GERMAN FUEL CELL COOPERATION

YOUR PARTNERS FOR MANUFACTURING EQUIPMENT

from metal strip to fuel cell or electrolyzer stack

How do you efficiently produce the fuel cell or electrolyzer of the future?

VON ARDENNE, Weil Technology and ZELTWANGER have asked themselves this question together. You can benefit from the expertise of all three companies at every step in the process chain and get your production ready for the fuel cell or electrolyzer of the future.

Your advantages at a glance

High process reliability with bundled know-how for every production step

Comprehensive traceability via the higher-level master controller

Fully automated and chained production lines with coordinated plant technology and interfaces

High-volume systems for series production from metal strip to BPP or the finished fuel cell system

Pre-validation on a prototype process comparable to series production

Flexible and scalable plant technology adapted to the requirement

Short time-to-market: Fast concept and quotation submission and efficient commissioning thanks to predefined hardware and software interfaces

The manufacturing process of fuel cells

Prozesskette_German-Fuel-Cell-Cooperation Mobil_Prozesskette_German-Fuel-Cell-Cooperation

Vacuum based coating of metal strip substrates (Pre-Coating) for bipolar plates

Electron Beam Evaporation or Magnetron Sputtering Processes

Process

  • Vacuum Coating of metal strip substrate
  • Process component options:
    • Plasma Pretreatment (surface activation / cleaning)
    • PVD-Coating by magnetron sputtering or electron beam evaporation
    • Heating / Cooling

Benefits from coating metal substrates

  • Mechanical and chemical stability
  • Low interfacial contact resistance
  • Low coating costs
  • Electrical and thermal conductivity
  • Corrosion resistance
  • Long lifetime

Learn more or contact us directly

Laser cutting

By using laser technology, you avoid the use of high-maintenance tools and react flexibly to contour changes.

System advantages

  • Cutting speed up to 50 m/min
  • Highest dynamics through linear direct drives
  • Contour accuracy up to +/- 0,02 mm
  • For standard plate format up to 500 x 165 mm, a doubled mold is possible
  • Highest cutting quality due to real-time controlled power regulation
  • Automated loading and unloading from KLT or belt system

Learn more or contact us directly

Optical inspection

  • Optical inspection of the coating for homogeneity/defects
  • Checking the orientation of the plate before loading

Learn more or contact us directly

Laser welding

System advantages

  • Patent-pending welding modules with large working area of 500 x 350 mm
  • Dual field scanner technology for an absolute welding speed of 1000 mm/s for maximum output
  • Reduced thermal distortion due to symmetrical heat input with Butterfly Weld
  • Double panel loading is possible for panel sizes up to 500 x 165 mm
  • Low space requirement

Learn more or contact us directly

Dichtheitsprüfung

Leak testing

  • Use of all common test methods possible (pressure drop, detection gas test with helium)
  • High flexibility due to easily exchangeable sealing devices as well as the use of the modular ZELWANGER measuring inserts ZEDcore
  • Scalable test systems incl. semi- to fully-automatic loading and unloading process
  • Achieving the shortest possible test times through the use of specially developed measuring circuits and test fixtures
  • Preliminary tests as well as measuring equipment capability tests in our own application laboratory or at the customer’s site

Vacuum based coating of metal bipolar plate substrates (Post-Coating)

Electron Beam Evaporation or Magnetron Sputtering Processes

Process

  • V- Vacuum Coating of metal bipolar plates
  • Process component options:
    • Plasma Pretreatment (surface activation / cleaning)
    • PVD-Coating by magnetron sputtering or electron beam evaporation
    • Heating / Cooling

Benefits from coating metal substrates

  • Mechanical and chemical stability
  • Low interfacial contact resistance
  • Low coating costs
  • Electrical and thermal conductivity
  • Corrosion resistance
  • Long lifetime

Learn more or contact us directly

Application and testing of the seal

Automated application of sealing compound

  • 1K or 2K sealants

Process monitoring

  • Volume flow monitoring
  • Visual inspection of the sealing bead „on the fly“

Hardening

Advantages

  • Automated process for high productivity
  • Highly accurate dosing of the sealing
    material possible
  • Optical inspection of the sealing lip after
    application optional

Get in contact now

Bipolarplatte

Bipolar plate

Stacking-Anlage im Detail

Speed

  • Stacking rate up to 2.9 seconds per cell
  • Optical positioning „on the fly“

Accuracy

  • Positioning accuracy +/- 0.10mm
  • Optical tests
  • After grabbing
  • After discarding
  • Position correction after measuring the component using optical contours of the components
  • Straight or inclined stacking device

Flexibility

  • Freely adjustable number of cells (up to 500 cells)
  • Standardized for component dimensions up to 250mm x 500mm
  • Handling of bipolar plates made of metal or graphite
  • Expandable with integrated leak test, bracing module and pre-assembly processes

    Compression, leak testing and clamping

    Pressing of the stacked fuel cell stack

    • Force-displacement monitored pressing of the stack by means of servo presses​
    • Free parameterization of the force and/or displacement over time

    Leak testing of the fuel cell stack

    • Fully automatic testing of external and internal leakages of the individual test chambers to each other (anode, cathode, cooling)
    • Allocation of the leakage channel possible using highly accurate flow measuring circuits

    Clamping of the fuel cell stack

    • ​Manual or automatic clamping of the stack possible by means of metal straps or threaded rods

    Get in contact now

    Fuel cell stack

    1. Vacuum based coating of metal strip substrates (Pre-Coating) for bipolar plates
    2. Laser cutting
    3. Optical inspection
    4. Laser welding
    5. Leak testing
    6. Vacuum based coating of metal bipolar plate substrates (Post-Coating)
    7. Application and testing of the seal
    9. Stacking-Anlage im Detail
    10. Compression, leak testing and clamping

    Fully automated and chained production line

    Weil Technology GmbH

    Laser welding
    LWC-RT4

    ZELTWANGER Leaktesting & Automation GmbH

    Leak testing
    ZED BPP 4-2

    Von Ardenne GmbH

    PVD coating
    XEA | nova L8

    1. Weil Technology GmbH
    3. Von Ardenne GmbH

    GERMAN FUEL CELL COOPERATION

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    GFC Production line

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    Companies

    VISIT US AT THESE TRADE FAIRS AND EVENTS:

    Hydrogen Technology Expo

    World’s largest supplier fair for hydrogen technologies, materials, components and engineering solutions.

    September 27 – 28, 2023 | Bremen, Germany
    Exhibitor: German Fuel Cell Cooperation

    f-cell | China

    International Trade Fair for Industrialization of Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology

    December 1 – 3, 2023 I Shanghai, China
    Exhibitor: Von Ardenne

    Contact

    Susann_Puppe

    Alexander Wemme
    Industry Manager Hydrogen & Fuel Cell

    VON ARDENNE GmbH

    Tel.: +49 351 2637177
    wemme.alexander@vonardenne.com

    Harald_Liebhart

    Harald Liebhart
    Manager of Development
    Laser Cutting Technology and E-Mobility

    Weil Technology GmbH

    Tel.: +49 7631 1809 0
    h.liebhart@weil-technology.com

    Patrick_Reich

    Patrick Reich
    Head of Global Sales

    ZELTWANGER Gruppe

    Tel.: +49 7072 92897 526
    Mobil: + 49 1516 880 2310
    p.reich@zeltwanger.de

    Contact us now

    Thank you for your interest in the German Fuel Cell Cooperation.