JP2011181442A - Method and apparatus for manufacturing gas passage forming member for fuel cell, and method for manufacturing fuel cell - Google Patents

Abstract

The power generation performance of a fuel cell is enhanced by adopting a configuration capable of shortening the pitch in the width direction of convex portions.
A method of manufacturing a gas flow path forming member for a fuel cell, wherein a concave and convex portion having a concave and convex shape in which a concave portion and a convex portion are alternately continued using a blade mold having a convex blade portion 312. Press forming a metal plate material to obtain an intermediate having an opening as a gas flow path, and a post-processing process to obtain the gas flow path forming member by processing the intermediate And the pressing process step is a method for manufacturing a fuel cell gas flow path forming member, wherein the blade portion 312 is configured using a blade shape in which the tip 312K of the blade portion 312 is rounded.
[Selection] Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for manufacturing a gas flow path forming member for a fuel cell.

  Conventionally, as a fuel cell, a membrane electrode assembly and separators disposed on both sides of the membrane electrode assembly are provided, and a gas flow path forming member that is a conductive porous body is provided between the membrane electrode assembly and the separator. What is provided is known. As the gas flow path forming member, a lath cut metal obtained by press-molding a metal thin plate is used (Patent Document 1).

JP 2008-287955 A

  The gas flow path forming member using the lath cut metal has a large molding elongation because the shape of the convex portion after the lath cut is rectangular. For this reason, if it is going to tear material fracture | rupture, since the pitch of the width direction of a convex part will spread, it is difficult to shorten the width direction pitch. As a result, the conventional fuel cell has a problem that it is difficult to improve the power generation performance.

  An object of the present invention is to improve the power generation performance of a fuel cell by adopting a configuration in which the pitch in the width direction of the protrusions can be shortened.

  The present invention can be realized as the following forms or application examples in order to solve at least a part of the above-described problems.

[Application Example 1] A method for producing a gas flow path forming member for a fuel cell, wherein a concave-convex portion having a concave-convex shape in which concave portions and convex portions are alternately continued using a blade mold having a convex-shaped blade portion. Press forming a metal plate material to obtain an intermediate having an opening as a gas flow path, and a post-processing process to obtain the gas flow path forming member by processing the intermediate The method for producing a fuel cell gas flow path forming member is provided, wherein the pressing process step is performed using a blade mold in which a tip of the blade portion has a curved shape.

  According to the manufacturing method of the fuel cell gas flow path forming member described in Application Example 1, since the tip can be sheared by the curved blade portion, the width direction of the convex portion formed by the pressing process The pitch can be shortened. Therefore, the power generation performance of the fuel cell can be improved by using the manufactured gas flow path forming member for the fuel cell.

Application Example 2 In the method for manufacturing a fuel cell gas flow path forming member according to Application Example 1, the pressing process includes a feeding process of feeding a metal plate in a first direction, and the blade portion. With respect to the plate material that has been sent below the upper blade by the feeding step, using the blade mold that includes at least an upper blade arranged in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. And pressing the upper blade to perform a partial shearing process to form the uneven portion on the plate material, and the uneven portion forming step while feeding the plate material by a predetermined width by the feeding step. The manufacturing method of the gas flow path formation member for fuel cells which is the structure which obtains the said intermediate body by performing.

  According to the manufacturing method of the fuel cell gas flow path forming member described in the application example 2, since the intermediate can be obtained by the same operation as a general press process, the manufacturing is easy.

Application Example 3 In the fuel cell gas flow path forming member according to Application Example 1 or 2, the post-processing step is configured to perform a rolling process for flattening a part of the convex portion of the intermediate. Production method.

  According to the method for manufacturing a fuel cell gas flow path forming member described in Application Example 3, a part of the convex portion is flattened by the rolling process, and thus the manufactured gas flow path forming member is used as a membrane electrode assembly. There is no risk of damaging the electrodes when abutting.

Application Example 4 The method for manufacturing a fuel cell gas flow path forming member according to any one of Application Examples 1 to 3, wherein the gas flow path forming member is a lath cut metal. According to this structure, it can apply to the gas flow path formation member which is a lath cut metal.

