Tech-Etch can photoetch flow field bi-polar plates used in PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane) Fuel Cells. Bi-polar plates, or separator plates, are conductive plates in a fuel cell stack that act as an anode for one cell and a cathode for adjacent cells.
The plates contain flow channels for the fluid feeds and may contain conduits for heat transfer.
Tech-Etch can produce plates with interlacing front and back side channels to produce a corrugated effect for cooling purposes. See the blow-up below.
In addition, photoetching can be combined with machining to produce cross-over channels. Tolerances up to .0005 inches can be achieved in typical materials such as Titanium and Stainless Steel for these anode and cathode plates. These production processes are extremely desirable in the design and prototype stage of fuel cell development. Tech-Etch manufactures their fuel cell plates to customer specifications. To learn more about their capability,