Researchers at Fraunhofer IPA and the Black Forest Campus have collaborated with industrial partners in the “H2FastCell” project to develop a robot duo capable of stacking fuel cells in seconds, aiming to revolutionize fuel cell manufacturing processes.
The automation of fuel cell stack manufacturing is seen as crucial for reducing the cost of fuel cell systems, with Erwin Groß from Fraunhofer IPA emphasizing, “If fuel cells are to replace combustion engines in heavy-duty transport, they must be mass-produced on an industrial scale, largely automated and correspondingly cost-effective.”
The project’s automation solution, presented by the research team, involves a robot duo that can place a bipolar plate or membrane electrode unit on the fuel cell stack every second. This results in a stack of 400 individual fuel cells being ready in around 13 minutes, a process that would take significantly longer with manual production methods.
Precision is another key factor in industrial mass production, as any deviation, even in the micrometre range, could impact the performance of the fuel cell system. To address this, the two robots stack two fuel cell stacks in parallel. Their cameras monitor for deviations during quality control and assign the components to the appropriate stack, reducing the number of rejects in production.
Five companies from Baden-Württemberg collaborated on the H2FastCell project: ISG Industrielle Steuerungstechnik GmbH, J. Schmalz GmbH, i-mation GmbH, teamtechnik Maschinen und Anlagen GmbH, and Weiss GmbH. The project, funded by the Baden-Wuerttemberg Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Tourism with around 2.3 million euros, aims to drive advancements in fuel cell technology for mobile and stationary use.
The completed robot cell is situated on a test field at the Campus Schwarzwald in Freudenstadt and will serve as a test bench for small and medium-sized companies to evaluate their products. Stefan Bogenrieder, Managing Director of Campus Schwarzwald, envisions leveraging hydrogen technology for energy applications in the region, stating, “We want to work with companies in Baden-Wuerttemberg to harness hydrogen technology for mobile and stationary use as an energy source.”
