JP2010123380A - Method for manufacturing fuel cell and device for manufacturing fuel cell - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to stack a porous body impregnated with a sealing material in advance at a peripheral portion and MEGA and set them easily and accurately in a gasket molding die, and therefore, the time required for molding a gasket. The present invention provides a method and an apparatus therefor, which can improve the shortening and yield of the fuel cell, and can efficiently manufacture a fuel cell.
An apparatus for manufacturing a fuel cell injects a sealing material 6 in the vicinity of an edge of a porous body 4 stacked with a MEGA 3 and allows the MEGA 3 stacked to permeate to form a sealing portion 4a. A sealing / temporary fixing processing device 1 that performs sealing processing and temporarily fixes MEGA 3 and porous body 4, and is set in a state where at least MEGA 3 and porous body 4 are temporarily fixed, and a gasket is provided outside sealing portion 4 a. 7 and a gasket forming apparatus 2 having molds 20 and 21 for integrally forming 7.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuel cell manufacturing method and a fuel cell manufacturing apparatus, and more particularly, in a fuel cell configured by stacking a plurality of cells, a reaction gas (hydrogen, air, etc.) or cooling between the cells. The present invention relates to a fuel cell manufacturing method and a fuel cell manufacturing apparatus for forming a gasket for sealing a manifold for distributing and supplying a medium.

  In general, a fuel cell is configured by stacking a plurality of cells. The stacked cells are held in a state where a load is applied between the end plates. As fuel cell components of each cell, as shown in FIG. 7, for example, MEA (Membrane Electrode Assembly) 33 in which electrode layers 31 and 32 are provided on both surfaces of the electrolyte membrane 30, A gas diffusion layer 34 disposed on each of both surfaces of the MEA 33 and a porous body 4 through which gas flows respectively to the gas diffusion layer 34 are included. These fuel cell components are sandwiched by separators 5. A member constituted by the MEA 33 and the gas diffusion layers 34 disposed on both sides thereof is generally called MEGA3.

  The fuel cell has a manifold for distributing and supplying a reaction gas (hydrogen, air, etc.) and a cooling medium to each cell. And the fuel cell component which consists of MEGA3 and the porous body 4 is stacked with the separator 5, and the gasket 7 is shape | molded by the circumference | surroundings.

  Patent Document 1 is known as a conventional technique related to molding of a gasket in each cell of a fuel cell. Patent Document 1 states that “when the gasket 200 is molded using a low-viscosity or liquid molding rubber material on the periphery of the GDL 120 or 120 made of a porous material such as carbon fiber, this molding rubber material. Rubber impregnated portions 121 and 121 impregnated with a portion of the gasket 200 are firmly joined to the GDLs 120 and 120 through the rubber impregnated portions 121 and 121, and permeation leakage from the GDLs 120 and 120 is prevented. It has a structure that is not present "(0007). That is, before the gasket is integrally formed on a fuel cell component such as MEGA having a gas diffusion layer or a porous body stacked on the MEGA, a sealing material is previously applied to an area having a predetermined width from the end face of the porous body (GDL). It is disclosed that the impregnated portion is formed by impregnation so that the low-viscosity or liquid gasket material can be blocked from permeating and leaking into the gas diffusion layer or the power generation region of the porous body.

  Further, in Patent Document 1, “FIG. 2 shows a state in which an impregnation portion 21 is formed on the GDL 20 of the power generator 1 in the method for manufacturing a fuel cell seal structure according to the present invention. 4B is a plan view, that is, the GDL 20 constituting both side portions in the thickness direction of the power generator 1 is preliminarily provided in a region having a predetermined width W from the end face 1a facing the plane extension direction of the power generator 1. Then, the impregnated portion 21 is formed by impregnating a sealant made of low-viscosity or liquid rubber or resin and curing it by cross-linking.In this step, for example, the power generator 1 is placed in a liquid tank storing the sealant. Can be employed, such as a method of impregnation by dipping to a predetermined depth, a method of applying and impregnating the sealing material by screen printing or dispenser extrusion, and the like. The W impregnation portion 21 can be easily formed. "Both have been described (0017). That is, in Patent Document 1, as a method for forming an impregnated portion by impregnating a sealing material into a region having a predetermined width from an end face of a porous body (GDL), a power generator is placed at a predetermined depth in a liquid tank storing the sealing material. It is disclosed that the impregnation is carried out by immersing the coating material, and that the sealing material is applied and impregnated by screen printing or dispenser extrusion.

