Adhesives & sealant company DELO and machinery manufacturer Datron have teamed up to provide a joint system solution for automating the process of sealing for the production of fuel cells. The system is designed to serve fuel cell manufacturing that ranges from pilot projects to mass manufacturing.
Currently, fuel cell manufacturers often face a challenge in sealing individual cells because it can be a slow, energy-intensive process that directly affects the stack’s lifetime and reliability. Traditional methods can involve long curing times and complex workflows, making them unsuitable for industrial-scale production.
Now, by combining DELO’s fast-curing liquid sealant and UV technology with Datron’s high-precision dosing system, the partners are joining to provide a fully automated, high-speed sealing system. Early trials show impressive results with perfect sealing in seconds and maximum process reliability, say the companies.
At the heart of the system are DELO’s Photobond SL sealant, which was specially developed for fuel cell applications, and Datron’s evo 600 system, capable of dispensing at up to 50 meters per minute. Applied directly as a liquid gasket, the sealant cures within seconds under UV light.
Precise application is accomplished by the Datron evo 600 which achieves exceptionally high dispensing speeds of up to 50 meters per minute. The volumetric system guarantees a constant bead crosssection, even at start and stop points. This makes it possible to produce hundreds of cells with consistently high quality that can then be reliably combined into a stack.
Two smart features ensure seamless inline quality assurance: an integrated confocal sensor measures bead height immediately after dispensing; the fluorescent properties of the sealant allow optical quality checks in real time. Together, these elements can yield hundreds of precisely sealed fuel cells, ready to be assembled into a high-performance stack and enabling industrialization of fuel cell production.
“Sealing the individual fuel cells is often underestimated but is a critical step in the entire stack production process. Only when perfect tightness is achieved can the system operate reliably over time. With industrialization underway, speed is becoming just as important – and this new joint solution contributes exactly that,” explains Julian Hopf, Product Manager Energy Storage & Conversion at DELO.
For more info, see www.delo.com and www.datron.com.
