Cutting apparatus and method of manufacturing MEA for fuel cell

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12308499-B2
Application number	US-202318497802-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 30, 2023
Priority date	Nov 13, 2018
Publication date	May 20, 2025
Grant date	May 20, 2025

Abstract

A cutting apparatus of membrane electrode assembly for a fuel cell may include a cutting press including a cutting die disposed on a lower side of the feeding path and a driving cutter configured to be upwardly and downwardly movable on the cutting die at an upper side of the feeding path, and the cutting press disposed to a facility frame, a plurality of gripper modules disposed on the facility frame through a base member along a feeding direction of the membrane-electrode assembly sheet, and gripping both side edges of the membrane-electrode assembly sheet and a gripper driving unit disposed in the facility frame and moving the base member in a direction perpendicular to the feeding direction of the membrane-electrode assembly sheet and along the feeding direction of the membrane-electrode assembly sheet.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cutting apparatus of membrane electrode assembly for a fuel cell, which is configured to a facility transferring a membrane electrode assembly sheet along a feeding path and cuts the membrane-electrode assembly sheet to produce a unit-type membrane-electrode assembly, the cutting apparatus including:
a cutting press including a cutting die disposed on a lower side of the feeding path and a driving cutter configured to be upwardly and downwardly movable on the cutting die at an upper side of the feeding path, the cutting press disposed to a facility frame;
a plurality of gripper modules disposed on the facility frame to be movable along a direction perpendicular to a feeding direction of the membrane-electrode assembly sheet and the feeding direction of the membrane-electrode assembly sheet, and gripping first and second side edge of the membrane-electrode assembly sheet;
a vision sensor disposed in the facility frame, reciprocating the inside and outside of the cutting die and the driving cutter, detecting a position of the electrode catalyst layer and outputting a sensing signal to a controller;
a position aligning unit disposed in the facility frame to be connected to the cutting die, the position aligning unit changing a position of the cutting press according to a position of the electrode catalyst layer detected by the vision sensor; and
a gripper driving unit disposed in the facility frame and moving a base member in a direction perpendicular to the feeding direction of the membrane-electrode assembly sheet and along the feeding direction of the membrane-electrode assembly sheet,
wherein each of the gripper modules includes:
a stationary gripper body fixedly mounted on the base member; and
an operating gripper body coupled to a first operating cylinder mounted on the base member and configured for selectively gripping the first and second side edges of the membrane-electrode assembly sheet with the stationary gripper body,

wherein a gripping protrusion and a gripping groove for gripping predetermined portions of the membrane-electrode assembly sheet in a stepped manner are formed at the stationary gripper body and the operating gripper body respectively, and
wherein supporting protrusions for supporting the first and second side edges of the membrane-electrode assembly sheet are formed at the stationary gripper body and the operating gripper body respectively.

2. The cutting apparatus of claim 1 , further including a driving unit, wherein the vision sensor is configured to be reciprocally movable along the feeding direction of the membrane-electrode assembly sheet through the driving unit.

3. The cutting apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the position aligning unit includes an UVW stage, which is connected to the cutting die through the base plate and aligns the base plate on XY plane in a X-axis direction, a Y-axis direction and rotates about a Z-axis direction perpendicular to the XY plane.

4. The cutting apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the controller is configured to analyze the sensing signal provided from the vision sensor to detect the position of the electrode catalyst layer; and
wherein the controller applies a control signal to the position aligning unit when it is determined by the controller that the detected position of the electrode catalyst layer is not within a predetermined reference range.

5. The cutting apparatus of claim 1 , further including:
a protective film supply unit disposed in the facility frame and supplying a protective film between the cutting die and the membrane-electrode assembly sheet.

6. The cutting apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the protective film supply unit includes:
a film unwinder for unwinding the protective film wound in a roll form between the cutting die and the membrane-electrode assembly sheet;
a film rewinder for winding the protective film that has passed between the cutting die and the membrane electrode assembly sheet; and
a plurality of guide rollers for guiding the protective film between the cutting die and the membrane electrode assembly sheet.

7. A cutting method of the cutting apparatus of the membrane-electrode assembly for the fuel cell of claim 1 , the cutting method comprising:
(a) supplying the membrane-electrode assembly sheet between the cutting die and the driving cutter of the cutting press;
(b) gripping first and second edge portions of the membrane-electrode assembly through the gripper modules on a front side of the cutting press and applying tension to the membrane-electrode assembly sheet;
(c) moving the membrane-electrode assembly along the feed direction of the membrane-electrode assembly sheet through the gripper modules, and positioning a gripping portion of the membrane-electrode assembly sheet between the cutting die and the driving cutter;
(d) moving the vision sensor between the cutting die and the driving cutter, detecting the position of the electrode catalyst layer of the membrane-electrode assembly sheet through the vision sensor and outputting the sensing signal to the controller;
(e) operating the position aligning unit through the controller according to the sensing signal of the vision sensor, and correcting the position of the cutting press; and
(f) cutting the membrane-electrode assembly sheet into the unit-type membrane-electrode assembly through the driving cutter.

8. The cutting method of claim 7 ,
wherein prior to the step (f), a protective film is supplied between the cutting die and the membrane-electrode assembly sheet via a protective film supply unit.

9. The cutting method of claim 7 ,
wherein in the step (d), the electrode catalyst layer is visually photographed through the vision sensor, and vision data is output to the controller.

10. The cutting method of claim 9 ,
wherein the controller is configured to analyze the vision data provided from the vision sensor to detect the position of the electrode catalyst layer, and
wherein the controller applies a control signal to the position aligning unit when it is determined by the controller that the position of the electrode catalyst layer is not within a predetermined reference range.

11. The cutting method of claim 7 ,
wherein in the step (e), the position aligning unit aligns the cutting press on XY plane in a X-axis direction, a Y-axis direction and rotates about a Z-axis direction perpendicular to the XY plane through a UVW stage.

12. The cutting method of claim 7 , further including:
cutting and discharging a scrap of the membrane-electrode assembly, for visually inspecting the membrane-electrode assembly cut by the cutting press after the step (f).

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd
• Kia Corp

Inventors

• Hong Yoosuk
• Jeong Sung Hoon

Classifications

• B26F1/40 Primary

  using a press, e.g. of the ram type (presses in general B30B) · CPC title

• B26F1/44 Primary

  Cutters therefor; Dies therefor · CPC title

• B26D5/007

  Control means comprising cameras, vision or image processing systems · CPC title

• B65H2701/1752

  Polymer film · CPC title

• B26F2210/02

  of stacked sheets · CPC title