  And in patent document 1, "FIG. 4 is explanatory drawing which shows the process of shape | molding a gasket in the manufacturing method of the sealing structure for fuel cells which concerns on this invention. That is, the periphery of GDL20 as mentioned above. The power generator 1 in which the impregnated portion 21 is formed in the portion and the numerous recesses 1b are formed in the end surface 1a is set in the mold 4. That is, the mold 4 is brought into contact with and separated from each other. Nipping surfaces 41a and 42a capable of clamping the impregnated portion 21 of the peripheral edge of the power generator 1, in other words, the peripheral edge of the GDL 20, by clamping are formed on the inner surfaces of the inner surfaces facing each other. A cavity 43 is defined between the inner surfaces 41b, 42b extending to the side and the end surface 1a of the power generator 1. A gate 44 is opened in the upper mold 41 toward the cavity 43. . Has been described as "(0022). That is, Patent Document 1 discloses that an impregnation portion is formed in advance on the peripheral portion of a porous body of a power generation body, and this power generation body is set in a mold to form a gasket.

JP 2008-147103 A

  However, in Patent Document 1, in order to form an impregnated portion by impregnating a sealing material into a region having a predetermined width from the end surface of the porous body, the power generator is placed at a predetermined depth in a liquid tank storing the sealing material. In the case of soaking, the problem of waste due to the need for a large amount of sealing material, and the engagement surface on the end face of the power generator so that the sealing material and the gasket are firmly bonded There has been a problem that a step of forming the recesses at a predetermined interval is necessary. Further, when screen printing is performed on the sealing material, there is a problem that equipment for such screen printing is required. Furthermore, when applying the sealing material by dispenser extrusion, it is generally configured to move the nozzle of the dispenser on the surface of the porous body, and it is difficult to apply an appropriate amount of the sealing material. There were problems such as problems, and it took time to apply the sealing material, and the molding cycle could not be shortened.

  Further, when molding the gasket, the porous body and the MEGA must be accurately positioned and stacked and set in the mold. However, in Patent Document 1, the porous body and the MEGA are aligned even if the impregnation portion is formed by impregnating the sealing material into the region having a predetermined width from the end face of the porous body by any method. Therefore, when molding a gasket, it is necessary to align the porous body and MEGA with each other and set them in the mold. It is difficult to position in the mold well, and it takes time and labor to align and set, and the molding cycle cannot be shortened, and the porous body and MEGA are relatively positioned. There was a problem that the yield was deteriorated due to a defective product.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and a porous body impregnated with a sealing material in advance at a peripheral portion and MEGA are stacked and set easily and accurately in a gasket molding die. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and an apparatus therefor which can shorten the time required for molding a gasket and improve the yield, and can efficiently manufacture a fuel cell.

In order to achieve the above object, the fuel cell manufacturing method according to claim 1 includes a step of performing a sealing treatment in the vicinity of the edge of the porous body, and stacking the porous body and MEGA in the mold. The method of manufacturing a fuel cell including a step of forming a gasket and placing a sealing material in the vicinity of an edge of a porous body in the step of performing the sealing process, And the stacked porous body and the MEGA are temporarily fixed.
An invention relating to a fuel cell manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2 is an apparatus for manufacturing a fuel cell in which a plurality of cells each having a MEGA, a porous body, and a separator are stacked in order to achieve the above object. Then, a sealing material is injected in the vicinity of the edge of the porous body stacked with the MEGA and transmitted to the stacked MEGA to perform a sealing process for forming a sealing portion, and the MEGA and the porous body are temporarily connected. A sealing / temporary fixing processing device for stopping, and a gasket forming device having a mold for integrally forming a gasket on the outside of the sealing portion, which is set in a state where at least MEGA and the porous body are temporarily fixed. It is characterized by having.

According to the fuel cell manufacturing method of the first aspect of the present invention, the porous body and the MEGA are accurately aligned and stacked in the step of performing the sealing process in the vicinity of the edge of the porous body, and the flowable eyes. By injecting a stop material in the vicinity of the edge of the porous body, the stacked MEGA is transmitted. When the sealing material that has penetrated to the MEGA is solidified, it forms a sealing portion in the vicinity of the edge of the porous body and temporarily fixes the stacked MEGA and the porous body. After that, at least when the porous body and MEGA are placed in the mold and the gasket is molded, the porous body and MEGA are aligned with accuracy and temporarily fixed in a stacked state. Placed in the mold. Therefore, the molding cycle of the gasket can be shortened, and molding defects due to misalignment between the porous body and the MEGA can be prevented to improve the yield, so that the fuel cell can be manufactured efficiently.
According to the invention relating to the fuel cell manufacturing apparatus of claim 2, at least the porous body and the MEGA are accurately aligned and stacked, and can be flowed by the sealing / temporary fixing processing device. By injecting the material in the vicinity of the edge of the porous body, the stacked MEGA is transmitted. When the sealing material that has penetrated to the MEGA is solidified, a sealing portion is formed in the vicinity of the edge of the porous body, and the MEGA and the porous body that are aligned and stacked with high accuracy are temporarily fixed. Therefore, when molding a gasket thereafter, at least the porous body and MEGA can be easily placed in the mold in a short time. Therefore, the molding cycle of the gasket can be shortened, and molding defects due to misalignment between the porous body and the MEGA can be prevented to improve the yield, so that the fuel cell can be manufactured efficiently.