Application Example 5 A method of manufacturing a fuel cell including a membrane electrode assembly, wherein the gas flow path is formed using the method for manufacturing a fuel cell gas flow path forming member according to any one of Application Examples 1 to 4. A fuel cell manufacturing method comprising: a member manufacturing step; and an arrangement step in which the manufactured gas flow path forming member is disposed such that a surface on the side protruding by the blade portion contacts the membrane electrode assembly. Method.

  According to the method for manufacturing a fuel cell described in Application Example 5, since the pitch in the width direction of the convex portion of the gas flow path forming member can be shortened, the power generation performance of the fuel cell can be improved.

Application Example 6 An apparatus for producing a gas flow path forming member for a fuel cell, using a blade shape having a convex blade portion, and having a concave and convex portion in which the concave portion and the convex portion are alternately continuous. A press part for obtaining an intermediate product having an opening as a gas flow path by press-forming the metal plate material, and a post-processing part for processing the intermediate product to obtain the gas flow path forming member. The blade type is an apparatus for manufacturing a gas flow path forming member for a fuel cell, wherein the blade tip has a curved shape.

  According to the fuel cell gas flow path forming member manufacturing apparatus described in Application Example 6, the manufactured gas flow path forming member manufactured in the same manner as the fuel cell gas flow path forming member manufacturing method described in Application Example 1 Can be used in a fuel cell to improve the power generation performance of the fuel cell.

  Furthermore, the present invention can be realized in various forms other than the above application examples 1 to 7. For example, in the form of a fuel cell manufactured using the method for manufacturing a gas flow path forming member for a fuel cell according to the present invention. It is possible to realize.

It is explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure of the fuel cell 100 as an Example of this invention. 4 is a perspective view showing a structure of a flow path forming member 40. FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the lamination | stacking state of the gas diffusion layer 33b, the flow-path formation member 40, and the separator 70. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the manufacturing method of a flow-path formation member. It is explanatory drawing which shows the process of a press process. It is explanatory drawing which shows the upper blade of a prior art example, and the upper blade of an Example. It is a perspective view of the intermediate formed by the press process. It is explanatory drawing which shows a rolling process. It is explanatory drawing which shows how the vertex by the side of the convex part 53 is crushed. It is explanatory drawing which shows each convex part formed by a prior art example and a present Example.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on examples with reference to the drawings.

A. First embodiment:
A-1. Schematic configuration of fuel cell:
A schematic configuration of a fuel cell 100 as an embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. The fuel cell 100 is a polymer electrolyte fuel cell, and is configured by sandwiching a plurality of stacked power generators 20 between end plates 95 and 96 at both ends. The power generator 20 is a basic structure for generating power, and the fuel cell 100 has a stack structure in which a plurality of power generators are stacked. In this fuel cell 100, hydrogen as fuel gas and air as oxidant gas are supplied from the hydrogen supply manifold 95a and air supply manifold 95b to the power generator 20, and the exhaust gas is discharged from the hydrogen discharge manifold 95c and air discharge manifold 95d. Is done. Further, the cooling water is supplied from the cooling water supply manifold 95e to the power generator 20, and the waste water is discharged from the cooling water discharge manifold 95f.

  The power generation body 20 is formed by laminating flow path forming members 40 and 60 and separators 70 and 80 on both sides of a MEGA 35 in which gas diffusion layers 33a and 33b are joined to both sides of a MEA 34 (Membrane Electrode Assembly) as a membrane electrode assembly. Composed. In addition, the dimension of the lamination | stacking surface of the electric power generation body 20 in a present Example is 100 mm x 300 mm. The flow path forming members 40 and 60 are “gas flow path forming members” in the present invention.

