法因圖爾關于新型的高精度雙極板的研發制造

快速增長的電動車市場要求更經濟地生產更多組件，例如燃料電池。

The rapidly growing demand for electromobility requires the economical production of large quantities of components – for example for fuel cells.

在目前的一個研究項目中，法因圖爾小組、瑞士西北科學大學和阿爾高技術中心正在開發一種經濟的成型工藝，用于燃料電池金屬雙極板的大量生產。

In a current research project, the Feintool Group, the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland and the Hightech Zentrum Aargau are developing an economical forming process for the high-volume production of metallic bipolar plates for fuel cells.

燃料電池提供了一個有效的替代大型電池的市場。當需要進行長距離和短程加油時尤其如此——例如可在商用車輛、公共汽車和火車上作為柴油發動機的替代品。

然而，燃料電池目前仍過于昂貴，無法廣泛使用。每個燃料電池核心典型的300 - 400個雙極板，也就是所謂的堆棧，占制造成本的一半以上。

Fuel cells offer a valid alternative to large batteries in electric mobility. This is especially true when a long range and short refueling stops are required – for example in commercial vehicles, buses and trainsets as a diesel engine substitute.

However, fuel cells are currently still far too expensive for widespread use. The typical 300 – 400 bipolar plates of the heart of each fuel cell, the so-called stack, account for more than half of the manufacturing costs.

因此，人們正在尋找一種新的生產技術，以確保該技術的市場開拓能力。目前燃料電池系統主要使用石墨雙極板，但金屬雙極板由于能量密度低、制造成本高，將被取代。然而，在金屬雙極板的生產中，還需要解決各種技術難題。

Therefore, a new production technology is being looked for to ensure the marketability of this technology. Currently, mainly graphite bipolar plates are used in fuel cell systems, but these are to be replaced by metallic bipolar plates due to their low energy density and high manufacturing costs. However, various technical challenges still need to be solved in the production of metallic bipolar plates.

實際上，我們尋求一種能使非常薄的鋼板以要求的高精度制造出來的生產工藝。法因圖爾集團在精密沖裁工藝的沖壓和工具技術方面具有多年的經驗。這是當前項目的起點，旨在開發一種比液壓成形或傳統沖壓成形相結合的替代工藝更精確、更經濟的生產技術。

In particular, a production process is sought that allows the very thin plates to be manufactured with the required high precision.  The Feintool Group has many years of experience as a technology leader in both press and tool technologies for the fineblanking process.

This was the starting point for the current project, which aims at developing a production technology that is both more precise and more economical than alternative processes such as hydroforming or conventional punching combined with forming.

微型精密要求

Micro-precision required

穩定、創新的制造流程

A stable, innovative manufacturing process

新開發的工藝能夠生產出形狀經過優化、精密的陰極和陽極板幾何形狀，使雙極板流場內的氣體通道具有更好的輪廓。這轉化為更好的電接觸，更低的內阻，從而更高的燃料電池效率。

The newly developed process enables the production of shape-optimized, precise cathode and anode plate geometries that allow better contoured gas channels within the flowfield of the bipolar plates.

This translates into better electrical contact, lower internal resistance, and thus higher fuel cell efficiency.

然而, 只有在刀具制造、刀具幾何形狀、表面技術和沖壓技術等各種制造技術創新的復雜相互作用下，才有可能實現這一突破——并將有助于燃料電池未來的成功，作為電動汽車替代驅動概念的一部分，以及可再生能源的進一步應用。

However, it was only the complex interplay of various manufacturing technology innovations in tool making, tool geometry, surface technology and press technology that made this breakthrough possible –and will contribute to the future success of fuel cells as part of alternative drive concepts in electromobility and further applications of renewable energies.

原文始發于微信公眾號（Feintool法因圖爾）：法因圖爾關于新型的高精度雙極板的研發制造