(Aspect of the Invention)
In the following, the invention that is claimed to be claimable in the present application (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “claimable invention”. The claimable invention is at least the “present invention” to the invention described in the claims. Some aspects of the present invention, including subordinate concept inventions of the present invention, superordinate concepts of the present invention, and inventions of other concepts) will be exemplified and described. As with the claims, each aspect is divided into sections, each section is numbered, and is described in a form that cites the numbers of other sections as necessary. This is for the purpose of facilitating the understanding of the claimable invention, and is not intended to limit the combinations of the constituent elements constituting the claimable invention to those described in the following sections. In other words, the claimable invention should be construed in consideration of the description accompanying each section, the description of the embodiments, etc., and as long as the interpretation is followed, another aspect is added to the form of each section. In addition, an aspect in which constituent elements are deleted from the aspect of each item can be an aspect of the claimable invention. In each of the following items, item (1) corresponds to claim 1, and item (3) corresponds to claim 2.

(1) A method for manufacturing a fuel cell, comprising a step of performing sealing treatment in the vicinity of an edge of a porous body, and a step of stacking the porous body and MEGA and placing the porous body in a mold and molding a gasket. There,
Injecting the sealing material in the vicinity of the edge of the porous body in the step of performing the sealing process, the stacked porous body and the MEGA are temporarily fixed by allowing the stacked MEGA to permeate. A method for manufacturing a fuel cell.

  In the invention of (1), the MEGA and the porous body are accurately aligned in the step of performing the sealing treatment, and the sealing material is injected in the vicinity of the edge of the porous body and transmitted to the stacked MEGA. Thereby, formation of the sealing part with respect to a porous body, and the temporary fix | stop which aligned the porous body and MEGA which were piled up correctly can be performed simultaneously. Therefore, when molding a gasket by placing at least the porous body and the MEGA in the mold in a later step, the MEGA and the porous body are easily aligned in a short time in a state where the MEGA and the porous body are accurately aligned. Therefore, it is possible to shorten the molding cycle of the gasket and to prevent molding defects due to misalignment between the porous body and the MEGA and to improve the yield, thereby efficiently manufacturing the fuel cell. be able to.

(2) In the step of performing the sealing treatment, the porous body is stacked and temporarily fixed with MEGA, and the separator is further polymerized and temporarily fixed before the sealing material is solidified. (1) A method for producing a fuel cell according to item (1).

  In the invention of the item (2), in the invention described in the item (1), the porous body is stacked with MEGA and temporarily fixed in the step of performing the sealing treatment, and the porous material is further bonded before the sealing material is solidified. By immediately polymerizing and temporarily fixing the separator, the gasket can be molded with a high yield by placing the MEGA, the porous body, and the separator in the mold easily and in a short time in a state of accurate alignment. A fuel cell can be manufactured efficiently.

(3) An apparatus for manufacturing a fuel cell in which a plurality of cells having MEGA, a porous body, and a separator are stacked,
A sealing material is injected in the vicinity of the edge of the porous body stacked with the MEGA, and the MEGA and the porous body are temporarily fixed while performing a sealing process to form a sealing portion through the stacked MEGA. A sealing / temporary fastening processing device,
A fuel cell manufacturing apparatus comprising: a gasket forming apparatus having a mold for integrally forming a gasket integrally with an outer side of the sealing portion, which is set in a state where at least MEGA and a porous body are temporarily fixed. apparatus.

  In the invention described in (3), in the state where at least the MEGA and the porous body are accurately aligned in the step of performing the sealing process, the sealing material is placed near the edge of the porous body by the sealing / temporary fixing processing device. Injecting into the MEGA and passing through the stacked MEGA, the sealing process for forming the sealing part is performed on the porous body, and at least the stacked porous body and the MEGA are accurately aligned. Temporarily fix with. For this reason, at least the MEGA and the porous body can be easily placed in the mold of the gasket molding apparatus in a short time in a state where the MEGA and the porous body are accurately aligned. Therefore, it is possible to improve the yield by preventing molding defects due to misalignment of MEGA and MEGA, and thus to efficiently manufacture the fuel cell.

  (4) The sealing / temporary fastening processing device includes a first jig and a second jig that are in contact with the porous body stacked on both sides of the MEGA, and a gasket that is inserted into the porous body from the surfaces of both jigs. The fuel cell manufacturing apparatus according to item (3), further comprising gasket material supply means for injecting each material.