  The MEA 34 includes a cathode electrode 32 a and an anode electrode 32 b on the surface of the electrolyte membrane 31. The electrolyte membrane 31 is a thin film of a solid polymer material that exhibits good proton conductivity in a wet state, and is formed in a rectangular shape that is smaller than the outer shape of the separators 70 and 80 and larger than the outer shape of the flow path forming members 40 and 60. Yes. In this embodiment, Nafion (registered trademark) is used for the electrolyte membrane 31. The cathode electrode 32a and the anode electrode 32b are electrodes in which a catalyst is supported on a carrier having conductivity. In this embodiment, carbon particles supporting a platinum catalyst, a polymer electrolyte constituting the electrolyte membrane 31, and With the same electrolyte.

  The gas diffusion layers 33a and 33b can be formed of a conductive member having gas permeability, such as carbon paper or carbon cloth, a metal mesh, or a foam metal. In this embodiment, carbon paper is used for the gas diffusion layers 33a and 33b. The gas diffusion layers 33a and 33b diffuse the oxidant gas or fuel gas and supply it to the entire surface of the cathode electrode 32a or the anode electrode 32b. The gas diffusion layers 33a and 33b have a smaller porosity than the flow path forming members 40 and 60, and have a current collecting function and a protection function for the MEA 34 in addition to the gas diffusion function. The gas diffusion layers 33a and 33b may have a function of adjusting the moisture content of the MEA 34.

  The MEGA 35 is integrally formed with a seal gasket 36 disposed on the outer periphery thereof. The seal gasket 36 includes a hydrogen supply manifold 30a, an air supply manifold 30b, a hydrogen discharge manifold 30c, an air discharge manifold 30d, a cooling water supply manifold 30e, and a cooling water discharge manifold 30f. Further, the seal gasket 36 is formed with convex portions surrounding each manifold in the thickness direction, and the portions abut against separators 70 and 80 stacked on both sides of the seal gasket 36, and from inside the manifold. It functions as a seal that suppresses leakage of fluid (fuel gas, oxidant gas, cooling water).

  The flow path forming members 40 and 60 are members in which a large number of through holes are formed, and in this embodiment, lath cut metal was used. The flow path forming member 40 is disposed between the anode side of the MEGA 35 and the separator 70 and directs the hydrogen supplied via the separator 70 from one side of the electrode surface of the MEA 34 to the other side. Hydrogen is supplied to the anode side of the MEGA 35 while flowing in a continuous flow. Similarly, the flow path forming member 60 supplies air to the cathode side of the MEGA 35. The flow path forming members 40 and 60 are made of a metal having corrosion resistance and conductivity, for example, stainless steel, titanium, titanium alloy, etc., but in this embodiment, titanium is used. The detailed structure of the flow path forming members 40 and 60 will be described later. In the present embodiment, the flow path forming members 40 and 60 are provided on both sides of the MEGA 35. However, the MEGA 35 may be provided on only one side of the MEGA 35.

  In the separator 70, a flat cathode-side separator 71 provided on the cathode electrode 32a side, a flat anode-side separator 73 provided on the anode electrode 32b side, and an intermediate separator 72 disposed therebetween are integrated. Composed. The cathode separator 71 includes a hydrogen supply manifold 71a, an air supply manifold 71b, a hydrogen discharge manifold 71c, an air discharge manifold 71d, a cooling water supply manifold 71e, a cooling water discharge manifold 71f, and air communication holes 75 and 76. The air supplied to the air supply manifold 71 b is guided to the flow path forming member 60 through the air communication hole 72 b and the air communication hole 75 of the intermediate separator 72. The exhaust gas is discharged to the air discharge manifold 71d through the air communication hole 76 and the communication hole (not shown) of the intermediate separator 72.

  Similarly, the hydrogen supplied to the hydrogen supply manifold 71 c is guided to the flow path forming member 40 through the communication holes (not shown) of the intermediate separator 72 and the anode side separator 73 and flows through the flow path forming member 40. After that, the hydrogen is discharged to the hydrogen discharge manifold 71 a through the communication hole (not shown) of the anode separator 73 and the hydrogen communication hole 72 a of the intermediate separator 72. The intermediate separator 72 is formed with a plurality of cutouts along the long side direction of a substantially rectangular outline, and both ends of the cutouts communicate with the cooling water discharge manifold 71f and the cooling water supply manifold 71e, respectively.

