Bridging the Gap between Automated Manufacturing of Fuel Cell Components and Robotic Assembly of Fuel Cell Stacks

Devin Fowler, Vladimir Gurau and Daniel Cox
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Devin Fowler: GT Technologies, Tallahassee, FL 32303, USA
Vladimir Gurau: Department of Manufacturing Engineering, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA 30458, USA
Daniel Cox: Department of Manufacturing Engineering, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA 30458, USA

Energies, 2019, vol. 12, issue 19, 1-14

Abstract: Recently demonstrated robotic assembling technologies for fuel cell stacks used fuel cell components manually pre-arranged in stacks (presenters). Identifying the original orientation of fuel cell components and loading them in presenters for a subsequent automated assembly process is a difficult, repetitive work cycle which if done manually, deceives the advantages offered by either the automated fabrication technologies for fuel cell components or by the robotic assembly processes. We present for the first time a robotic technology which enables the integration of automated fabrication processes for fuel cell components with a robotic assembly process of fuel cell stacks into a fully automated fuel cell manufacturing line. This task uses a Yaskawa Motoman SDA5F dual arm robot with integrated machine vision system. The process is used to identify and grasp randomly placed, slightly asymmetric fuel cell components, to reorient them all in the same position and stack them in presenters in preparation for a subsequent robotic assembly process. The process was demonstrated as part of a larger endeavor of bringing to readiness advanced manufacturing technologies for alternative energy systems, and responds the high priority needs identified by the U.S. Department of Energy for fuel cells manufacturing research and development.

Keywords: robotic manufacturing of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells; robotic assembly; advanced manufacturing processes for fuel cells (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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