provided with punches 36, 37 and a die 38 for punching a predetermined part of the material 27 during mold clamping. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the punch 36 punches the first part 39 of the material 27. Also, the punch 37 punches the locations corresponding to the holes 16-21 of the separator 14 within the forming area 30 of the material 27.

[0028] The first part 39 is located outside the forming area 30 of the material 27, in other words, outside the position corresponding to the short side 14b of the outer peripheral surface of the separator 14. The first part 39 has a short side part 40 and a protruding part 41. The short side part 40 is located outside the forming area 30 of the material 27 in the long side direction, and extends along the short side direction of the forming area 30. The protruding part 41 extends from both ends in the longitudinal direction of the short side part 40 toward the space between the adjacent forming areas 30, with a gap from the long side of the forming area 30.

[0029] The punch 36 is shaped to correspond to the short side part 40 and the protruding part 41 of the first part 39 in order to punch the first part 39 of such a shape. As a result, the shape of the punch 36 follows the position along the short side 14b of the outer peripheral surface of the separator 14 in the material 27. Then, during mold clamping, the first part 39 of the material 27 is punched by the punch 36, and the locations corresponding to the holes 16-21 within the forming area 30 of the material 27 are punched by the punch 37, thereby forming the first location of the separator 14.

[0030] <Second punching part 33> The second punching portion 33 shown in Fig. 3 includes punches 42 to 44 and a die 45 for punching a predetermined portion of the forming region 30 in the material 27 during mold clamping. As shown in Figs. 4 and 6, the punch 42 punches a second portion 46 that is located separately from the first portion 39 in the material 27. Also, the punches 43 and 44 punch the portions in the forming region 30 of the material 27 that correspond to the reference hole 24 and the terminal portion 26.

[0031] The second portion 46 is adjacent to the first portion 39 in the material 27 and is located inside the position corresponding to the outer peripheral surface of the separator 14 in the material 27. Specifically, the second portion 46 is located at a position corresponding to the recess 23 of the separator 14 in the material 27. And the punch 42 for punching the second portion 46 of the material 27 has a shape that does not overlap the short side 14b of the outer peripheral surface of the separator 14 and has a shape corresponding to the recess 23 of the separator 14. By punching the second portion 46 of the material 27 with this punch 42, the recess 23 of the separator 14 is formed.

[0032] Then, during mold clamping, the punch 42 punches the second portion 46 of the material 27, and the punches 43 and 44 punch the portions in the forming region 30 of the material 27 that correspond to the reference hole 24 and the terminal portion 26, whereby the second portion of the separator 14 is formed.

[0033] <Separation portion 34> The separation portion 34 shown in Fig. 3 includes a punch 47 and a die 48 for separating the forming region 30 from the material 27 to form the separator 14 during mold clamping. As shown in Figs. 4 and 6, the punch 47 is for punching along the long side of the forming region 30 between adjacent forming regions 30 in the material 27 and has a shape that enables such punching. By punching between adjacent forming regions 30 in the material 27 with this punch 47, the separator 14 is separated from the material 27.

[0034] Next, the operation of the press working apparatus of the present embodiment and the press working method based on the operation will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the strip-shaped material 27 is disposed between the fixed die 28 and the movable die 29 of the press working apparatus. When the die of the press working apparatus is clamped, in the forming portion 31, as shown in FIG. 4, the contour of the separator 14, and the contours of the holes 16 to 21, the recess 23, the reference hole 24, and the terminal portion 26 are formed in the forming region 30 of the material 27, and the groove 22 of the separator 14 is formed. When the die is opened thereafter, the material 27 is fed at the above-described pitch toward the right side in FIGS. 3 and 4.

[0035] When the die of the subsequent press working apparatus is clamped, in the first punching portion 32, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the short side portion 40 and the protruding portion 41 of the first portion 39 in the material 27 by the punch 36 are punched. Thereby, the short side 14b of the outer peripheral surface of the separator 14 is formed. Further, at this time, the punching of the portions corresponding to the holes 16 to 21 of the material 27 by the punch 37 is also performed. Thereby, the holes 16 to 21 of the separator 14 are formed. When the die is opened thereafter, the material 27 is fed at the above-described pitch toward the right side in FIGS. 3 and 4.