  The separator 70 is formed of a gas-impermeable conductive member such as a member made of compressed carbon, stainless steel, or titanium. In this embodiment, titanium is used. The separator 80 has the same configuration as the separator 70.

A-2. Structure of flow path forming member:
Next, the detailed structure of the flow path forming members 40 and 60 will be described. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the structure of the flow path forming member 40. As shown in the figure, the flow path forming member 40 has a concave and convex portion 50 having a concave and convex shape in which concave portions 51 and convex portions 53 are alternately continuous, and a continuous direction of the concave portions 51 and the convex portions 53 (x direction in the figure). It is configured as a shape arranged in an orthogonal direction (y direction in the figure) and continuously arranged with a certain gradient. The concavo-convex part 50 is continuous with the same period, with one concave part 51 and one convex part 53 as one period. The adjacent concavo-convex portions 50 are out of phase. Moreover, the upper part of the convex part 53 and the bottom face of the recessed part 51 adjacent on the climbing direction side of a gradient are connected and comprised. In addition, the above-described gradient has an ascending shape at an angle θ.

  A large number of through-holes 41 having the same shape are formed by such an uneven outer shape. In the present specification, the end of the convex portion 53 on the downward side of the gradient is referred to as a convex portion end 53a, and the concave portion 51 of the concave portion 51 is referred to as the concave portion end 51a. In the present embodiment, the convex end 53a side and the concave end 51a side are crushed into planar shapes in the same direction. Here, the “same direction” is a direction that coincides with the direction of the gradient of the angle θ. As a result, flat portions are formed on the convex end 53a side and the concave end 51a side. Hereinafter, the flat portion on the convex portion end 53a side is referred to as a “convex portion flat portion 54”, and the flat portion on the concave portion end 51a side is referred to as a “concave portion flat portion 52”.

  In the example of FIG. 2, only four pairs of irregularities are described in the x direction and only three pairs in the y direction. However, this is for convenience of illustration, and actually 400 pairs in the direction and 200 pairs in the y direction are provided. ing.

  About the flow path formation member 40 mentioned above, the aspect at the time of laminating | stacking as a member which comprises the electric power generation body 20 is demonstrated. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a stacked state of the gas diffusion layer 33 b, the flow path forming member 40, and the separator 70. As described above, the concave portion-side flat portion 52 and the convex portion-side flat portion 54 of the flow path forming member 40 are in contact with the separator 70 and the gas diffusion layer 33b in parallel because they have a gradient of the angle θ. That is, the concave portion 51 and the separator 70 of the flow path forming member 40 are in surface contact at the concave portion side flat portion 52, and the convex portion 53 and the gas diffusion layer 33 b of the flow path forming member 40 are convex portion side flat portion 54. It becomes surface contact at.

  Therefore, when the power generating body 20 is configured using the flow path forming member 40, when the fastening force of the fuel cell 100 or the like is applied, the force acting per unit contact area is the surface contact as described above. And the damage to the gas diffusion layer 33b and the separator 70 (particularly the gas diffusion layer 33b) can be suppressed. Further, the increase in the contact area can improve the current collection characteristics of the flow path forming member 40, and can also reduce the contact resistance between the flow path forming member 40 and the gas diffusion layer 33b. The power generation performance of the body 20 is improved.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, the concave portion 51 and the convex portion 53 are not in a shape to be reversed. This point will be described in detail later. The structure of the flow path forming member 60 disposed on the cathode electrode 32a side is the same as the structure of the flow path forming member 40 described above.

A-3. Manufacturing method of flow path forming member:
A method of manufacturing the flow path forming members 40 and 60 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In the manufacture of the flow path forming member 40, as shown in FIG. 4, first, a base material of the flow path forming member 40 is prepared (step S110). Here, a thin plate made of titanium was prepared as a base material. Next, the substrate is pressed (step S120).

  FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a step of press processing. This press process is a so-called metal press, and is performed using a press device including a blade mold part 300 and a roller 340. The blade mold part 300 includes an upper blade 310, a lower blade 320, and a lower receiving blade 330. The upper blade 310 has a plurality of convex portions arranged in the X direction. The lower blade 320 has an edge extending along the X direction. The lower receiving blade 330 has concave portions corresponding to the convex portions of the upper blade 310 arranged in the X direction.

  As shown in the drawing, the base 210 is fed in the Y direction by a roller 340 (FIG. 5A), the upper blade 310 is moved up and down in the Z-axis direction (FIG. 5B), and the lower blade is pressed by press working. 320 and the convex part of the upper blade 310 and the concave part of the lower receiving blade 330 are partly sheared to form the convex part 53 and the concave part 51. Thereby, the uneven | corrugated | grooved part 50 shown in FIG. 2 is formed. The X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction are directions orthogonal to each other. In FIG. 5B, the convex portion 53 protrudes toward the lower side of the page, but is reversed from the state of FIG.

  Then, the upper blade 310 and the lower receiving blade 330 are moved in the X direction (FIG. 5D) while the substrate 210 is fed in the Y direction by the roller 340 (FIG. 5C). The amount of movement at this time is shorter than half the period of the irregularities. This movement amount becomes a phase shift between the adjacent concavo-convex portions 50.

  When the upper blade 310 and the lower receiving blade 330 are moved, the upper blade 310 is moved up and down again (FIG. 5E), and a predetermined phase is set with respect to the convex portion 53 and the concave portion 51 formed in FIG. A new convex portion 53 and a concave portion 51 are formed with an arrangement shifted by a certain amount. As a result, a new concavo-convex portion 50 ′ connected to the concavo-convex portion 50 formed in FIG. 5B is formed. Then, the upper blade 310 and the lower receiving blade 330 are returned to their original positions (FIG. 5 (f)). Thereafter, the flow path forming member 40 is obtained by repeating the steps from FIG. 5B to FIG. 5F.

  The upper blade (hereinafter referred to as “upper blade of the embodiment”) used in the press processing having the above configuration is different from the upper blade (hereinafter referred to as “upper blade of the conventional example”) used in the conventional press apparatus. Has a characteristic shape. FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing the upper blade of the conventional example and the upper blade of the embodiment. FIG. 6A shows a conventional upper blade 910, and FIG. 6B shows an upper blade 310 of the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, the upper blade 910 of the conventional example includes a plurality of convex blade portions 912, but the tip 912K of each blade portion 912 is flat. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6B, the upper blade 310 of the embodiment includes a plurality of blade portions 312 that are also convex, but the tip 312K of each blade portion 312 has a round shape having a round shape. It has become. The “R shape” is an arc having a predetermined radius.

  In this embodiment, the tip radius is 0.01 to 0.3 [mm]. More preferably, the tip radius is 0.05 to 0.2 [mm]. By setting the radius to such a radius, the effects described below can be surely exhibited.

  On the other hand, the lower receiving blade 330 has a shape corresponding to the tip 312 </ b> K of the blade portion 312, that is, a round-shaped concave portion inverted in the vertical direction.

  In the present embodiment, the tip 312K of each blade portion 312 has a round shape, that is, an arc shape, but may be an elliptic arc shape instead. In this elliptical configuration, the major axis is preferably 0.05 to 0.2 [mm] and the minor axis is preferably 0.01 to 0.2 [mm]. Furthermore, the tip 312K of each blade 312 does not have to be limited to an arc shape and an elliptical arc shape, and can be changed to any shape as long as it has a rounded curved shape. Similarly, the lower receiving blade 330 has a shape corresponding to the upper blade 310.

  In this press process, the lower receiving blade 330 is prepared in order to increase the forming accuracy. However, the lower receiving blade 330 may be omitted.

  FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an intermediate formed by the pressing process in step S120. As shown in the figure, similar to the flow path forming member 40 shown in FIG. 2, the concavo-convex portion 50, which has a concavo-convex shape in which the concave portions 51 and the convex portions 53 continuously alternate, The intermediate 140 is configured as a shape arranged in a direction orthogonal to the x direction in the figure (y direction in the figure) (arranged with a phase shift from the adjacent concavo-convex part) and connected with a certain gradient. Is done. As described above, since the upper blade 310 used in the press process has a rounded tip shape, as shown in the figure, the convex portion 53 has a shape in which the top P has a rounded shape. On the other hand, the bottom B of the recess is flat.

  Returning to FIG. 4, after the execution of step S120, a rolling process is performed to roll the intermediate 140 obtained in step S120 (step S130).

  FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the rolling process. Two or more rolls 410, 420 are rotated and the intermediate 140 is passed between the rolls 410 and 420. The intermediate 140 is arranged so that the direction connecting one end (the end on the near side in FIG. 7) PX of each peak P (FIG. 7) in each convex portion 53 is the horizontal direction, and the roll 410, 420 is passed. The intermediate 140 is formed and processed by the roll 410 and the roll 420. As a result, each vertex of the concave portion 51 and the convex portion 53 in the intermediate 140 is crushed. In addition, "rolling" said here compresses and reduces thickness and processes into a predetermined shape.

  FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing how the apex on the convex portion 53 side is crushed. As shown in the figure, the convex portion 53 is pressed with a surface S inclined by an angle θ with respect to the R direction. Here, the R direction is a direction inclined by an angle θ with respect to the surface direction R of the substrate 210 before the intermediate 140 is molded. The angle θ matches the angle θ of the gradient in FIG.

  The flow path forming member 40 in which the concave portion side flat portion 52 is formed in the concave portion 51 and the convex portion side flat portion 54 is formed in the convex portion 53 is manufactured by the rolling process using the roll 410 and the roll 420 described above. (See also FIG. 8). The flow path forming member 60 on the other side is also manufactured by the manufacturing method shown in FIG.

A-4. Manufacturing method of fuel cell:
The manufacturing method of the fuel cell 100 is as follows. In this manufacturing method, the flow path forming members 40 and 60 are manufactured by the method described in the paragraph A-3. Then, the manufactured gas flow path forming members 40 and 60 are arranged and laminated so that the surface on the convex portion 53 side comes into contact with the MEGA 35. This lamination is performed by a well-known method and will not be described here.

A-5. Example effect:
According to the manufacturing method of the flow path forming members 40 and 60 having the above-described configuration, since it can be sheared by the edge-shaped blade portion in the press processing step, the pitch in the width direction of the convex portion 53 formed by the press processing step. Can be shortened. This will be described in detail below.

  FIG. 10 is an explanatory view showing each convex portion formed by the conventional example and the present embodiment. FIG. 10A shows a convex portion 953 formed by a conventional press process, and FIG. 10B shows a convex portion 53 formed by the press process of this embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 10A, the convex portion 953 of the conventional example is rectangular. This is because the tip 912K of the upper blade 910 of the conventional example is flat as shown in FIG. On the other hand, the convex portion 953 formed by the pressing process of the present embodiment has a rounded shape at the tip 312K of the upper blade 310 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. It becomes a rounded shape. Since the shape of the last cut is contracted by the elongation rate of the material, when it is designed with the same elongation rate, it is rounded as shown in FIG. 10 (b) rather than being rectangular as shown in FIG. 10 (a). It can be seen that the width direction pitch LW is shorter and the depth of cut SW is longer when it is held. That is, the width direction pitch LW of the present embodiment is shorter than the width direction pitch LW * of the conventional example, and the cut depth SW of the present embodiment is longer than the cut depth SW * of the conventional example.

