The company is claiming a production time of less than three minutes for a 1.65mm-thick plate

The company is claiming a production time of less than three minutes for a 1.65mm-thick plate

Swiss moulder Weidmann Plastics Technology has developed a mass production method for bipolar plates, which are critical components in fuel cells.

Frank Ehrig, director of engineering at the firm’s automotive division, said: “We are taking the specifications of the Tier One suppliers into account with this method.”

The company has developed an injection compression moulding process that can produce a 1.65mm-thick plate in less than three minutes. Ehrig said existing stamping methods produce 4mm-thick plates in around 20 minutes.

The plates are made from highly filled thermoplastic, comprising more than 80% by weight of graphite. Weidmann has developed the compound in-house.
By Lou Reade in Friedrichshafen

“We must make sure that the material does not freeze during injection moulding,” Ehrig said.