[0036] When the die of the subsequent press working apparatus is clamped, in the second punching portion 33, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the punching of the second portion 46 in the forming region 30 of the material 27 by the punch 42 is performed. Thereby, the recess 23 of the separator 14 is formed. Further, at this time, the punching of the portion corresponding to the reference hole 24 in the above-described forming region 30 by the punch 43, and the punching of the portion corresponding to the terminal portion 26 in the above-described forming region 30 by the punch 44 are also performed. Thereby, the reference hole 24 and the terminal portion 26 of the separator 14 are formed. When the die is opened thereafter, the material 27 is fed at the above-described pitch toward the right side in FIGS. 3 and 4.

[0037] When the die of the subsequent press working apparatus is clamped, in the separating portion 34, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the punching between the adjacent forming regions 30 in the material 27 by the punch 47 is performed. Thereby, the separator 14 is separated from the material 27. Thus, a large number of separators 14 are manufactured from the strip-shaped material 27.

[0038] According to the embodiment described in detail above, the following effects can be obtained. (1-1) When the press working device is clamped, the punch 36 of the first punching portion 32 punches the first portion 39 of the material 27, and then when the press working device is clamped again, the punch 42 of the second punching portion 33 punches the second portion 46 of the material 27. Specifically, the press working device is configured to manufacture the separator 14 by progressive press working. Then, in such a progressive press working process, after punching the first portion 39 of the material 27 with the punch 36 of the first punching portion 32, the second portion 46 of the material 27 is punched with the punch 42 of the second punching portion 33.

[0039] When punching the first portion 39 of the material 27, press strain due to the punching and accompanying shrinkage occur in the material 27. According to the press working device, after the shrinkage of the material 27 occurs, the second portion 46 of the material 27 is punched. Therefore, when the concave portion 23 of the separator 14 is formed by punching the second portion 46 of the material 27, the influence of the shrinkage accompanying the punching of the first portion 39 of the material 27 does not extend. Since the shrinkage accompanying the punching of the first portion 39 in the material does not affect the formation of the concave portion 23 in the separator 14 in this way, high accuracy can be maintained when forming the concave portion 23 in the separator 14.

[0040] (1-2) As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the first portion 39 is located outside the separator 14 in the long side direction, rather than at a position corresponding to the short side 14b of the outer peripheral surface of the separator 14 in the material 27. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the second portion 46 is located corresponding to the concave portion 23 of the separator 14 that is recessed inward from a position corresponding to the short side 14b of the outer peripheral surface of the separator 14 in the material 27. The opening 23a of the concave portion 23 of the separator 14 has an R shape and is connected to the short side 14b of the outer peripheral surface of the separator 14 as shown in FIG. 6. Therefore, the second portion 46 in the material 27 shown in FIG. 5 also has a shape corresponding to the concave portion 23 of the separator 14.

[0041] After the punch 36 of the first punching portion 32 punches the first portion 39 of the material 27 to form the short side 14b of the outer peripheral surface, which is the first location on the separator 14, the punch 42 of the second punching portion 33 punches the second portion 46 of the material 27. The punch 42 of the second punching portion 33 has a shape that does not overlap with the outer peripheral surface of the separator 14 in the material 27 and corresponds to the concave portion 23 of the separator 14. Therefore, the punch 42 punches the second portion 46 of the material 27 without overlapping the position corresponding to the short side 14b of the outer peripheral surface of the separator 14 in the material 27, that is, the short side 14b of the outer peripheral surface, which is the first location of the separator 14. Thereby, the concave portion 23, which is the second location on the separator 14, is formed.