  For this reason, the flow path forming members 40 and 60 after manufacture have a shorter width direction pitch LW of the convex portions than in the conventional example. When the width direction pitch is short, a uniform surface pressure can be applied to the electrodes 32a and 32b (more precisely, the gas diffusion layers 33a and 33b) when assembled as a fuel cell. Resistance can be lowered. Furthermore, if the pitch in the width direction is short, a large number of contacts between the gas flow path and the electrodes 32a and 32b can be provided, so that the drainage of the generated water can be improved. From these things, according to the manufacturing method of the flow path formation members 40 and 60 of a present Example, the electric power generation performance of the fuel cell 100 can be improved.

  Furthermore, since the upper blade 310 has a rounded tip shape, there is an effect that the sharpness of the shear is improved. This is because, in the case of the conventional example, the shear load is applied to the upper blade by “line”, whereas in this embodiment, it is applied by “point”. By understanding the wrinkles, it is possible to shear sharply by shearing at points and moving the points. For this reason, sagging and burrs are less likely to occur in the shape after cutting. For this reason, since the generated water from MEGA35 can be efficiently moved to the separators 70 and 80 side, drainage property can be improved and power generation performance can be further improved.

B: Modification:
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications thereof, and can be carried out in various modes without departing from the gist thereof. For example, the following modifications are possible.

・ Modification 1:
In the above embodiment, in the press processing step S120, the base material is sent to the blade mold part by a roller. Instead, the base material is moved by moving the blade mold part in a fixed state. It is good also as a structure located between an upper blade and a lower blade. In short, the base material may be configured to move relative to the blade mold part.

Modification 2
In the said Example, although it was set as the structure which presses by what is called sequential press which presses one row at a time in press processing process S120, it is good also as a structure which performs the single press which presses the whole surface of a base material at once. Moreover, it is good also as a structure performed by the progressive press which presses several rows at a time. Furthermore, it is good also as a structure which provides a convex-shaped blade part in a roll and forms an uneven | corrugated | grooved part by moving the roll relatively with respect to a base material. In this case, the blade portion of the roll has a rounded tip shape. According to this configuration, it is possible to achieve the same effect as in the above embodiment.

・ Modification 3:
In the embodiment, in the rolling processing step S130 as a post-processing step, the intermediate 140 is continuously compressed between the two rotating holes. However, instead of this, the intermediate is performed by a single press. It is good also as a structure which compresses the whole region of an object at once. Further, the post-processing step is not limited to the rolling process for flattening a part of the convex portion of the intermediate, and any configuration can be used as long as the intermediate is processed to obtain the gas flow path forming member. Good.

-Modification 4:
In the above-described embodiment, the power generator 20 is configured by laminating the single flow path forming members 40 and 60 between the MEGA 35 and the separators 70 and 80, but between the MEGA 35 and the separators 70 and 80. Alternatively, a plurality of flow path forming members may be stacked and stacked. In this case, only the flow path forming member that directly contacts the MEGA 35 may be used as the flow path forming member of the present invention.

-Modification 5:
In the embodiment, the lath cut metal is used as the flow path forming members 40 and 60, but an expanded metal obtained by rolling the lath cut metal in the direction of the gradient of the flow path forming member 40 may be used.

Modification 6:
In the above-described embodiment, the separators 70 and 80 are of a three-layer laminated type and the surface can be easily flattened, but instead, other plate-like members having a flat surface may be used. Moreover, it is not necessarily limited to a separator having a flat surface. Of course, it is not necessary to be limited to the three-layer laminated type.

Modification 7:
In the above embodiment, the flow path forming members 40 and 60 are manufactured by the same manufacturing method on both the cathode side and the anode side. However, instead of this, only one side may be used. That is, only the flow path forming member on one side may be manufactured by the manufacturing method shown in FIG. 4, and the flow path forming member on the other side may be manufactured by a conventional manufacturing method.

-Modification 8:
Further, the present invention may be applied to a fuel cell of a different type from the above-described embodiments and modifications. For example, it can be applied to a direct methanol fuel cell. Or the fuel cell which has electrolyte layers other than a solid polymer may be sufficient, and the same effect is acquired by applying this invention.

