Further improvements of an end-effector for robotic assembly of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

Abstract

This paper presents a technology for robotic assembly of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs). We describe the most recent configuration of the end-effector used for robotic assembly of PEMFCs, the robot workcell, the fuel cell components and the method of automated assembling fuel cell stacks. In this second generation of end-effector and workcell designs, the productivity of the automated assembly process and the capability of the robot to assemble larger scale fuel cell stacks have been improved. The advantage of the technology presented here consists in its low cost, its simplicity, in its capability of rapidly assembling fuel cell stacks containing a large number of cells due to a passive compliance system of the end-effector and in its capability of accurately aligning the fuel cell components in the stack.