Investing in clean hydrogen: GERMAN FUEL CELL COOPERATION (GFC) presents its high-volume production line for metallic bipolar plates

They will show the advantages and possibilities of their system at hy f-cell in Stuttgart, on 13 and 14 September, in Hall 4, Stand 4D34.

Well positioned for the mobility requirements of tomorrow

Their fully coordinated production line plays a pioneering role in the market: By bundling their respective competences, the three German companies VON ARDENNE (Dresden), Weil Technology (Müllheim) and ZELTWANGER (Tübingen), as partners in the GFC, offer manufacturers of fuel cell and electrolyzer stacks comprehensive know-how in all sub-processes for the efficient production of metallic bipolar plates. With an annual production capacity of several million bipolar plates, it covers the current needs of the industry.

Weil Technology has developed the Laser Welding Cell (LWC), which precisely joins the thin metal foils at high welding speeds. For leak testing, ZELTWANGER brings in the fully automated ZED BPP 4-2 test station in addition to a manual test station, which also achieves very low cycle times. The VON ARDENNE coating system uses cathode sputtering or magnetron sputtering in the post-coating process to coat the bipolar plates directly on both sides. The GFC partners support their customers in the scaling of processes and systems from development on a laboratory scale to pilot production and high-volume production.

Machines are already being built for leading companies in the hydrogen and fuel cell industry. An ideal prerequisite for reducing dependence on fossil fuels quickly and efficiently.

From metal strip to fuel cell or elektrolyzer stack

The long-standing expertise of the three mechanical engineering companies covers all process steps. The joint development and careful coordination of the line concept enables smooth transitions at the interfaces of the individual production steps. For this purpose, the line processes pre-embossed half-plates made of stainless steel or titanium. In a first step, these are welded into bipolar plates, then tested for leak tightness and finally receive a PVD coating to functionalize the surface.

GERMAN FUEL CELL COOPERATION – Booth, dates, contact

September 13th – 14th, 2023
Booth 4D34, Messe Stuttgart, Germany

Speaker’s Corner, hall 4, September 13, 12:50 – 13:20 CEST:
> Bipolar plate production:
Challenges for the serial production of bipolar plates, Florian Weil, Weil Technology GmbH
> Scalable thin-film coating solutions for bipolar plates, Susann Puppe, VON ARDENNE GmbH
> Successful Leak Testing in the Fuel Cell Industry, Anthony Nobel,
ZELTWANGER Leaktesting & Automation GmbH

Web: www.fuel-cell-cooperation.com | www.messe-stuttgart.de/hy-fcell/

Weil Technology

As a machine builder and solution provider, Weil Technology supports the realisation of new production processes in sheet metal processing as well as the optimisation, automation and sustainability of existing ones.

The company’s core competence is machines for sheet metal processing by laser welding and cutting with coordinated clamping and automation concepts. Weil Technology can look back on 35 years of experience in this field. At the company headquarters in Müllheim in southern Baden, around 240 employees develop and manufacture customised concepts and systems.

ZELTWANGER

The companies of the ZELTWANGER Group are among the technology and innovation leaders in the development and production of modern systems for automation, leak testing and thermal management.

For the e-mobility industry, ZELTWANGER offers diverse solutions for the quality assurance of battery systems, fuel cells and electric motors as well as the production of heat exchangers.

The modular devices and systems for leak and function testing are easily expandable through the use of plugand- play measurement modules to ensure high flexibility and scalability.