US 7,001,686 B2 · Process for forming an integral gasket on a bipolar plate for a PEM fuel cell

Abstract

A method for attaching a gasket to a non-gasketed bipolar plate for a PEM fuel cell, including the steps of making a pattern of the gasket; preparing the bipolar plate surface; priming the bipolar plate surface for adhesive according to the gasket pattern; aging the primer coat; screen-printing an adhesive coat onto the primer according to the gasket pattern; positioning the gasket face-down in a mirror-image fixture having channels in the form of the gasket; positioning the bipolar plate face down onto the fixture and gasket; applying pressure to the plate to adhere the gasket thereto in the adhesive-coated areas; removing the plate and gasket subassembly from the fixture; and curing the adhesive to provide a gasketed bipolar plate.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A method for laminating a gasket to a non-gasketed bipolar plate to form a gasketed bipolar plate for a proton-exchange membrane fuel cell, comprising the steps of

a) providing a pattern of said gasket;
b) coating an adhesive onto an area of said non-gasketed plate to be gasketed according to said gasket pattern;
c) providing a fixture having a mirror-image representation of said area to be gasketed on said non-gasketed plate;
d) positioning said gasket face-down on said fixture;
e) entering said non-gasketed plate face down onto said gasket on said fixture to adhere said gasket thereto in said adhesive-coated areas;
f) removing said non-gasketed plate and said adhered gasket from said fixture;
and
g) curing said adhesive to form said gasketed bipolar plate.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Process for forming an integral gasket on a bipolar plate for a PEM fuel cell

Life of this patent

Process for forming an integral gasket on a bipolar plate for a PEM fuel cell

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims17