Fuel Cell Plates 

'A fuel cell is a device that converts the chemical energy from a fuel into electricity through a chemical reaction of positively charged hydrogen ions with oxygen or another oxidizing agent.' - Fuel Cells, Material Science 
 
The Photo etching process uses low-cost photo tooling and can be used to create channels on bipolar plates. This allows for the etching of different flow patterns such as: 
 
Parallel 
Serpentine 
Grid channels 
 
Etch Tech Can manufacture fuel cell plates in Aluminium, Stainless Steel, and Titanium, with a number of finishes, such as Chromium Nitride, available to customers. Whether you require macro, or micro-engineering, Etch Tech can produce fuel cell plates for even miniaturised fuel cells with micro-channels, with a typical depth ratio of 2:1. 
 
Etch Tech manufacture high quality fuel cell flow plates in aluminium, stainless steel, or titanium, using the chemical milling / photo etching process. Our process can provide different prototype designs in order to optimise the flow pattern on the fuel cell plate. The chemical milling / photo etching process allows for etching on both sides of the fuel cell plate and is ideal for prototyping, or economically scaling to short-run or high volume production of fuel cell plates of up to 1.5mm thickness. 
 
Chemical milling / photo etching is also an ideal process for the creation of micro-channels for miniaturized fuel cells. There continues to be huge growth in demand for miniaturized fuel cell technology driven by increased requirements for fuel cell miniaturisation, storage longevity increase, and cost effectiveness. The chemical milling / photo etching of metal fuel cell plates offers a highly cost-effective way of manufacturing macro - or micro-channels for fuel cells. 
 
Etch Tech can supply Photo Chemically Etched metal Fuel Cell Plates in the following materials: 
 
Aluminium 
Stainless Steel 
Titanium 
 
Design tolerances 
 
The Photo Etching process in place at Etch Tech Ltd is capable of etching extremely fine detail into metal. We have extensive experience working closely with customers to offer improved design tolerances on our Fuel Cell Plates. Please contact our design engineers so discuss your requirements. 
 
For any volume of the production of Fuel Cell Plates, the manufacturing technique of choice is PhotoChemical Milling, see below for an in-depth view of the strengths of the process: 
Benefits of the PhotoChemical Milling Process : 
 
Apertures on both sides as the etchant works on both sides of the metal 
Burr & Stress-free manufacturing method 
Custom parts – you design it – we make it! 
Cost-effective Prototyping 
Etch Tech can call on more than 30 years experience in the photo chemical etching of metal components 
High Accuracy 
Low cost tooling 
Industry leading lead times from inception to delivered components 
Prototypes – fast turnaround to meet your needs 
Scalable through Short Run to High Volume 
To find out more about our Photo Etching Process please email, or contact us on 01480 435 548 

Get a Fast Track Quote 

Tell us about your photo chemical etching requirements today and get a fast track quote. We aim to respond to requests within 4 hours of receipt of your contact, 24 hours guaranteed! 

Consult with our design team now! 

Wondering if chemical milling is right for your project? Consult with our team of experienced designers today and we can begin working together! 
 
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