  It should be noted that elements other than those described in the independent claims among the constituent elements in the above-described embodiments and modifications are additional elements and can be omitted as appropriate. The present invention is not limited to these examples and modifications, and can be implemented in various modes without departing from the scope of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 ... Power generation body 30a ... Hydrogen supply manifold 30b ... Air supply manifold 30c ... Hydrogen discharge manifold 30d ... Air discharge manifold 30e ... Cooling water supply manifold 30f ... Cooling water discharge manifold 31 ... Electrolyte membrane 32a ... Cathode electrode 32b ... Anode electrode 33a ... Gas diffusion layer 33b ... Gas diffusion layer 36 ... Seal gasket 40 ... Flow path forming member 41 ... Through hole 50 ... Concave portion 51 ... Concave portion 51a ... Concave end 52 ... Concave portion flat portion 53 ... Convex portion 53a ... Convex portion end 54 ... Projection-side flat portion 60 ... Flow path forming member 70 ... Separator 71 ... Cathode-side separator 71a ... Hydrogen supply manifold 71b ... Air supply manifold 71c ... Hydrogen discharge manifold 71d ... Air discharge manifold 71e ... Cooling water supply manifold 71f ... Cooling water discharge Mani Yield 72 ... Intermediate separator 72a ... Hydrogen communication hole 72b ... Air communication hole 73 ... Anode-side separator 75 ... Air communication hole 76 ... Air communication hole 80 ... Separator 95 ... End plate 95a ... Hydrogen supply manifold 95b ... Air supply manifold 95c ... Hydrogen Discharge manifold 95d ... Air discharge manifold 95e ... Cooling water supply manifold 95f ... Cooling water discharge manifold 100 ... Fuel cell 140 ... Intermediate 210 ... Base material 300 ... Blade part 310 ... Upper blade 312 ... Blade 312K ... Tip 320 ... Down Blade 340 ... Roller 410 ... Roll 420 ... Roll

Claims (6)

A method for producing a gas flow path forming member for a fuel cell, comprising:
An intermediate with an opening as a gas flow path is formed by pressing a concave and convex portion, which is a concave and convex shape in which concave portions and convex portions are alternately continuous, on a metal plate using a blade die having a convex blade portion. Press processing step to obtain a product,
A post-processing step of processing the intermediate to obtain the gas flow path forming member,
The method for manufacturing a gas flow path forming member for a fuel cell, wherein the press treatment step is performed by using a blade mold in which a tip of the blade portion has a curved shape. It is a manufacturing method of the gas flow path formation member for fuel cells according to claim 1,
The press processing step includes
A feeding step of feeding a metal plate in the first direction;
A plurality of convex portions as the blade portions have been sent below the upper blade by the feeding step using the blade mold having at least an upper blade arranged in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. An uneven part forming step of forming the uneven part on the plate material by performing a partial shearing process by pressing the upper blade against the plate material, while feeding the plate material by a predetermined width by the feeding step, The manufacturing method of the gas flow path formation member for fuel cells which is the structure which obtains the said intermediate body by performing an uneven | corrugated | grooved part formation process.   3. The method for manufacturing a fuel cell gas flow path forming member according to claim 1, wherein the post-processing step is configured to perform a rolling process for flattening a part of the convex portion of the intermediate.   The method of manufacturing a gas flow path forming member for a fuel cell according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the gas flow path forming member is a lath cut metal. A method for producing a fuel cell comprising a membrane electrode assembly,
A step of producing a gas flow path forming member using the method for producing a gas flow path forming member for a fuel cell according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
An arrangement step of arranging the manufactured gas flow path forming member so that a surface on the side protruding by the blade portion contacts the membrane electrode assembly. An apparatus for producing a gas flow path forming member for a fuel cell,
An intermediate with an opening as a gas flow path is formed by pressing a concave and convex portion, which is a concave and convex shape in which concave portions and convex portions are alternately continuous, on a metal plate using a blade die having a convex blade portion. A press section to get things,
A post-processing unit that processes the intermediate to obtain the gas flow path forming member,
The blade type is
An apparatus for producing a gas flow path forming member for a fuel cell, wherein the tip of the blade portion has a curved shape.

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