# US 12,109,738 B2 · Separator machining apparatus and separator machining method

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- Number: US 12,109,738 B2
- Document ID: US12109738B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/656,609
- Filed: 2022-03-25
- Published: 2022-09-29
- Granted: 2024-10-08
- Earliest claimed: 2021-03-24
- Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Applicants: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Yasuhiro Nobata
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12109738B2

## CPC

- B29C 43/021: {characterised by the shape of the surface}
- B29C 43/36: Moulds for making articles of definite length, i.e. discrete articles
- B29C 43/52: Heating or cooling
- B29C 2043/023: {having a plurality of grooves}
- B29C 2043/3602: {with means for positioning, fastening or clamping the material to be formed or preforms inside the mould}
- B29K 2995/0005: Conductive
- B29L 2031/3468: {Batteries, accumulators or fuel cells (battery cases B29L2031/7146)}
- H01M 8/0243: in the form of mixtures
- Y02E 60/50: Fuel cells
- Y02P 70/50: Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product
- B29C: SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING (making preforms B29B11/00; making laminated products by combining previously unconnected layers which become one product whose layers will remain together B32B37/00 - B32B41/00)
- B29K: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES B29B, B29C OR B29D, RELATING TO MOULDING MATERIALS OR TO MATERIALS FOR {MOULDS, } REINFORCEMENTS, FILLERS OR PREFORMED PARTS, e.g. INSERTS
- B29L: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULAR ARTICLES
- H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS

## Abstract

A machining apparatus includes an apparatus body and a setting jig. The setting jig has a frame body including openings to expose molding regions, which are to be molded by the apparatus body, of the sheet material, and a restraining portion to restrain a periphery of the molding regions. The apparatus body includes a support member that supports the setting jig at a position where the molding regions are disposed between an upper die and a lower die, and a first urging member to urge the support member toward the upper die so as to separate the molded body from the lower die, with the upper die disengaged from the lower die.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A separator machining apparatus for hot-press-molding of a sheet material containing a conductive material and a resin material to form a shape of a separator for a fuel cell, the separator machining apparatus including:
an apparatus body adapted to perform hot-press-molding of the sheet material to form a molded body in a shape in which a plurality of separators is arranged on a plane; and
a setting jig adapted to set the sheet material on the apparatus body,
wherein:
the apparatus body includes:
an upper die and a lower die adapted to sandwich the sheet material therebetween to perform hot-press-molding to form the molded body;
a support member adapted to support the setting jig at a position where a molding region of the sheet material is disposed between the upper die and the lower die; and
a first elastic spring adapted to urge the support member toward the upper die so as to separate the molded body from the lower die, with the upper die disengaged from the lower die, and
the setting jig is in a frame shape having an opening for exposing the molding region of the sheet material to be molded by the apparatus body and a restraining portion for restraining a periphery of the molding region; and
the apparatus body further includes:
a second elastic spring member adapted to urge the setting jig toward the lower die so as to separate the molded body from the upper die until the upper die and the lower die sandwiching the sheet material are disengaged from each other;
the setting jig includes a plurality of openings for molding regions of the plurality of separators;
the setting jig includes a lower frame body and an upper frame body;
a first partitioning portion is provided inside of a first outer frame portion of the lower frame body in a midsection of the lower frame body, such that a plurality of first openings corresponding in size to the molding regions of the plurality of separators are formed;
a second partitioning portion is provided inside of a second outer frame portion of the upper frame body in a midsection of the upper frame body, such that a plurality of second openings corresponding in size to the molding regions of the plurality of separators are formed;
the lower frame body and the upper frame body are integrally formed so that the first openings and the second openings overlap each other, such that the plurality of openings of the setting jig is formed in the setting jig; and
the restraining portion is formed by the first and second outer frame portions that sandwich a portion of a periphery of each of the molding regions of the plurality of separators, and the first and second partitioning portions.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The separator machining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one of the first outer frame portion or the second outer frame portion has a recessed groove and the other one of the first outer frame portion or the second outer frame portion has a protrusion to engage the recessed groove.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The separator machining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:
the support member is a frame member having a rectangular outer shape:
the apparatus body includes a subset plate to which the lower die is secured;
on the subset plate, two guide shafts are arranged vertically that are inserted into through holes formed at diagonally-positioned two corners of four corners of the support member and through holes formed at diagonally-positioned two corners of four corners of the setting jig; and
two corner guides are arranged vertically to guide diagonally-positioned corners different from the diagonally-positioned corners of the support member.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The separator machining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the apparatus body including a subset plate to which the lower die is secured; and a temperature adjusting board including a built-in electric heater is disposed below the subset plate.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

A separator machining method using the separator machining apparatus according to claim 1, the separator machining method including at least:
mounting the sheet material on the setting jig so as to restrain the periphery of the molding region of the sheet material;
disposing the setting jig on the support member;
performing hot-press-molding of the sheet material to form the molded body such that the upper die is lowered toward the lower die to sandwich the molding region of the sheet material between the upper die and the lower die; and
disengaging the upper die from the lower die.