  In the invention of item (4), in the invention described in item (3), the sealing / temporary fixing processing device is provided with a first jig and a second jig that are brought into contact with the porous bodies stacked on both sides of the MEGA. And a gasket material supply means for injecting gasket materials into the porous body from the surfaces of both jigs, so that the stacked MEGA and the porous body are sandwiched and fixed by both jigs. The gasket material supply means injects gasket material from the surface of both jigs into the porous body, and stably realizes the sealing treatment for the porous body and the temporary fixing of the stacked porous body and MEGA. can do.

(5) The sealing / temporary fixing processing apparatus further holds the separator and superimposes the separator on the porous body before the sealing material is solidified, so that either the first jig or the second jig is used. A separator temporary fixing jig that pressurizes between one side,
And a retreating means for moving either one of the first jig and the second jig so as to retreat from either one and the separator temporary fixing jig (4). The fuel cell manufacturing apparatus according to the item).

  In the invention of the item (5), in the invention described in the item (4), the separator is previously held by a separator temporary fixing jig, and the sealing treatment for the porous body, and the stacked porous body and MEGA After temporary fixing, before the sealing material solidifies, the other one of the first jig and the second jig is retracted from between either one and the separator temporary fixing jig by the retreating movement means. The separator is immediately superposed on the porous body by the separator temporary fixing jig and pressurized between one of the first jig and the second jig to temporarily fix the porous body and the separator. Therefore, it is possible to easily form the gasket with a high yield by arranging it in the mold in a short time in a state where the MEGA, the porous body, and the separator are accurately aligned in the subsequent process. Can be manufactured.

First, an embodiment of a fuel cell manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. In the drawings, the same reference numerals denote the same or corresponding parts.
The fuel cell manufacturing apparatus of the present invention is generally for manufacturing a fuel cell in which a MEGA 3, a porous body 4 and a separator 5 (see FIG. 7) are stacked to form a cell, and a plurality of these cells are stacked. The sealing material 6 is injected into the vicinity of the edge of the porous body 4 stacked with the MEGA 3 and transmitted to the stacked MEGA 3 to perform the sealing process for forming the sealing portion 4a and the MEGA 3 And the porous body 4 are temporarily set, and at least the MEGA 3 and the porous body 4 are set in a temporarily fixed state, and the gasket 7 is integrally formed outside the sealing portion 4a. And a gasket molding apparatus 2 having the dies 20 and 21.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in this embodiment, porous bodies 4 and 4 are respectively laminated on both sides of MEGA 3, and gasket 7 is formed around the periphery. The MEGA 3 includes an MEA 33 formed by laminating electrode layers 31 and 32 on both surfaces of the electrolyte membrane 30 and a gas diffusion layer 34 disposed on both surfaces of the MEA 33. For example, porous bodies 4 made of, for example, expanded metal are laminated on both sides of the MEGA 3. The gasket 7 includes a base portion 7a formed so as to cover the peripheral end surfaces of the MEGA 3 and the porous body 4 with a thickness equal to or less than the thickness of the stacked MEGA 3 and the porous body 4, and the porous body 4 on both surfaces of the base portion 7a. It is formed in a shape having a lip portion 7b that is formed so as to protrude further and abuts against the separator.

  The sealing / temporary fixing processing apparatus 1 moves the upper jig (first jig) 10 and the lower jig (second jig) 11, the upper jig 10 and the lower jig 11 relatively up and down. A jig opening / closing mechanism for opening and closing and a sealing material supply means 12 for supplying the sealing material 6 to predetermined positions of the upper jig 10 and the lower jig 11 are provided.

  The upper jig 10 and the lower jig 11 are plate-like ones formed larger than the size of the MEGA 3 and the porous body 4 held so as to be sandwiched therebetween (area: see the chain line in FIG. 3). Is supported by a jig opening / closing mechanism such as a cylinder driven by hydraulic pressure or compressed air. As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the position and shape of the porous body 4 stacked on the MEGA 3 are formed on the mutually opposing surfaces of the upper jig 10 and the lower jig 11. Accordingly, grooves 10a and 11a are formed. When the sealing material 6 is made of a material that solidifies or hardens depending on the temperature, a flow for circulating a heater or a temperature-controlled fluid adjusted to a predetermined temperature (for example, a refrigerant such as heating oil or cooling water). Temperature control means such as a path is provided in the upper jig 10 and the lower jig 11, respectively. In addition, in order to position the porous body 4 and the MEGA 3 in a state of being aligned with each other on the surface of the lower jig, for example, positioning ribs for contacting the end surfaces of the two adjacent sides of the porous body 4 and the MEGA 3 respectively. It is desirable to provide positioning means comprising a wall or the like.