[0042] Therefore, when the second portion 46 corresponding to the concave portion 23 having an R shape in the opening 23a is punched by the punch 42 of the second punching portion 33, the punch 42 of the second punching portion 33 does not rub against the portion punched by the punch 36 of the first punching portion 32 in the material 27, that is, the short side 14b of the outer peripheral surface, which is the first location of the separator 14. For this reason, it is possible to suppress the generation of burrs and the like due to the rubbing of the punch 42 against the short side 14b of the outer peripheral surface.

[0043] (1-3) As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the first portion 39 of the material 27 has a short side portion 40 and a protruding portion 41. The short side portion 40 is located outside the long side direction of the forming region 30 in the material 27 and extends along the position corresponding to the short side. The protruding portion 41 extends with a gap from the both ends in the longitudinal direction of the short side portion 40 toward the long side of the forming region 30 between the adjacent forming regions 30. And as shown in FIG. 3, the first punching portion 32 includes a punch 36 and a die 38 for punching the short side portion 40 and the protruding portion 41 of the first portion 39. The punch 36 has a shape corresponding to the short side portion 40 and the protruding portion 41 of the first portion 39.

[0044] When the punch 36 and the die 38 of the first punching portion 32 punch the short side portion 40 and the protruding portion 41 of the first portion 39 shown in FIG. 5 with respect to the material 27, the punched scrap becomes a shape corresponding to the first portion 39. Therefore, the detachment of the scrap generated by the above punching from the die 38 is suppressed by the portion corresponding to the protruding portion 41 in the scrap being caught by the die 38. Accordingly, when punching the first portion 39 with respect to the material 27, it is not necessary to take measures when the scrap generated by the punching comes off from the die 38.

[0045] (1-4) The protruding portion 41 of the first portion 39 shown in FIG. 5 has a gap from the long side of the formation region 30 in the material 27. Therefore, when the first portion 39 of the material 27 is punched by the punch 36 of the first punching portion 32, at the position corresponding to the protruding portion 41 on the long side of the formation region 30, the material 27 protrudes outward from the long side. Therefore, when the four corners of the separator 14 are R-shaped, while punching the material 27 by the punch 36 of the first punching portion 32 along the R shape, it is possible to prevent the punching from being performed along the long side of the formation region 30 in the material 27.

[0046] And the portion protruding from the long side of the formation region 30 in the material 27 after punching the first portion 39 by the punch 36 is punched simultaneously when the punch 47 of the dividing portion 34 punches between the adjacent formation regions 30 in the material 27 along the long side of the formation region 30 as shown in FIG. 6. Thereby, when the punch 47 of the dividing portion 34 punches between the adjacent formation regions 30 in the material 27, rubbing of the punched portion of the material 27 by the punch 47 of the dividing portion 34 at the long side of the formation region 30 in the material 27 is suppressed. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the generation of burrs or the like by the punch 47 of the dividing portion 34 rubbing the punched portion of the material 27.

[0047] (1-5) At the first location of the separator 14, not only the short side 14b on the outer peripheral surface of the separator 14 but also the holes 16 to 21 for fluid flow are included. For this reason, since a large amount of the material 27 is punched out by the punches 36 and 37 of the first punching portion 32, the shrinkage of the material 27 due to the press strain during the punching is likely to increase significantly.

[0048] Also, at the second location of the separator 14, not only the recess 23 but also the reference hole 24 and the terminal portion 26 are included. When the number of the second locations in the separator 14 increases in this way, if the punching of the material 27 by the punches 36 and 37 of the first punching portion 32 and the punching of the material 27 by the punches 42 to 44 of the second punching portion 33 are performed simultaneously, the following occurs. That is, the large shrinkage of the material 27 described above affects the formation of the second location by the punching of the material 27 by the punches 42 to 44 of the second punching portion 33.

[0049] However, in the press working apparatus, after the punching of the material 27 by the punches 36 and 37 of the first punching portion 32 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the punching of the material 27 by the punches 42 to 44 of the second punching portion 33 shown in FIGS. 4 and 6 is performed. For this reason, it is possible to suppress the large shrinkage of the material 27 described above from affecting the formation of the second location.

[0050] (1-6) The second punching portion 33 not only punches the second portion 46 of the material 27 with the punch 42, but also punches the portion corresponding to the terminal portion 26 of the material 27 with the punch 44. The opening 26a of the terminal portion 26 with respect to the long side 14c of the outer peripheral surface of the separator 14 has an R shape and is connected to the long side 14c of the outer peripheral surface. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the punch 44 for punching the portion corresponding to the terminal portion 26 of the material 27 is shaped so as not to overlap with the position corresponding to the long side 14c of the outer peripheral surface of the separator 14 in the material 27. Therefore, after punching the material 27 with the punch 44 of the second punching portion 33, when punching between the adjacent forming regions 30 in the material 27 with the punch 47 of the dividing portion 34, the portion punched by the punch 44 of the second punching portion 33 in the material 27 will not be rubbed by the punch 47 of the dividing portion 34. For this reason, it is possible to suppress the generation of burrs and the like due to the portion punched by the punch 44 of the second punching portion 33 in the material 27 being rubbed by the punch 47 of the dividing portion 34.

[0051] [Second Embodiment] Next, a second embodiment of the press working apparatus and the press working method will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8.

[0052] The press working apparatus of this embodiment has a structure for forming the concave portion 23 and the terminal portion 26 in the separator 14. In other words, the first punching portion 32, the second punching portion 33, and the dividing portion 34 are different from those in the first embodiment.

[0053] The punch 36 of the first punching portion 32 has the following shape. That is, the shape of the punch 36 is not only along the position corresponding to the short side 14b of the outer peripheral surface of the separator 14 in the material 27 as shown in FIG. 7, but also along the position corresponding to the opening 23a of the concave portion 23 of the separator 14 shown in FIG. 8. Therefore, the first portion 39 of the material 27 in this embodiment is not only located outside the forming region 30 in the material 27, that is, outside the position corresponding to the outer peripheral surface of the separator 14, but also corresponds to the opening 23a of the concave portion 23 in the separator 14.

[0054] The shapes of the punches 42 and 44 of the second punching portion 33 are as follows. That is, as shown in FIG. 8, the punch 42 is shaped so as not to overlap with the short side 14b of the outer peripheral surface of the separator 14 and the opening 23a of the recess 23 in the material 27. Further, the shape of the punch 42 is also a shape corresponding to the inner part of the material 27 inside the opening 23a of the recess 23 of the separator 14. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, the second part 46 of the material 27 in this embodiment is located inside the position corresponding to the outer peripheral surface of the separator 14 adjacent to the first part 39 and does not overlap with the opening 23a of the recess 23, and is located in the inner part inside the opening 23a.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 8, the punch 44 is shaped so as not to overlap with the long side 14c of the outer peripheral surface of the separator 14 and the opening 26a of the terminal portion 26 in the material 27. Further, the shape of the punch 44 is also a shape corresponding to the inner part of the material 27 inside the opening 26a of the terminal portion 26 of the separator 14.

[0056] The punch 47 of the dividing portion 34 is shaped such that the following can be achieved when punching along the long side of the forming region 30 between adjacent forming regions 30 in the material 27. That is, the shape of the punch 47 is a shape that does not overlap with the inner part of the opening 26a of the terminal portion 26 in the separator 14, and is a shape corresponding to the opening 26a in the terminal portion 26.

[0057] Next, the operation of the press working apparatus of this embodiment and the press working method based on the operation will be described. When the press working apparatus is closed, at the first punching portion 32, as shown in FIG. 7, the first portion 39 of the material 27 is punched by the punch 36, and the portions corresponding to the holes 16 to 21 of the material 27 are punched by the punch 37. As a result, the short side 14b of the outer peripheral surface of the separator 14 is formed, and the holes 16 to 21 of the separator 14 are formed. When the mold is opened thereafter, the material 27 is fed at the above-described pitch toward the right side in FIG. 7.

