A micro-stamping process analysis of metallic bipolar plates channel

Bipolar plate is a proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) in one of the key components, because of the traditional graphite bipolar plate production costs are very expensive, and graphite bipolar plates need a few millimeters thick, compared with the space. Therefore, the resulting metal bipolar plate, not only reduces the cost of such bipolar plate thickness can be reduced to micron range. This study investigated the use of micro-stamping technology of thin metal bipolar plate production, and process parameters forming. In the study, the use of rigid punch on the thickness of 50µm stainless steel sheet (SUS 304) for micro-channel stamping process, the study used an array of 0.8* 0.75mm channel. Through the FEM and experimental analysis of the key parameters of the process. In this study, the used of traditional materials and the scale factor modified material model to simulation, test results verified by the modify model are more realistic to products and has better formability, punch load is relatively small. This paper also different design channel shape (trapezoid, square, triangle, hemispherical) for micro-stamping process, discuss the forming of different shapes to an analysis. The hemispherical shape with better formability, followed by the ladder. The results demonstrate that use of micro-stamping production of thin metal bipolar plate can not only reduce the production cost can also speed up the process. In this paper, using ULF (updated Lagrangian formulation) concept of the establishment of a elastic-plastic deformation finite element analysis model, and to scale factor amend the calculation, can effectively simulate metal bipolar plate micro-stamping process.

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