  The sealing material supply means 12 includes an injection unit 13 for injecting an arbitrary amount of the sealing material 6 in a flowable state, and a flow path 10b opened in the grooves 10a and 11a of the upper jig 10 and the lower jig 11. 11b, and the flexible pipe 14 which connects the injection unit 13, the upper jig | tool 10, and the flow paths 10b and 11b of the lower jig | tool 11. The injection unit 13 can be configured by a cylinder that accommodates the sealing member 6 and a piston that is inserted into the cylinder and driven forward and backward by a predetermined stroke. As indicated by broken lines in FIG. 3, the flow paths 10b and 11b of the upper jig 10 and the lower jig 11 have a plurality of other ends (FIG. 3) in the grooves 10a and 11a from one end connected to the flexible pipe 14. In the example shown in (12), 12 branches are formed so as to open. The shape where the flow paths 10b and 11b branch and the arrangement (interval) opened in the grooves 10a and 11a can be set according to the shape of the sealing portion 4a to be formed.

  As will be described later, the gasket molding apparatus 2 includes an upper mold 20 that forms a cavity 22 having a shape corresponding to the shape of the gasket 7 that is molded and accommodates (inserts) the MEGA 3 and the porous body 4 that are temporarily secured. And a lower mold 21, a mold opening / closing mechanism that moves the upper mold 20 and the lower mold 21 relatively up and down, and an injection that fills the cavity 22 with an arbitrary amount of the material of the gasket 7 in a flowable state. Means.

  The upper mold 20 and the lower mold 21 are formed in the center thereof with accommodating portions 20a and 21a for accommodating the MEGA 3 and the porous body 4 that are sealed and temporarily fixed in the closed state. Cavity surfaces 20b and 21b for molding the gasket 7 are formed around the accommodating portions 20a and 21a. A sealing material 23 is disposed at a position corresponding to the sealing portion 4a formed in the porous body 4 of the housing portions 20a and 21a, and outside the cavity surfaces 20b and 21b of the upper die 20 and the lower die 21. Is provided with a sealing material 24 for sealing the abutting surfaces when the mold is closed. At least one of the upper mold 20 and the lower mold 21 is supported by a mold opening / closing mechanism including a cylinder driven by hydraulic pressure, a toggle mechanism, and the like. The injection means includes a cylinder that accommodates the material of the gasket 7 in a flowable state, a piston that is inserted into the cylinder and driven forward and backward by a predetermined stroke, and a cavity 22 that is formed when the mold is closed. And a spool bush that communicates with the cylinder, and the cylinder nozzle containing the material of the gasket 7 in a flowable state is brought into contact with the spool bush to advance the piston in a predetermined stroke, thereby allowing the inside of the cavity 22 to move forward. The material of the gasket 7 can be configured to be injection-filled.

Next, an embodiment of the method for manufacturing a fuel cell according to the present invention will be described in detail along with the operation of the fuel cell manufacturing apparatus configured as described above. In this embodiment, parts that are the same as or correspond to those in the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, description thereof is omitted, and only different parts are described.
The fuel cell manufacturing method of the present invention generally includes a step of performing sealing treatment in the vicinity of the edge of the porous body 4, and the porous body 4 and MEGA 3 are stacked and disposed in the molds 20 and 21. 7 is formed. By injecting the sealing material 6 into the vicinity of the edge of the porous body 4 in the process of performing the sealing process, the stacked MEGA 3 is permeated to the porous body 4. A sealing process is performed in the vicinity of the edge, and the stacked porous body 4 and MEGA 3 are temporarily fixed.

  When the porous bodies 4 and 4 are stacked on both sides of the MEGA 3 to form the fuel cell, and the gasket 7 is formed around the porous bodies 4 and 4, the upper jig 10 and the lower jig 10 of the sealing / temporarily fixing processing apparatus 1 are firstly formed. The jig 11 is opened in a relatively separated state, and the porous body 4, the MEGA 3, and the porous body 4 are stacked in this order, and the positioning means provided on the surface of the lower jig 11 as described above are mutually attached. The two adjacent sides are brought into contact with each other so as to be positioned in alignment with each other. Then, the jig opening / closing mechanism of the sealing / temporary fastening processing device 1 is driven to close the upper jig 10 and the lower jig 11 relatively close to each other, and the stacked MEGA 3 and the porous body 4 are subjected to a predetermined force. Hold between. Subsequently, the sealing material 6 in a flowable state is injected by the injection unit 13 of the sealing material supply means 12. The sealing material 6 injected from the injection unit 13 flows out of the flexible pipe 14 through the flow paths 10b and 11b of the jigs 10 and 20 into the grooves 10a and 11a. The stopper 4a is injected into a position where the stopper 4a is to be formed, and passes through until reaching the gas diffusion layer 34 of the MEGA 3. That is, the injection amount of the sealing material 6 injected by the injection unit 13 is set to an amount that allows the sealing material 6 injected from the surface of the porous body 4 to pass through until reaching the gas diffusion layer 34 of the MEGA 30. Thereafter, when the sealing material 6 that has permeated through the porous body 4 and reached the gas diffusion layer 34 of the MEGA 3 is solidified or cured by temperature adjustment or the like, a sealing portion 4 a is formed in the vicinity of the edge of the porous body 4 to prevent the sealing material 6. As the processing is completed, the porous body 4 and the MEGA 3 that are aligned and stacked with high precision are temporarily fixed to such an extent that they do not deviate from each other.

