Double Side Etched Bipolar Plate Service 316L Titanium Flow Field Plates 0.02mm To 1.5mm Sheet

Double Side Etched Bipolar Plates for PEM Fuel Cell and Electrolyzer Stacks

Bipolar plates etched from 0.02mm to 1.5mm stainless steel 316L or titanium sheet, made to your drawing. The flow field, manifold ports and sealing land are formed in one photochemical pass, so the plate leaves the line with open channels, a flat gasket face and no shear burr on the channel edge. No die is involved, which means a layout change is an artwork change.

• Channel field on one face or on both faces, registered from a single phototool
• Minimum line width 0.015mm, minimum aperture 0.03mm, dimensional tolerance +/-0.03mm across the plate
• Plating and diffusion welding in house for plated plates and welded half-plate assemblies
• First article etched, measured and approved before the production run is released

Plate capability

Flow field options

• Serpentine and multi-pass serpentine fields
• Parallel and straight channel fields
• Pin-type and pillar fields
• Manifold ports, locating holes and sealing grooves
• Single-sided and double-sided channel layouts
• Half etched alignment marks and plate identification areas

Etched or stamped flow field

Checked before the phototool is made

• Channel width against sheet thickness. A channel that etches cleanly in thin foil needs a different approach in heavy sheet, so the two are reviewed together rather than separately.
• Sealing land. Kept as a solid band around the active area, wide enough for the gasket to sit on a flat face, and checked against the gasket drawing before the tool is cut.
• Ports and locating holes. Dimensioned from the same datum as the channel field, so the plate lines up in the stack without a reaming step.
• Corners and thin plates. Sharp internal corners at channel turns are replaced by a small radius to keep the flow path open; connecting tabs and a carrier frame hold thin plates flat until they go into the stack.

From drawing to first article

1. Drawing review. Channel geometry is checked against thickness and tolerance, the sealing land and port layout are reviewed, and you receive feasibility comments with a quotation.
2. Phototool and first article. Artwork is converted to a phototool and a first article plate is etched for your fit and flow test, with material certificate and inspection data.
3. Process freeze. Once the first article is approved the etch parameters are fixed for the run and held under process control.
4. Inspection and packing. Every plate is checked against the drawing and inspected for channel and edge condition, then packed interleaved against transit damage.

Quality and documentation

Incoming material is inspected before production and finished plates are inspected before shipment, with a dimensional record kept for the run. The plant operates to ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and IATF 16949.

Where these plates go

PEM fuel cell stacks, PEM water electrolyzers and hydrogen systems, electrochemical stacks, portable power units, and lightweight etched plate assemblies for aviation and instrumentation programmes.

Buyer questions

Which material should the plate be? 316L stainless steel is the usual starting point for corrosion resistance and cost; titanium is chosen where the plate needs a higher strength to weight ratio. The final choice follows the medium, temperature and coating plan of your stack.

Can both faces carry a channel field? Yes. Double side etching puts a field on each face from one phototool, with step features defined on the drawing. Channels can also be etched into two half plates that are then diffusion welded into one assembly.

Can a plated plate or a welded assembly be supplied? Yes. Plating and diffusion welding are done in house, against the same drawing set as a plain etched plate.

How is the schedule set? Each plate is made to a drawing, so timing follows material, channel complexity, quantity and the first article approval. It is stated in the quotation and confirmed again when the first article is approved.

Send your drawing

Send the plate drawing with material, sheet thickness and quantity. Our engineering team will review the channel field and reply with feasibility comments and a quotation.