Method and apparatus for manufacturing membrane electrode assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019305349-A1
Application number	US-201916366519-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 27, 2019
Priority date	Mar 30, 2018
Publication date	Oct 3, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method and apparatus for manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly are provided, which can efficiently peel an electrode layer from a base material. A manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly of a fuel cell including a pair of electrode layers and an electrolyte membrane, the apparatus including: a transport device which transports the base material on which one cathode electrode layer of the pair of electrode layers is formed and which is connected to a transport sheet via an adhesive layer together with the transport sheet; a transfer device which transfers the one cathode electrode layer to the electrolyte membrane; a peeling device which peels the cathode electrode layer from the base material; and a cooling device having a spraying device which is directed to a start point portion for the peeling and sprays a cooling gas.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly of a fuel cell including a pair of electrode layers and an electrolyte membrane, the method comprising:
a transport step of transporting a base material connected to a transport sheet via an adhesive layer and having one electrode layer of the pair of electrode layers formed on a surface opposite to the adhesive layer together with the transport sheet; a transfer step of transferring the one electrode layer to the electrolyte membrane; and a peeling step of peeling the one electrode layer from the base material, wherein a cooling step of performing cooling by spraying a cooling gas to a start point portion for the peeling is included between the transfer step and the peeling step.

2 . The method for manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly according to claim 1 , wherein, in the transfer step, the one electrode layer is transferred to the electrolyte membrane by closing a transfer mold, and
in the cooling step, the spraying of the cooling gas is started when the transfer mold starts to be opened.

3 . The method for manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly according to claim 2 , wherein, in the cooling step, the spraying of the cooling gas is stopped when the transfer mold is completely opened.

4 . The method for manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly according to claim 1 , wherein, in the peeling step, the one electrode layer is peeled from the base material by rollers moving between the base material and the one electrode layer from a downstream side toward an upstream side in a transport direction.

5 . An apparatus for manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly of a fuel cell including a pair of electrode layers and an electrolyte membrane, the apparatus comprising:
a transport device which transports a base material connected to a transport sheet via an adhesive layer and having one electrode layer of the pair of electrode layers formed on a surface opposite to the adhesive layer together with the transport sheet; a transfer device which transfers the one electrode layer to the electrolyte membrane; a peeling device which peels the one electrode layer from the base material; and a cooling device having a spraying device which is directed to a start point portion for the peeling and sprays a cooling gas.

6 . The apparatus for manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly according to claim 5 , further comprising a control device which controls a timing at which the spraying device sprays the cooling gas,
wherein the transfer device transfers the one electrode layer to the electrolyte membrane by closing a transfer mold, and the control device starts the spraying of the cooling gas when the transfer mold starts to be opened.

7 . The apparatus for manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly according to claim 5 , wherein the peeling device includes rollers for peeling the one electrode layer from the base material by moving between the base material and the one electrode layer from a downstream side toward an upstream side in a transport direction.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yanagisawa Kunihiko
• Hirano Takahiro
• Kishimoto Masaaki
• Tokunaga Yoshinori
• Nakatsuka Hiroyuki
• Shimomura Yo

Classifications

• H01M4/8864

  Extrusion · CPC title

• H01M8/1004 Primary

  characterised by membrane-electrode assemblies [MEA] (H01M8/12 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B32B2457/18

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• B32B37/025

  Transfer laminating · CPC title

• B32B43/006

  Delaminating · CPC title