  When the temporary fixing of the porous body 4 and the MEGA 3 is completed simultaneously with the sealing process of the porous body 4, the jig opening / closing mechanism of the sealing / temporary fixing processing apparatus 1 is driven to make the upper jig 10 and the lower jig 11 relative to each other. Open at a distance. By this time, the upper mold 20 and the lower mold 21 of the gasket molding apparatus 2 are separated and opened by the mold opening / closing mechanism, and the temporarily bonded porous body 4 and MEGA 3 are sealed. -Moved between the upper jig 20 and the lower mold 21 of the gasket forming apparatus 2 from between the upper jig 10 and the lower jig 11 of the temporary fixing processing apparatus 1 and set at a predetermined position in the approximate center on the lower mold 21. Is done. In the present invention, since the porous body 4 and the MEGA 3 are accurately aligned and temporarily fixed in advance, the porous body 4 and the MEGA 3 can be easily and accurately set in the lower mold 21 in a short time. Then, the upper mold 20 and the lower mold 21 are closed relatively close to each other by the mold opening / closing mechanism of the gasket molding apparatus 2, and the mold is clamped with a predetermined force. At this time, the sealing member 23 is brought into contact with the sealing portion 4 a formed in the porous body 4, and the abutting surfaces outside the cavity surfaces 20 b and 21 b of the upper mold 20 and the lower mold 21 are sealed by the sealing material 24. Has been. Therefore, a sealed cavity 22 is formed by the cavity surfaces 20 b and 21 b of the upper mold 20 and the lower mold 21 and the sealing materials 23 and 24.

  In this state, the material of the gasket 7 in a state where it can flow into the cavity 22 is injected and filled at a predetermined pressure and at a predetermined speed by the injection means of the gasket molding apparatus 2 to solidify the material of the gasket 7. Harden. In this embodiment, a gasket 7 is formed around the porous body 4 and the MEGA 3 that are aligned, stacked, and temporarily fixed, with the lip portions 7b projecting from both surfaces of the base portion 7a in this embodiment. When the molding of the gasket 7 is completed, the upper mold 20 and the lower mold 21 of the gasket molding apparatus 2 are separated from each other by the mold opening / closing mechanism, and the mold 7 is laminated, and the MEGA 3 and the porous body 4 are laminated. The molded product is removed.

Next, a second embodiment of the fuel cell manufacturing apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. Note that portions that are the same as or correspond to those in the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, description thereof is omitted, and only different portions are described.
In addition to the above-described embodiment, the fuel cell manufacturing apparatus according to this embodiment generally further includes a separator 5 that is polymerized on the porous body 4 before the separator 5 is held and the sealing material 6 is solidified. A separator temporary fixing jig 15 that pressurizes between one of the jig 10 and the lower jig 11, one of the upper jig 10 and the lower jig 11, and the other 11 and the separator temporary Retracting and moving means for moving to move from the stop jig 15 is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 7, in this embodiment, porous bodies 4 and 4 are laminated on both sides of MEGA 3, and separator 5 is further laminated on one porous body 4. The surface of separator 5, MEGA 3 and porous A base portion 7a of the gasket 7 is formed so as to cover the periphery of the peripheral end surface of the body 4, and a lip portion 7b which is formed so as to protrude from one surface of the base portion 7a and is brought into contact with the separator 5 of an adjacent cell. The case where a cell formed by integral molding is shown is shown. The separator 5 has a three-layer structure in which an intermediate plate 53 is sandwiched between a cathode plate 51 and an anode plate 52, and a flow path for circulating a reaction gas and a cooling medium is formed therein. ing. The separator 5 is not limited to the embodiment in which the anode plate 52 is in contact with the porous body 4 as shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. The present invention also includes a case where it is configured to contact.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, in the sealing / temporary fastening processing device 1, the separator temporary fastening jig 15 is disposed so as to be movable up and down so as to face the base plate 16 holding the lower jig 11. A separator temporary fixing jig lifting mechanism is connected to the separator temporary fixing jig 15. In addition, the upper jig 10 is supported by a retreat movement means that moves horizontally so as to retreat from between the lower jig 11 and the separator temporary fixing jig 15 together with the elevation movement mechanism. The separator temporary fixing jig 15 is provided with a separator holding mechanism 15 a made of a claw or the like that can be engaged with the edge of the separator 5.

