Apparatus for manufacturing fuel cell and method of manufacturing same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023223574-A1
Application number	US-202217985659-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 11, 2022
Priority date	Jan 10, 2022
Publication date	Jul 13, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

Disclosed is an apparatus for manufacturing a fuel cell. When blanking a continuous membrane electrode assembly (MEA) into individual MEAs and then bonding the individual MEAs to a sub-gasket, a scrap electrolyte membrane located at the continuous MEA is prevented from being bonded to a sub-gasket by release-purpose surface roughness formed on a surface thereof, so that it is possible to prevent manufacturing defects of the fuel cell. Further, when the individual MEAs are bonded to the sub-gasket, the continuous MEA is intended to be well bonded to the sub-gasket up to edge portions of the individual MEAs by the pressing force of a pattern roll.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An apparatus for manufacturing a fuel cell, the apparatus comprising:
a blanking section configured to perform blanking on a continuous membrane electrode assembly (MEA) withdrawn from an MEA winding roll into individual MEAs and to form release-purpose surface roughness on a surface of a scrap electrolyte membrane; a bonding roll configured to bond a sub-gasket withdrawn from a sub-gasket winding roll to the individual MEAs; and a variable control roll configured to press the continuous MEA transferred from the blanking section toward the bonding roll, and configured to selectively bond only the individual MEAs of the continuous MEA to the sub-gasket.

2 . The apparatus for manufacturing a fuel cell according to claim 1 , wherein the blanking section includes:
a blanking roll; a blanking plate adhered to a surface of the blanking roll; a blanking blade formed on a surface of the blanking plate and blanking the continuous MEA into the individual MEAs; and a surface roughness forming member attached to an outer surface of the blanking blade which is located at the surface of the blanking plate by an adhesive in order to form the release-purpose surface roughness.

3 . The apparatus for manufacturing a fuel cell according to claim 2 , wherein the surface roughness forming member is adopted as a porous sheet.

4 . The apparatus for manufacturing a fuel cell according to claim 2 , wherein the porous sheet is an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (e-PTFE) sheet having a plurality of microholes.

5 . The apparatus for manufacturing a fuel cell according to claim 2 , wherein the porous sheet is an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template whose surface is formed of a plurality of nanoholes by anodization of aluminum.

6 . The apparatus for manufacturing a fuel cell according to claim 2 , wherein the blanking plate is attached to the blanking roll by a magnet or an adhesive.

7 . The apparatus for manufacturing a fuel cell according to claim 2 , wherein the blanking plate has ventilation holes for discharging air confined inside the blanking section when the blanking blade performs blanking on the individual MEAs.

8 . The apparatus for manufacturing a fuel cell according to claim 2 , wherein a support roll, which supports the continuous MEA withdrawn from the MEA winding roll, is disposed on the opposite side of the blanking roll and heater rods for heating the scrap electrolyte membrane of the continuous MEA are internally installed in the support roll.

9 . The apparatus for manufacturing a fuel cell according to claim 1 , wherein the variable control roll has a first pattern roll that is formed to protrude from the continuous MEA and that presses only the individual MEAs against the sub-gasket that passes the bonding roll.

10 . The apparatus for manufacturing a fuel cell according to claim 1 , wherein the bonding roll has a second pattern roll that is formed to protrude from the bonding roll and that supports the individual MEAs pressed by the variable control roll so as to be bonded to the sub-gasket.

11 . The apparatus for manufacturing a fuel cell according to claim 2 , wherein the surface roughness forming member is provided in a structure in which the release-purpose surface roughness having a surface roughness range of 3 to 50 microns is provided on a surface of the scrap electrolyte membrane.

12 . A method of manufacturing a fuel cell, the method comprising:
blanking a continuous MEA withdrawn from an MEA winding roll into individual MEAs and forming release-purpose surface roughness on a surface of a scrap electrolyte membrane located at the continuous MEA; and bonding the individual MEAs to a sub-gasket withdrawn from a sub-gasket winding roll, wherein, when the individual MEAs are bonded to the sub-gasket, the scrap electrolyte membrane is configured to prevent the scrap electrolyte membrane from being attached to the sub-gasket by the release-purpose surface roughness.

13 . The method of manufacturing a fuel cell according to claim 12 , further comprising:
heating the scrap electrolyte membrane of the continuous MEA when the release-purpose surface roughness is provided on the surface of the scrap electrolyte membrane located at the continuous MEA.

14 . The method of manufacturing a fuel cell according to claim 12 , wherein, when the individual MEAs are bonded to the sub-gasket, only the individual MEAs are selectively pressed from the continuous MEA by a first pattern roll of the variable control roll, and are bonded to the sub-gasket by the first pattern roll of the variable control roll.

15 . The method of manufacturing a fuel cell according to claim 12 , wherein, when the individual MEAs are bonded to the sub-gasket, only the individual MEAs are selectively supported from the continuous MEA by a second pattern roll of the bonding roll, and are bonded to the sub-gasket by the second pattern roll of the bonding roll.

16 . The method of manufacturing a fuel cell according to claim 12 , wherein the release-purpose surface roughness formed on the surface of the scrap electrolyte membrane is formed within a range of 3 to 50 microns.

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd
• Kia Corp

Inventors

• Kim Min Jin

Classifications

• H01M8/1004 Primary

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

• H01M8/1058 Primary

  characterised by a porous support having no ion-conducting properties · CPC title

• Y02P70/50

  Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product · CPC title

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M2008/1095

  Fuel cells with polymeric electrolytes · CPC title