System for fabricating a fuel cell component for use with or as part of a fuel cell in a fuel cell stack
AssigneeFuelCell Energy, Inc.
InventorsSalvador E. Correa, Thomas M. Lucas, Lawrence J. Novacco
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system for fabricating a fuel cell component in which a deposition mechanism deposits loading material particles onto the fuel cell component and an actuation mechanism actuates the deposition mechanism. A unit provides a tape fixing agent to the fuel cell component and loaded material particles so as to retain the particles on the fuel cell component. Other fuel components are retained to the fuel cell component also using a tape fixing agent.
Claims24
A system of fabricating a fuel cell component for use with or as part of a fuel cell in a fuel cell stack, the system comprising:
- a support supporting the fuel cell component, said fuel cell component including a plurality of corrugations;
- a deposition assembly for depositing individually pre-formed solid loading material pellets onto the fuel cell component in a pre-defined deposition pattern;
- an actuating assembly for actuating the deposition assembly to cause said deposition assembly to deposit said individually pre-formed solid loading material pellets onto said fuel cell component;
- and
- a feeding assembly housing a plurality of individually pre-formed solid loading material pellets and feeding the individually pre-formed solid loading material pellets individually to the deposition assembly,
- wherein the deposition assembly places each individually pre-formed solid loading material pellet individually into an area between adjacent corrugations of the fuel cell component in accordance with the pre-defined deposition pattern.
A system of fabricating a fuel cell component for use with or as part of a fuel cell in a fuel cell stack, the system comprising:
- a support supporting the fuel cell component, said fuel cell component including a plurality of corrugations;
- a deposition assembly for depositing individually pre-formed solid loading material pellets onto the fuel cell component in a pre-defined deposition pattern, said deposition assembly including a first plate having openings corresponding to the areas of said fuel cell component able to receive individually pre-formed loading material pellets and a second plate situated above said first plate and having openings corresponding to said pre-defined deposition pattern, said plates being mis-aligned so that individually pre-formed loading material pellets in the openings of said second plate are inhibited from passing through the openings in said first plate for deposition on said fuel cell component;
- and
- an actuating assembly for actuating the deposition assembly to cause said deposition assembly to deposit said individually pre-formed solid loading material pellets onto said fuel cell component, said actuating assembly causing relative movement of said first and second plates so that the openings in said second plate align with the openings in said first plate and loading material pellets pass from said openings in said second plate to the aligned openings in said first plate to deposit on said fuel cell component,
- wherein the deposition assembly places each individually pre-formed solid loading material pellet individually into an area between adjacent corrugations of the fuel cell component in accordance with the pre-defined deposition pattern.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.