  On the other hand, the gasket forming apparatus 2 includes a flat plate-like lower mold 21 on which the temporarily fixed MEGA 3, the porous body 4, and the separator 5 are placed, and the temporarily fixed MEGA 3, the porous body 4, and the separator 5 in the accommodating portion 20a. And an upper die 20 having a cavity surface 20b that forms a cavity 22 by the peripheral end surface of the MEGA 3 and the porous body 4 and the surface of the separator 5 in the periphery thereof. A sealing material 24 is disposed outside the cavity surface 20a of the upper mold 20 so as to contact and seal the edge of the surface of the separator 5 when the mold is closed.

Next, the second embodiment of the method for manufacturing a fuel cell according to the present invention will be described in detail together with the operation of the fuel cell manufacturing apparatus according to the second embodiment configured as described above. explain. In the second embodiment, parts that are the same as or correspond to those in the first embodiment described above are given the same reference numerals and explanation thereof is omitted, and only different parts are explained.
In the fuel cell manufacturing method of the present invention, the porous body 4 is stacked and temporarily fixed to the MEGA 3 in the process of performing the sealing process as in the first embodiment, and before the sealing material 6 is solidified. Further, the separator 5 is superposed on the porous body 4 and temporarily fixed to the porous body 4.

  When the porous bodies 4 and 4 are stacked on both sides of the MEGA 3 to form the fuel cell, and the gasket 7 is formed around the porous bodies 4 and 4, as shown by the horizontal arrow H in FIG. -The upper jig 10 is positioned between the lower jig 11 and the separator temporary fixing jig 15 by the retracting movement means of the temporary fixing processing apparatus 1, that is, the lower jig 11 and the upper jig 10 are opposed to each other. Has been moved. Before and after this, the stacked MEGA 3 and the porous body 4 were aligned with each other by bringing the end surfaces of the two sides adjacent to each other into contact with the positioning means provided on the surface of the lower jig 11. Is positioned in a state. The separator temporary fixing jig 15 is held by a separator holding mechanism 15 a such as a claw so that the separator 5 is aligned with the MEGA 3 and the porous body 4 positioned at predetermined positions on the lower jig 11. Has been.

  Then, as shown by a vertical arrow V in FIG. 4, the jig opening / closing mechanism of the sealing / temporary fastening processing device 1 is driven to close the upper jig 10 and the lower jig 11 relatively close to each other, The stacked MEGA 3 and the porous body 4 are sandwiched and held with a predetermined force. Subsequently, the flowable sealing material 6 is injected by the injection unit 13 of the sealing material supply means 12, and the groove 10a is passed from the flexible pipe 14 through the flow paths 10b and 11b of the jigs 10 and 11. , 11a, and a predetermined amount is injected into a position where the sealing portion 6 near the edge of the porous body 4 is to be formed. The sealing material 6 permeates until reaching the gas diffusion layer 34 of the MEGA 3 (see the state shown in FIG. 5). In addition, it is desirable to inject a larger amount of the sealing material 6 into the porous body 4 on the side to be temporarily fixed to the separator 5 in a later step than the other porous body 4.

  When the injection of the sealing material 6 is completed, in this embodiment, as shown by the vertical arrow V in FIG. The jig 10 and the lower jig 11 are opened relatively apart from each other, and then, as indicated by a horizontal arrow H in FIG. The upper jig 10 is retreated from between the porous body 4 stacked with the MEGA 3 on the lower jig 11 and the separator temporary fixing jig 15 by moving horizontally so as to be retreated from between the jig 15 ( 6 (see the position of the upper jig 10 in FIG. 6), the porous body 4 stacked on the MEGA 3 on the lower jig 11 and the separator temporary fixing jig 15 are made to face each other. Subsequently, before the sealing material 6 is solidified or hardened, as shown by an arrow V in FIG. 6, the separator temporary fixing jig 15 is lowered by the separator temporary fixing jig raising / lowering mechanism. The separator 5 held on the surface is polymerized into the porous body 4 and pressurized between the lower jig 11 and the sealing material 6 is solidified or cured by adjusting the temperature. Thereby, the sealing part 4a is formed in the vicinity of the edge of the porous body 4 to complete the sealing process, and the MEGA 3, the porous body 4 and the separator 5 which are aligned and stacked are not displaced from each other. It will be temporarily fixed to the extent.

