Fuel Cell Metal Separator Manufacturing via Incremental Rubber Molding
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing stamping process for manufacturing metal separators for fuel cells faces challenges such as spring-back, recoiling, excessive local thinning, and tool wear, which affect the dimensional accuracy and productivity, especially when producing large-sized separators with complex patterns.
Innovation Solution
An incremental and synchronized rubber molding process is employed, using a plurality of low dies with a predetermined pattern and a transferring means to pitch-transfer the dies in opposite directions, allowing for sequential compression molding of the metal plate into unit areas with a retainer, thereby minimizing molding defects and optimizing the molding load.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a stamping process is used to manufacture metal separators, then mass production is enabled, but spring-back, recoiling, and excessive local thinning occur affecting dimensional accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The metal plate is divided into multiple unit areas, and the molding process is segmented into multiple sequential steps. Each step processes a specific unit area with controlled deformation, preventing excessive local thinning and recoiling while maintaining mass production capability through systematic progression.
Solution Approach 2:
A preform is created as an intermediate step before final molding. This preliminary deformation prepares the metal plate by distributing stress more evenly, reducing spring-back and recoiling effects in the subsequent final molding step while maintaining dimensional accuracy.
2Productivity
If conventional stamping is used for large-sized separators, then productivity is maintained, but tool wear increases and dimensional accuracy decreases
Solution Approach 1:
A rubber retainer is introduced as an intermediary between the rigid stamping tools and the metal plate. The rubber material provides cushioning and distributed pressure, reducing tool wear while maintaining effective deformation force for mass production of large-sized separators.
3Manufacturing precision
If incremental molding is used to improve accuracy, then dimensional accuracy improves, but process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The molding process is segmented into multiple unit areas processed sequentially. Each segment is simpler than processing the entire plate at once, allowing controlled deformation with reduced complexity in each individual step while achieving high overall accuracy through the cumulative effect.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach ensures high accuracy and uniformity of the pattern, prevents warping, and enables the mass production of large-sized metal separators with improved manufacturing speed and reduced tool wear.
Implementation Method 1
a rubber retainer for compression-molding the pitch-transferred metal plate
Implementation Method 2
compression-molding the pitch-transferred metal plate placed on the upper surface of each of the lower dies
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides an apparatus and method for manufacturing a metal separator for a fuel cell, which can manufacture large-sized metal separators in large quantities using metal plates such as stainless steel by thermoplastic deformation using an incremental and synchronized rubber molding process.