In order to make fuel cells fit for cost-effective mass production, the ZBT - The Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Center is investigating new, creative methods. The idea behind the recently launched „TheBiPo“ project is to extrude a film from a graphite-polymer compound and then thermoform it into finished bipolar plates.

The thermoforming of electrically and thermally conductive plastic films offers the potential to significantly reduce the manufacturing costs of PEM fuel cells. Thermoforming allows particularly large and thin-walled components to be produced economically, which corresponds to the requirement profile for bipolar plates.

Together with the IKT - Institute for Plastics Technology at the University of Stuttgart, ZBT is developing the production of a thermoformed bipolar plate (BPP) from thermally and electrically conductive films for use in PEM fuel cells. In the process, a foil made of graphite-polymer compound is to be produced in a continuous process directly from the extruder melt via a slot die and a rolling mill and then transferred to the final component geometry in a subsequent thermoforming process.

Above all, the definition of processing guidelines for the production of BPP by means of extrusion and thermoforming will benefit all relevant companies within the value chain. This means that a large potential user group of SMEs can benefit from the results of this project.