  When the temporary fixing of the MEGA 3, the porous body 4, and the separator 5 is completed simultaneously with the sealing process of the porous body 4, the separator holding mechanism 15a of the separator temporary fixing jig 15 is released, and the separator temporary fixing jig lifting mechanism lifts the separator. The temporary fixing jig 15 is raised and opened so as to be separated from the separator 5. By this time, the upper mold 20 and the lower mold 21 of the gasket molding apparatus 2 are separated and opened by the mold opening / closing mechanism, and the MEGA 3 and the porous body 4 that are temporarily fixed and integrated with each other The separator 5 is taken out from the sealing / temporary tacking processing device 1, and in this embodiment, the separator 5 is inverted so as to be positioned on the lower side, and between the upper mold 20 and the lower mold 21 of the gasket molding device 2. The separator 5 is moved and is set at a substantially central position on the lower die 21 so that the separator 5 is in contact with the lower die 21. In the present invention, since the MEGA 3, the porous body 4, and the separator 5 are aligned and temporarily fixed in advance with accuracy, they can be easily and accurately set in the lower mold 21 in a short time. Then, the upper mold 20 and the lower mold 21 are closed relatively close to each other by the mold opening / closing mechanism of the gasket molding apparatus 2, and the mold is clamped with a predetermined force. At this time, the sealing member 23 is brought into contact with the sealing portion 4a formed in the porous body 4, and the gap between the upper surface at the side edge of the separator 5 and the abutting surface outside the cavity surface 20b of the upper mold 20 is between. Sealed by a sealing material 24. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, a sealed cavity 22 is formed by the cavity surface 20 b of the upper mold 20 and the sealing materials 23 and 24.

  In this state, the material of the gasket 7 in a state where it can flow into the cavity 22 is injected and filled at a predetermined pressure and at a predetermined speed by the injection means of the gasket molding apparatus 2 to solidify the material of the gasket 7. Harden. Then, in this embodiment, the gasket 7 formed by projecting the lip portion 7b from the base portion 7a to the periphery of the MEGA 3 and the porous body 4 which are aligned, stacked and temporarily fixed, and the surface of the side edge of the separator 5 are provided. Is formed.

  When the molding of the gasket 7 is completed, the upper mold 20 and the lower mold 21 of the gasket molding apparatus 2 are separated from each other by the mold opening / closing mechanism, and the mold is opened, and the MEGA 3, the porous body 4 and the separator 5 are stacked, and the gasket is formed around them. The product in which 7 is integrally molded is taken out.

  In the present invention, the MEGA 3 and the porous body 4 which are the components of the fuel cell unit (in the case of the first embodiment), and further the separator 5 (in the case of the second embodiment) are accurately obtained in advance. By stacking and temporarily fixing in the aligned state, it is possible to easily and accurately set in the lower mold 21 of the gasket molding apparatus 2 in a short time, thereby shortening the time required for molding the gasket 7. In addition, since the cell components 3, 4 and 5 are not relatively displaced from each other, the yield can be improved and the fuel cell can be manufactured efficiently.

1 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a first embodiment of a fuel cell manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention. It is a partial expanded sectional view for demonstrating the state by which the sealing material was inject | poured into the porous body with the fuel cell manufacturing apparatus of this invention of FIG. FIG. 2 is a bottom view of an upper jig or a plan view of a lower jig of the sealing / temporary fastening processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1. In order to explain the second embodiment of the sealing / temporary tacking processing apparatus in the fuel cell manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, a cross section schematically showing a state where MEGA and a porous body are aligned and stacked on the lower mold FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a state in which the upper jig is moved from the state of FIG. 4, the MEGA and the porous body are sandwiched between the lower jig, and the sealing material is injected. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a state in which the upper jig is retracted from the state of FIG. 5, and the separator is pressurized and temporarily fixed to the porous body between the separator temporary fixing jig and the lower jig. It is sectional drawing shown roughly in order to demonstrate 2nd Embodiment of the gasket shaping | molding apparatus in the fuel cell manufacturing apparatus of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  1: Sealing / temporary fastening processing device, 2: Gasket molding device, 3: MEGA, 4: Porous body, 4a: Sealing portion, 5: Separator, 6: Sealing material, 7: Gasket, 10: Upper jig (First jig), 11: lower jig (second jig), 15: separator temporary fixing jig, 20: upper mold, 21: lower mold, 22: cavity

Claims (2)

A method for manufacturing a fuel cell, comprising: performing a sealing process in the vicinity of an edge of a porous body; and stacking the porous body and MEGA in a mold and molding a gasket.
Injecting the sealing material in the vicinity of the edge of the porous body in the step of performing the sealing process, the stacked porous body and the MEGA are temporarily fixed by allowing the stacked MEGA to permeate. A method for manufacturing a fuel cell. An apparatus for manufacturing a fuel cell in which a plurality of cells having MEGA, a porous body, and a separator are stacked,
A sealing material is injected in the vicinity of the edge of the porous body stacked with the MEGA, and the MEGA and the porous body are temporarily fixed while performing a sealing process to form a sealing portion through the stacked MEGA. A sealing / temporary fastening processing device,
A fuel cell manufacturing apparatus comprising: a gasket forming apparatus having a mold for integrally forming a gasket integrally with an outer side of the sealing portion, which is set in a state where at least MEGA and a porous body are temporarily fixed. apparatus.

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