[0058] When the press working apparatus is closed next, at the second punching portion 33, the second portion 46 in the formation region 30 of the material 27 is punched by the punch 42 shown in FIG. 8. As a result, the recess 23 of the separator 14 is formed. Further, at this time, the portion corresponding to the reference hole 24 in the formation region 30 is punched by the punch 43, and the portion corresponding to the terminal portion 26 in the formation region 30 is punched by the punch 44. Then, the reference hole 24 of the separator 14 is formed by punching the portion corresponding to the reference hole 24 in the formation region 30 by the punch 43. When the mold is opened thereafter, the material 27 is fed at the above-described pitch toward the right side in FIG. 8.

[0059] When the press working apparatus is closed next, at the dividing portion 34, the material 27 is punched between adjacent formation regions 30 by the punch 47 shown in FIG. 8. At that time, the punch 47 also punches the portion corresponding to the opening 26a so as not to overlap with the inner portion of the opening 26a in the terminal portion 26 of the separator 14. By such punching of the material 27 by the punch 47, the terminal portion 26 of the separator 14 is formed and the separator 14 is separated from the material 27. In this way, a large number of separators 14 are manufactured from the strip-shaped material 27.

[0060] According to the present embodiment described in detail above, in addition to the effects shown in (1-1), (1-3), (1-4), and (1-5) of the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. As shown in Fig. 7, the first part 39 is located outside the position corresponding to the short side 14b of the outer peripheral surface of the separator 14 in the material 27 and corresponds to the opening 23a of the recess 23. On the other hand, the second part 46 is located corresponding to the inner part of the material 27 than the opening 23a of the recess 23 of the separator 14.

[0061] The punch 36 of the first punching part 32 punches the first part 39 of the material 27 to form the short side 14b of the outer peripheral surface, which is the first position in the separator 14, and the opening 23a of the recess 23 in the separator 14. Then, the punch 42 of the second punching part 33 shown in Fig. 8 punches the second part 46 of the material 27 as follows. That is, the punch 42 punches the inner part of the recess 23 in the material 27, which is the second part, than the opening 23a of the recess 23 without overlapping the opening 23a of the recess 23 of the separator 14 in the material 27. Thereby, the recess 23, which is the second position in the separator 14, is formed.

[0062] Therefore, when the second part 46 is punched by the punch 42 of the second punching part 33, the punch 42 of the second punching part 33 does not rub against the portion punched by the punch 36 of the first punching part 32 in the material 27, that is, the short side 14b of the outer peripheral surface of the separator 14 and the opening 23a of the recess 23. For this reason, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of burrs and the like due to the punch 42 rubbing against the short side 14b of the outer peripheral surface and the opening 23a of the recess 23.

[0063] As shown in Fig. 8 of (2-2), the second punching portion 33 not only punches the second portion 46 with the punch 42, but also punches the inner portion of the terminal portion 26 inside the opening 26a with the punch 44. The punch 44 is shaped such that it does not overlap with the long side 14c of the outer peripheral surface of the separator 14 in the material 27 and the opening 26a of the terminal portion 26. After the material 27 is punched by the punch 44 of the second punching portion 33, the punch 47 of the dividing portion 34 punches along the long side of the forming region 30 between the adjacent forming regions 30 in the material 27, and the portion corresponding to the opening 26a of the terminal portion 26 is punched so as not to overlap with the inner portion of the opening 26a in the terminal portion 26. As a result, the portion punched by the punch 44 of the second punching portion 33 in the material 27 is not rubbed by the punch 47 of the dividing portion 34. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the generation of burrs and the like due to the portion punched by the punch 44 of the second punching portion 33 in the material 27 being rubbed by the punch 47 of the dividing portion 34.

[0064] [Other Embodiments] In addition, each of the above embodiments can be modified as follows, for example. The above embodiments and the following modification examples can be implemented in combination with each other within a technically non - conflicting range.

[0065] ·In the first embodiment, the opening 23a of the recess 23 in the separator 14 does not necessarily have to be an R shape. For example, the inner surface of the opening 23a may be orthogonal to the short side 14b of the outer peripheral surface of the separator 14.

[0066] ·In the first embodiment, the opening 26a of the terminal portion 26 in the separator 14 does not necessarily have to be an R shape. For example, the inner surface of the opening 26a may be orthogonal to the long side 14c of the outer peripheral surface of the separator 14.

[0067] ·In the first and second embodiments, the four corners of the separator 14 do not necessarily have to be an R shape. · In the first and second embodiments, the first part 39 does not necessarily have to have the protruding part 41. In this case, the punch 36 of the first punching part 32 has a shape corresponding to the above-mentioned first part 39.

[0068] · Instead of the reference hole 24, a recess such as the recess 23 may be formed, and the recess may be given the function of the reference hole 24. · The punching of the material 27 by the punches 42 to 44 of the second punching part 33 does not necessarily have to be performed at the same die closing. For example, the punches 42 to 44 are distributed to a plurality of second punching parts 33. Further, for the plurality of second punching parts 33, they are arranged side by side with an interval corresponding to the above pitch in the feeding direction of the material 27. In this case, as the material 27 is fed at the above pitch every time the die is closed, the punches 42 to 44 punch the locations corresponding to different forming regions 30 in the material 27 every time the die is closed.

[0069] · Although the press working apparatus and the press working method of the first and second embodiments are exemplified as those performing progressive press working, they may be applied to press working apparatuses and press working methods performing press working other than progressive press working such as transfer press working and tandem press working.

Explanation of Signs

[0070] 11… Fuel cell 14… Separator 14a… Corner 14b… Short side 14c… Long side 16 - 21… Hole 23… Recess 23a… Opening 24… Reference hole 26… Terminal part 26a… Opening 27… Material 28… Fixed die 29… Movable die 30… Forming region 31… Forming part 32… First punching part 33… Second punching part 34…Breaking part 35…Forming surface 36, 37…Punch 38…Die 39…First part 40…Short side part 41…Protruding part 42 - 44…Punch 45…Die 46…Second part 47…Punch 48…Die

Claims

1. A punching portion provided at a facing portion between a fixed die and a movable die where type tightening and type opening are repeated, and when forming a separator for a fuel cell from a material by press working based on the repetition of type tightening and type opening, in a press working apparatus that punches a part of the material by the punching portion during type tightening, the punching portion includes a first punching portion and a second punching portion, the first punching portion forms a first location of the separator by punching a first portion of the material, the second punching portion forms a second location that needs to be formed with higher accuracy than the first location in the separator by punching a second portion of the material different from the first portion of the material, a press working apparatus configured such that the first punching portion punches the first portion of the material during type tightening, and then the second punching portion punches the second portion of the material during subsequent type tightening.

2. The material extends between the fixed die and the movable die, and has a strip shape in which forming regions for forming the separator are arranged along the longitudinal direction, and is fed in the longitudinal direction at a pitch corresponding to the distance between adjacent forming regions for each type opening between the fixed die and the movable die, at a facing portion between the fixed die and the movable die, a forming portion, the first punching portion, the second punching portion, and a dividing portion are provided in order along the longitudinal direction of the material, during type tightening of the fixed die and the movable die, the forming portion performs shape processing on a part of the forming region of the material, the first punching portion punches the first portion of the material, the second punching portion punches the second portion of the material, and the dividing portion divides the forming region from the material to form the separator, according to the press working apparatus described in Claim 1.

3. The first location of the separator is the outer peripheral surface of the separator, the second location of the separator is a concave portion that is recessed inward from the outer peripheral surface of the separator, an opening of the concave portion with respect to the outer peripheral surface has an R shape and is connected to the outer peripheral surface of the separator, the first portion of the material is located outside a position corresponding to the outer peripheral surface of the separator in the material, The second part of the material is adjacent to the first part of the material and is located inside the position corresponding to the outer peripheral surface of the separator in the material. The first punching part includes a punch for punching the first part, and the punch has a shape along the position corresponding to the outer peripheral surface of the separator in the material. The second punching part includes a punch for punching the second part, and the punch has a shape that does not overlap with the position corresponding to the outer peripheral surface of the separator in the material and corresponds to the concave part of the separator, as described in claim 2 of the press working apparatus.

4. The first location of the separator is the outer peripheral surface of the separator. The second location of the separator is a concave part that is recessed inward from the outer peripheral surface of the separator. The opening of the concave part with respect to the outer peripheral surface has an R shape and is connected to the outer peripheral surface of the separator. The first part of the material is located outside the position corresponding to the outer peripheral surface of the separator in the material and corresponds to the opening of the concave part. The second part of the material is adjacent to the first part of the material and is located inside the position corresponding to the outer peripheral surface of the separator in the material and inside the opening so as not to overlap with the opening of the concave part. The first punching part includes a punch for punching the first part, and the punch has a shape along the positions corresponding to the outer peripheral surface of the separator and the opening of the concave part in the material. The second punching part includes a punch for punching the second part, and the punch has a shape that does not overlap with the positions corresponding to the outer peripheral surface of the separator and the opening of the concave part in the material and corresponds to the inner part of the opening in the concave part of the separator, as described in claim 2 of the press working apparatus.

5. The separator is a rectangular plate shape with R-shaped corners. The first location of the separator is the short side on the outer peripheral surface of the separator. The second location of the separator is the concave part that is recessed inward from the short side on the outer peripheral surface. The forming region has a rectangular shape corresponding to the separator and is arranged in the short side direction along the longitudinal direction of the material. The first part of the material has a short side portion located outside the long side direction of the forming region in the material and extending along a position corresponding to the short side, and a protruding portion extending with a gap from both ends in the longitudinal direction of the short side portion toward between the adjacent forming regions and the long side of the forming region. The punch of the first punching portion has a shape corresponding to the short side portion and the protruding portion of the first part. The first punching portion includes a die corresponding to the punch. The press processing apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the separating portion includes a punch for punching between adjacent forming regions in the material along the long side of the forming region.

6. The first location of the separator includes holes for forming passages through which a fluid flows. The second location of the separator includes a reference hole used when incorporating the separator into a fuel cell, and a terminal portion recessed inward from the long side on the outer peripheral surface of the separator. The first punching portion also includes a punch for punching a location corresponding to the hole in the forming region of the material when punching the first part in the material. The press processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the second punching portion also includes a punch for punching locations corresponding to the reference hole and the terminal portion in the forming region of the material when punching the second part in the material.

7. The opening of the outer peripheral surface of the terminal portion of the separator with respect to the long side has an R shape and is connected to the long side. The punch for punching the portion corresponding to the terminal portion of the material in the second punching portion has a shape that does not overlap with the position corresponding to the long side of the outer peripheral surface of the separator in the material, and has a shape corresponding to the terminal portion of the separator.

8. The opening of the outer peripheral surface of the terminal portion of the separator with respect to the long side has an R shape and is connected to the long side. The punch for punching the portion corresponding to the terminal portion of the material in the second punching portion has a shape that does not overlap with the position corresponding to the long side of the outer peripheral surface of the separator in the material and the opening of the terminal portion, and has a shape corresponding to the inner portion of the opening of the terminal portion of the separator. The punch of the dividing part is shaped such that when punching out the part between adjacent forming regions in the material along the long side of the forming region, the part corresponding to the opening does not overlap with the inner part of the terminal part of the separator at the opening, according to the press working apparatus of claim 6.

9. When forming a separator for a fuel cell from a material by press working based on the repetition of clamping and opening of a fixed die and a movable die, in a press working method of punching out a part of the material by a punching part provided at a facing part between the fixed die and the movable die during clamping, the punching part includes a first punching part and a second punching part, the first punching part forms a first location of the separator by punching out a first part of the material, the second punching part forms a second location that needs to be formed with higher accuracy than the first location in the separator by punching out a second part different from the first part of the material, a press working method in which the first part of the material is punched out by the first punching part during clamping, and then the second part of the material is punched out by the second punching part during subsequent clamping.

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